siderealYou can, of course, order whatever you like at a coffee shop, but unless you order a cappuccino or macchiato it’s a waste of everyone’s time.
How could you be so rude to your barista as to ask them to make you an Americano? Yikes
Americanos were invented in WWII because espresso was too bitter for US soldiers and milk was too expensive due to the war. There is no reason for anyone to be drinking this in 2026. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news
Don’t even get me started on third wave fancy drip coffee/pourovers. Just order a cappuccino if you’ve got any guts. Are you vegan? Oat milk is fine. Don’t like milk? That’s what the macchiato is for — it’s just a cappuccino with less milk.
Drinking coffee without milk is bad and should be avoided at all costs (again, not opinion).
What other wartime struggle foods have stuck around like this? I’m sure there are others, but none of them are sticking out to me. Ordering an Americano when you have a choice to order anything else is just wild to me. No one ever thought americanos were actually good until, like, 1998, and I don’t know what changed. The US soldiers just thought they were less crappy than straight espresso, and the Italians just (correctly) thought the US soldiers had no taste.
Carlota Lacumi Appreciator@sidereal you're right and you should say it but also you can take my V60 over my cold-brewed corpse in a giant French press