Whether it’s right after breakfast on a cozy Sunday morning, or when I want some nice drink to accompany a few pieces of Turkish delight, Turkish coffee is an amazing beverage choice for me. Another type of coffee that I really like is Americano and I decided to explore the differences between Turkish coffee and Americano. Below you can find a detailed comparison of Americano vs Turkish coffee, in areas such as caffeine, strength, calories, preparation methods, taste and so on…
One of the significant differences between Americano vs Turkish coffee is caffeine, as Americano contains roughly 130 mg of caffeine per serving, while one portion of Turkish coffee has around 60 mg of caffeine. Despite this, Turkish coffee has a stronger taste due to its darker roast, finer ground size and different preparation method, along with higher TDS and coffee concentration levels, which makes it the stronger coffee choice between the two. Also, Turkish coffee is served with Turkish delight and water, while Americano is usually served by itself. All in all, there are numerous differences between Turkish coffee and Americano.
What is the Difference Between Americano and Turkish Coffee?
Both Turkish coffee and Americano can be amazing types of coffee to enjoy. However, as they are two distinct types of coffee, there are numerous differences between them.
Firstly one of the readily apparent differences between them is their portion sizes. Turkish coffee is served in special small cups called fincan, and its serving size is around 2oz (65 mL), while the average serving size of caffe Americano is about 6-8oz (~177-237 mL). So compared to Turkish coffee, Americano has a larger serving size.
Another important difference regarding how these types of coffee are served is that Turkish coffee is traditionally served with water to cleanse the palate and Turkish delight as a sweet snack to accompany the coffee. On the other hand, Americano is often served on its own.
Their preparation methods are another difference between Turkish coffee and Americano. Turkish coffee is made in a special pot called cezve, by boiling the finely ground coffee mixed with water. As Americano is espresso that’s diluted with water, it’s made in the same way as espresso, with the use of high pressure hot water. Then, water is added to the espresso to make Americano and it’s served in a regular coffee cup, instead of espresso cups.
Aside from how they are prepared and served, there are many other differences between Turkish coffee vs Americano. In the next section of this post where we’ll talk about whether Turkish coffee is stronger than Americano or not, we’ll look at factors like caffeine, roast level, grind size and TDS.
Is Turkish Coffee Stronger Than Americano?
When comparing two types of coffee, one of the questions topics to explore is coffee strength. While there are many ways to define the strength of coffee, it’s usually seen as something about caffeine level, taste or roast level. But in fact, coffee strength is actually about total dissolved solids (TDS), as well as the concentration level of coffee. Here we will discuss all of these factors to determine whether Turkish coffee is stronger than Americano or not.
Although a single serving of Americano has a higher caffeine level than Turkish coffee, Turkish coffee is stronger due to its higher TDS and coffee concentration levels, as well as stronger taste, its finer grind size and darker roast level.
One serving of Turkish coffee contains around 60 mg of caffeine, while a serving of caffe Americano has approximately 130 mg of caffeine, as it’s made with two shots of espresso. Between these two, Americano is the type of coffee with a higher caffeine level, which makes it the stronger option when we compare them in terms of caffeine.
Aside from caffeine level, another way of determining the strength of coffee is by taste. Compared to Turkish coffee, Americano has a milder taste, despite containing two shots of espresso. Because Americano is made by diluting the coffee with water, which gives it a less strong taste in comparison to Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee has a stronger taste, along with a thicker consistency than Americano.
If we’re to take taste into account when deciding whether Turkish coffee is stronger than Americano or not, we should also mention grind size and roast level, which can affect the flavor of coffee. For making Americano, the coffee beans should be ground finely, while Turkish coffee requires extra fine grind, which increases the extraction level of coffee and giving it its stronger taste. In terms of roast level, Americano needs a medium-dark roast and for Turkish coffee a dark roast is required.
Despite the fact that many people consider factors like caffeine and taste when judging the strength of coffee, what really matters is total dissolved solids (TDS) for this. While Turkish coffee has a TDS level of 2.84% – 2.9%, Americano’s TDS level is around 1-2%. So, in terms of total dissolved solids, Turkish coffee is stronger than Americano.
The coffee concentration ratio of Turkish coffee is 1:9. Americano is made by combining 3-4 parts water with 1 part espresso. Considering that espresso has a coffee concentration ratio of 1:2, with a little bit of calculation, we see that the coffee concentration ratio of Americano is 1:11 to 1:14. This means that Turkish coffee has a higher coffee concentration ratio than Americano.
Here’s a table comparing all these factors we discussed:
| Strength Factor | Turkish Coffee | Caffe Americano |
| Caffeine | 60 mg per portion (~2oz/65 mL) | 130 mg per portion (8oz/~237 mL) |
| Taste | Stronger taste | Milder taste due to being diluted |
| Grind Size | Extra fine grind | Fine grind |
| Roast Level | Darker roast | Medium-dark roast |
| Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) | 2.84% – 2.9% | 1-2% |
| Coffee Concentration Ratio | 1:9 | 1:11 to 1:14 |
Turkish Coffee vs Americano Calories
On this section, we’ll make a comparison between Turkish coffee vs Americano by taking a look at their calories. Without anything added, both of these types of coffee have very little calories. A serving of unsweetened Turkish coffee without anything added has around 5 calories, while a cup of black Americano contains around 15-20 calories. However, both of these coffees can be served with various additions, such as sugar and milk. So here’s a table which shows the estimated energy content of Turkish coffee and Americano with different additions:
| Turkish Coffee Version | Calorie Content (Turkish Coffee) | Americano Version | Calorie Content (Americano) |
| Unsweetened Turkish coffee | 5 calories | Black Americano | 15-20 calories |
| Turkish coffee with 1 tsp. sugar | 23 | Americano with 1 tsp. sugar | 31-36 calories |
| Turkish coffee made with milk | 35 | Americano with 1 tbsp. coffee creamer | 35-40 calories |
| Turkish coffee prepared with milk (+2 tsp. sugar) | 67 | Americano with 1 oz milk (3.7% fat) | 33-38 calories |
Turkish Coffee vs Americano Summary
While both can be amazing coffee choices, there are lots of differences between Turkish coffee and Americano. Here’s a summary of the differences between Americano and Turkish coffee:
- Caffeine level: Turkish coffee has ~60 mg of caffeine per serving, while it’s around 130 mg for Americano.
- Grind size: Fine grind size for Americano and extra fine for Turkish coffee.
- Roast: Americano requires a medium-dark roast and Turkish coffee requires a darker roast.
- Preparation: Turkish coffee is made by mixing water with coffee solids and boiling the mixture in a Turkish coffee pot. Americano is made by mixing one part espresso (two shots) with 3-4 parts water.
- Serving: Serving size of Turkish coffee is around 2oz (65 mL) and it is roughly 6-8oz (~177-237 mL) for Americano. While Americano is generally served on its own, Turkish coffee is traditionally served with Turkish delight and water.
- Taste: Between the two, Turkish coffee is the one with a stronger taste.
- Total dissolved solids (TDS): 2.84% – 2.9% for Turkish coffee and 1-2% for Americano.
- Coffee concentration level: 1:9 for Turkish coffee and 1:11 to 1:14 for Americano.
- Strength: With higher TDS level and coffee concentration ratio, Turkish coffee is stronger than Americano. Moreover, Turkish coffee has a stronger taste, darker roast and a finer grind size.
- Calories: While additions may change their calorie content, one serving of unsweetened Turkish coffee has around 5 calories and a cup of black Americano contains approximately 15-20 calories.
If you liked this post, you may want to check out these blog posts where I have compared Turkish coffee with other types of coffee:
