Everyone has their own opinions, but to me an Americano is the worst form of black coffee. Espresso blends are typically on the darker side (more bitter), and o

Everyone has their own opinions, but to me an Americano is the worst form of black coffee. Espresso blends are typically on the darker side (more bitter), and often include Robusta beans in their blends to produce more crema. Robusta doesn't have a particularly great flavor on its own, some (including me) liken the taste to burnt rubber. I think the clearest way to show someone how different "black coffee" can taste is to go to one of the extremes - pour over, hot or iced, with a light-roast bean from Africa, perhaps with a Natural or Anaerobic Natural process. You can get some pretty insane flavors out of a bean just by the processing it goes through after picking the coffee cherries. They can sometimes blur the lines between coffee and tea flavors.