TIL Japan has something called アメリカンコーヒー, often referred to in English by the unintentionally condescending name "weak coffee".
TIL Japan has something called アメリカンコーヒー, often referred to in English by the unintentionally condescending name "weak coffee".
This drink is available in America too, it’s just known by the Italian name, “Caffé Americano”
For the history of why it got that name: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffè_Americano
As I mentioned in my other comment, I assumed they were the same, but several sites said they were different things. "American coffee" is a weak brewed coffee, and Caffe Americano (アメリカノ) is a diluted espresso, which is actually stronger than most brewed coffees, at least in terms of caffeine content. Japan has アメリカノ too, and in my experience it's much more common.
I thought maybe it was supposed to say Americano, but it's not the same. There's an explanation here. It's made from light roasted beans, and they say it most likely got it's name from Americans in post-war Japan brewing coffee with lots of water or diluting it further before drinking.
I'm not American, but the name sounds a little judgemental to me.
the name sounds a little judgemental to me.
The only way it really sounds judgmental is if you get hung up on the word "weak".
Weak has a very negative tone to it. Using weak to describe food or drink is rarely, if ever, used in a positive way.
Similar to the Dutch Koffie Verkeerd (literally “wrong coffee”)
There seem to be multiple Japanese names for things that are tied to some other nationality with unclear logic.
I'll never forget being at the train station in Kawaguchiko and seeing a フランスドッグ (France Dog) on the menu. It was a hot dog on a stick inside of batter (like a corndog), but with cheese also inside the batter layer.
I wonder if the French know.
Often called American, actually. It is weaker than blend. This is first time I see written as weak. Not common term
It appears to be somewhat common. When looking it up, I found several sites like this one that explained how to say アメリカンコーヒー in English.
When I was at a hotel breakfast buffet in Tateyama, that was the label on the coffee machine, too: “American Coffee (weak)”.