So I don't really like Starbucksbut, sometimes it's just the most convenient. Especially on holidays or other times when small businesses may be closed.
For some reason they insist on making a cafe americano exactly incorrectly. They put the espresso shots in an empty cup and then fill with (almost always way too hot) water. It should be like a cafe longe (which you can't get in US, though they were the best thing ever in Paris): add hot (drinkable temperature) water and then add the espresso shots in top. This preserves the nice 'cream' on top of the drink. Also you want to drink the espresso shot as soon as possible, so why do it first? After the few initial drinks, I suppose both ways are more or less the same as the drink has become homogeneous, but it's not as good at first.
Thanks for tuning in to this Thanksgiving coffee rant.
I don't drink americano. I think it's kind of weird, but I get why people do like it. I prefer when it tastes more, I guess.
Can't find anything on cafe longe, but I do know how cafe lungo works, and it's not really add water to espresso, but rather have more water pass through for a longer time.
And wikipedia says you can add the water before or after for an americano.
I don't know much about coffee, though. So take it with a grain of salt (which was apparently how one took their coffee, at least in Sweden, way back).