WHAT IS A CAPPUCCINO? MAKING ONE AT HOME!

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WHAT IS A CAPPUCCINO? MAKING ONE AT HOME!

Hmm, are you hesitating about what coffee you should drink in the morning to kickstart your day and don’t regular coffee? We suggest you try a nice cappuccino.

The cappuccino is a coffee-based espresso drink that has milk and foam on top. It is what many people consider to be an iced latte. They can come in different flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, or caramel. They also come in different ratios of espresso to milk, which will affect the taste of your drink.

For example, a standard cappuccino has two shots of espresso with four ounces of steamed milk (not shaken). It can reduce stress, improve focus and boost your energy to kickstart your day!

Please don’t think you need to be a barista to brew one. You learn by doing!

WHAT IS A CAPPUCCINO?

A cappuccino is an espresso-based coffee that has 3 equal parts of espresso, steamed milk, and steamed foam. When it was made in the right way, you’ll see from top to bottom: foam, milk, and espresso, all in equal parts.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF CAPPUCCINO?

A general cappuccino is made from 3 equal parts of espresso, steamed milk, and foam, but there are other variations available for the fans.

There are about 3 “main” types: dry, wet, and bone dry.

DRY CAPPUCCINO

A dry cappuccino is, as the word suggests, drier and contains less milk, there’s more foam than milk. You can think that when there’s more foam than milk, there’s more air in your cup and thus it is drier!

WET CAPPUCCINO

The counterpart of a dry cappuccino contains more steamed milk than frothed milk. This means there’s more “white” liquid in your cup than foam. This results in a creamy cappuccino.

It tastes smoother and the bitter tastes of your espresso will be dulled by the larger amount of milk in the cup.

BONE DRY CAPPUCCINO

A bone dry cappuccino has less steamed milk than a dry cappuccino, exactly there’s no steamed milk in it.

Think about it, milk is used as some kind of sweetener that battles the strong flavor of your espresso coffee. The taste of a bone dry cappuccino is thus much stronger.

This drink should be consumed in this way, with no sweeteners or other products. This battle of the senses will give you more experiences and you’ll know your favored taste!

ORIGINS OF THE CAPPUCCINO?

The name cappuccino is derived from the Catholic order of Capuchin monks because it looks like their robes. It can come in many different flavors, but mostly served with something extra on top, such as sugar or cinnamon to make your taste buds water and stomach grumble for more!

People will mostly opt for a standard vanilla flavor when ordering one at breakfast time, there are endless possibilities these days.

When it is made in a correct way, it should have 3 layers from top to bottom: foam, milk, and espresso, all in equal parts.

HOW TO MAKE A CAPPUCCINO WITH A MACHINE?

First of all, a good espresso machine will help you in brewing your cappuccino and simplifying your morning routine.

Before you start brewing, pick the right espresso beans and make sure you have fresh cold milk ready (the more fat, the better for your foam).

pull your espresso: double shot
water into boiler of espresso machine
2 tablespoons (2 shots) of ground coffee into portafilter
tamp coffee down using a tamper (2 to 3 times).
place portafilter into espresso machine and lock it.
place a glass carafe or cup (from your espresso machine) and pull the shot until you’ve got the 2 ounces.
foam the milk
- place milk into a pitcher (aspriin) or glass cup (not more than half)
- release steam to get rid of the builtin water from previous brewing sessions
- insert steam wand into container with milk, just under surface of milk.
- Start steaming and keep your steam wand to the side, not in the middle. You’ll want to create a flow
- Move the container so that the steam wand can push the air into the milk, creating foam in the process. You should have smaller bubbles
once the milk is foamed to the desired level, you can turn the wand off.
if you have large bubbles, please tap to remove them

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO IMPROVE THE FOAM?

Focus you on one thing: your milk.

The higher the fat percentage of your milk, the thicker your foam will be, the lower the fat the lighter your foam.

Think about when you’ve bought the milk and when it’s about to expire. The fresher your milk, the easier and better your foam will be.

HOW TO MAKE A CAPPUCCINO WITHOUT AN ESPRESSO MACHINE?

You don’t need the last coffee gear or espresso machine to make yourself a nice cup. Use a milk frother or a whisk. A handheld milk frother does the job pretty well, these things won’t cost you a lot. You can heat the milk in the microwave or using a stovetop kettle or a pan… Just make sure it’s not higher than 150 – 160 degrees Fahrenheit (65 – 71°Celsius).

CONCLUSION

Here you go! Now you’re equipped with the right knowledge and know-how to brew a cappuccino at home. Please note that foaming, steaming, frothing the milk can be difficult in the beginning but you’ll get there eventually by practice!

More blog posts on espresso-based coffees:

F.A.Q.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LATTE AND CAPPUCCINO?

They’re both espresso-based coffees. The difference is in their espresso-to-milk ratio. A cappuccino has a higher espresso-to-milk ratio than a latte. A cappuccino has about 1/3rd steamed milk and a latte about 1/5th steamed milk.

WHAT DOES A DRY CAPPUCCINO MEAN?

A dry cappuccino doesn’t contain the 1/3rd part of steamed milk. There’s more foam than milk, making the drink drier and stronger. The strong flavor of the espresso is more present because of the lower milk ratio. Milk dulls the stronger flavors of the espresso.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ESPRESSO AND CAPPUCCINO?

When you prepare yourself a shot of espresso, you’ll have a thin, brown layer on top of your coffee. A cappuccino has on top of the espresso a layer of steamed milk and above that a layer of steamed foam. The 3 parts are equal and thus the taste isn’t that strong when compared to a normal espresso as milk balances the strong flavor.

IS A CAPPUCCINO HEALTHY?

Yes of course, why shouldn’t they be? As with most drinks and foods, there’s the saying of balance, don’t be greedy. A cappuccino is a drink that contains equal parts of espresso, milk, and foam. If you want less milk, you can try a dry or bonedry cappuccino. They’re closer to an espresso macchiato or espresso and will be lower in calories.

Enjoy your coffee!