What is cappuccino coffee?
Cappuccino is known as a type of coffee drink that today has three equal layers of espresso, hot milk, and foamed milk on the top. Cappuccino coffee is most often made by an espresso machine.
Cappuccino is a type of coffee beverage (1)
In particular, espresso stays at the bottom of the cup of cappuccino coffee. The same amount of hot milk accompanies the layer. You can make hot milk by using the espresso machine steam wand to heat and texture the milk.
The top layer of the coffee drink is milk foam. This foam is often painted with artistic drawings with the same milk, also known as latte art.
A perfect cup of cappuccino coffee is normally rich, but not acidic and has a light sweet flavor from the hot milk. Also, since the milk is not actually stirred in espresso, it would have a stronger flavor.
History
The origin of cappuccino coffee is an interesting aspect to discover.
The origin of cappuccino coffee (2)
When the cappuccino first entered Italy, it was called after the Capuchin friar wears owing to the color of the drink similar to the color of the Capuchin's brown robe. The mild brown color appears when the white milk mixes with the darker espresso.
During the 1700s, “Kapuziner” was another term for the coffee drink. It was made by the citizens of Vienna, and it included whipped cream and spices.
Yet, until the 1930s when the popularity of cappuccino coffee spread over the Italian area. Slowly entering Austrian cafes, and then ultimately around the world, cappuccino coffee has been developing in reputation ever since.
Popularity
As one of the most well-known Italian beverages, the cappuccino is a popular coffee drink that is adored by many coffee fans. It is an espresso-based drink and has the popularity of its thick layer of foamed milk.
Cappuccino coffee is about 6 oz in size and consists of a shot of espresso, hot milk, and milk microfoam. Then, proportionally, it has equal thirds of each espresso, hot milk, and milk microfoam. It is especially smaller than a caffe latte.
Many cappuccino lovers like it due to the flexibility of volume and ingredients. However, even if baristas provide multiple choices of cappuccino sizes, the proportion of espresso, hot milk, and milk microfoam always remains.
Additionally, cappuccino coffee can also be tailor-made by adopting cream rather than milk, and also extra flavorings like syrups or spices.
Types
The reputation and boundless drinking of the cappuccino have created lots of variations based on its fundamental recipe.
A traditional cappuccino
The drink is also known as a usual cappuccino with one shot of espresso topped with hot and milk microfoam. Baristas or cafes have their own skills followed by small variations, so your cappuccino coffee will vary a bit by location.
Iced cappuccino
The other name is cappuccino freddo which is a cold adaptation of hot cappuccino coffee. In Italian culture, the beverage has a cold, foamed milk on the top. In American culture, it is often an iced (or iced, blended) coffee drink.
Wet/Light cappuccino
It is also called cappuccino chiaro which is made with more steamed milk and less frothed milk. The drink is creamier and lighter in taste than traditional cappuccino coffee. It is more like a caffe latte with a thin foam layer on top.
Dry/Dark cappuccino
It is also called cappuccino scuro which features less milk than the other types of cappuccino coffee. There is a thinner hot milk layer, but a thicker frothed milk layer is on top of the beverage.
The taste of this type is stronger than others, and the color of the drink is darker than the traditional type. The milky microfoam insulates the cappuccino to keep it hotter for a longer time.
Flavored cappuccino
It is very well-known in the US.
Normally, some flavored syrups are added to the flavor of your cappuccino. Popular flavors consist of vanilla, chocolate, caramel, peppermint, raspberry, and cinnamon.
In some cases, a few additives (like cinnamon powder or cocoa, caramel drizzle, or chocolate) are also used to add on top of the cappuccino's microfoam.
How to make a cup of cappuccino coffee?
After you get everything about cappuccino coffee, it is time to begin preparing it yourself!
Homemade cappuccino coffee (4)
If an espresso machine is available at your home, you can easily start preparing a cappuccino in your lovely kitchen. To get a visual how-to on cappuccino recipe, you can enjoy the following video, or read on with our detailed guidelines.
Here is the list of some ingredients you need to prepare before brewing:
- An espresso machine
- Milk steamer or milk steamer
- Milk pitcher
- A 6-ounce cup
- An amount of 16.5-gram ground espresso coffee
- 3 or 4 ounces of milk
Step 1: Preparing
First, you will need to collect brewing ingredients. If you don’t have available ground espresso coffee, you should grind enough coffee beans to have about 15.6 grams of espresso coffee.
After espresso preparation, you have to put about 3 or 4 ounces of milk into the milk pitcher.
Step 2: Espresso coffee brewing
Once you have ground espresso coffee, you can start extracting espresso.
Pour 16.5 grams of ground espresso into the portafilter, and then put it in the espresso machine to pull a double shot of espresso coffee. You just need to keep going ahead and pour espresso directly into the 6-ounce cup.
Step 3: Steaming milk
The third step is steaming milk. The most vital element of steaming milk is technique. As you steam, the ideal temperature is about 160°F.
You also should move the milk pitcher in a paced, vertical motion to let the hot steam completely heat the milk.
In addition, because the cappuccino demands the right amount of microfoam, you need to keep the tip of the steam wand close to the surface of the milk to produce a good layer of milk microfoam.
Still, be careful when doing this since steaming at the surface of the milk may cause a quick increasing foamed milk content. Keep in mind that you still want some hot milk to pour into the beverage, so the milk can’t only be frothed.
Step 4: Pouring milk
Once the espresso extraction has ended and the milk steaming has been completed, you can pour two of them together!
As you pour the milk, keep the pitcher about 3 inches above the 6-ounce cup, and pour in an evenly circular, vertical motion. The steamed milk would help heat and integrate the milk with the espresso.
The frothed milk will be poured into the cappuccino cup as the last one. It will stay on the top of the cappuccino with a soft, delightful amount of microfoam.
Wrapping up
Then, you have understood, right? Now you can make your own cup of cappuccino coffee at your own home cafe!
As the milk steaming stage is a bit more difficult in this coffee drink, it can take a few times for you to practice. After all, with an amount of time and practice, you’ll be able to prepare a perfect cappuccino.
What is cappuccino coffee? You already have the correct answer through the content of the article.
Thank you for reading!
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