Cappuccino Coffee Illustrated Tutorial: Exclusive Guide to the Most Authentic Cappuccino Preparation

The Art of Cappuccino: A Complete Guide

Cappuccino is the most classic Italian coffee beverage. Your first encounter with cappuccino might have been simply because its name captivated you. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee focuses on explaining how cappuccino coffee is made. What comes to mind when you think of cappuccino? A milk coffee with thick, dense foam. These descriptions are accurate, but to gain a deeper understanding of cappuccino coffee, let's start with the origin of its name.

The Origin of the Name "Cappuccino"

The name "cappuccino" is translated from "Cappuccino," which originates from the Capuchin friars and the Italian word for hood (cappuccio). The white hoods worn by Capuchin friars resemble the white milk foam in the center of a cappuccino. It is said that most friars enjoyed drinking this type of coffee, which is how it got its name.

How to Make Authentic Cappuccino Coffee

So, what is the method for making authentic cappuccino coffee? First, the most traditional Italian cappuccino preparation uses a tall ceramic cup of approximately 180ml. The coffee amount is one shot, which follows the traditional Italian method (30ml of espresso extracted from 7-8 grams of coffee grounds). Then pour in the properly frothed hard milk foam, creating white foam in the center surrounded by a golden ring where coffee crema and foam merge.

Cappuccino also places great importance on coffee beans, as different flavored coffee beans produce cappuccinos with distinct characteristics. Italians particularly favor Italian roast blends for making espresso, which exhibit flavors of roasted notes, richness, and dark chocolate.

FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy differs from Italian methods. Even for coffee beans used for espresso, the roasting never reaches the dark, oily level of Italian roast. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting aims to preserve the original flavors of the coffee beans. When roasting espresso beans, it's necessary to roast deeply while preventing excessive loss of the coffee's original flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee uses the "Warm Sun Blend" coffee beans, which combine Sherry barrel-processed beans with sun-dried Yirgacheffe. This coffee bean is roasted to a medium-dark level, considerably lighter than Italian roasts. However, due to the combination of Sherry coffee and Yirgacheffe, it highlights Sherry wine aroma and vanilla cream while also presenting notes of caramel and chocolate.

The Preparation Process

This preparation uses a single-shot extraction method, using a single portafilter with 9 grams of coffee grounds to extract 20 grams of espresso liquid, with an extraction time of 22 seconds.

The key to making cappuccino lies in the milk frothing step. Cappuccino's foam is thicker than latte's, so frothing milk for cappuccino requires longer aeration time. First, pour milk into the milk pitcher and insert the steam wand into the milk. Turn on the steam switch, letting the steam wand's air holes contact the milk surface. This will produce a sharp, paper-tearing sound, which we call aeration or air intake. The longer the aeration time, the thicker the foam. Therefore, cappuccino's milk foam aeration time is longer than that for latte. After aeration, continue submerging the steam wand in the milk, allowing the milk to rotate and froth in the steam wand. Finally, wait until the milk temperature reaches around 55 degrees Celsius, then turn off the steam to complete the milk frothing.

The Signature Golden Ring

The characteristic of cappuccino lies in its dense milk foam, but such thick foam reduces milk's fluidity, making it difficult to create the elaborate latte art patterns found in lattes. Perhaps the most impressive pattern for cappuccino is its signature "golden ring."

The cappuccino's golden ring pattern is actually quite simple. Add the extracted espresso to the cup, but instead of pouring milk directly, use a spoon to scoop foam and place it into the espresso. Gently let the foam fall into the center of the coffee - the foam will gradually spread like a ripple. As more foam is added, the ripple will expand until it covers most of the surface area, at which point you add the milk.

Today, with the popularity of latte art, baristas strive to create beautiful flower patterns on every milk coffee, and cappuccino is no exception. To present decorative patterns, baristas consciously introduce less air when frothing milk to make the foam thinner and increase its fluidity. Additionally, considering that overly full cups are prone to spilling, some coffee shops offering takeout deliberately reduce the dome effect of foam filling to the brim, thus eliminating the appearance of being filled to 11 parts.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

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