Cappuccino: Single Shot or Double Shot, How Coffee Shops Make It

How to Make a Cappuccino

First, a word on where the cappuccino comes from. The word "Cappuccino" is Italian in origin. When Capuchin monks came to Italy to preach, they wore dark brown robes and small pointed hoods formed from folded head coverings. Italians had a clever idea: steam milk into dense, stable foam and pour it over espresso. The coffee in the cup then showed a ring of brown resembling the monks' robes, and a spoon was used to shape the surface foam into a pointed "hat." Since "Capuchin" and "Cappuccio" sound alike, Italians folded the "n" into "Cappuccio" without breaking the rhythm of the word, and this milk coffee became the "Cappuccino." Structurally, a cappuccino is espresso + thick milk foam — milk replaces the cream, and the smaller milk share is exactly why the drink tastes rich, fragrant and velvety.

When FrontStreet Coffee makes a cappuccino, we use 180ml tulip cups. Compared with round-bottomed cups, these tall, narrow-bottomed, wide-topped cylinders better showcase the cappuccino's signature "hat." We start with a single shot of espresso — extracted from a 20g dose at a 1:2 ratio in about 30 seconds, which yields a concentrate with plenty of strength and a well-rounded, fully extracted flavor. Then we froth the milk. Cappuccinos demand relatively thick foam, so we incorporate more air during steaming. Once frothing is done, we fuse the milk with the espresso, then raise the pitcher and pour — and the cappuccino is complete.

The Golden Ring, Step by Step

The most charming feature of a café-style cappuccino is the "golden ring": the outer circle gets its color from the espresso, while the inner circle is filled with white foam. It looks fancy but is easy to reproduce at home. Here is how FrontStreet Coffee demos it:

1. Extract the espresso first — 20g of grounds, 32 seconds, 40ml of coffee liquid — and pour it into a prepared cup.

2. Froth the milk while the shot pulls. Since no latte art is needed, you can steam the foam thicker and silkier than usual.

3. Take a spoon, scoop a dollop of foam, and place it right at the center of the coffee, using the foam to build a filled circle in the middle.

4. Then swirl the pitcher to re-fuse the foam and milk, and pour into the very center of the cup. Because the surface is entirely foam, you don't need to worry about overflow — pour confidently, stopping when the cup is about eleven-tenths full.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

What defines the cappuccino against latte-art drinks like the flat white or latte is its thick, plush foam and rich, full-bodied coffee base — which makes espresso-oriented blends the best fit. For beginners brewing at home, go for the crema powerhouse FrontStreet Classic Blend, or the value champion FrontStreet Dark Cocoa Blend.

If you want to challenge a floral-fruity cappuccino, the first choice is the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend, which brings berry, rose, raisin and fruit-candy aromatics. For a fresher, non-bitter cup, pick the FrontStreet Grana Geisha SOE: natural processed and medium roasted, it carries berry, orange and persimmon flavors, and turns delightfully milky-sweet — like milk candy — when paired with milk.