Why Don't Coffee Shops Sell Iced Cappuccino? The Difference Between Cappuccino and Latte

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"Hello, I'd like an iced cappuccino!"

"Sorry, we only have hot cappuccinos~"

"Why don't you have iced cappuccinos???"

This is a question many people have had. Clearly, some chain coffee shops offer iced cappuccinos as an option, so why don't most coffee shops provide iced cappuccinos?

What is Cappuccino Coffee?

The word cappuccino comes from the Italian "Cappuccino." In Italian, "Cappuccio" means hood. Among them, "Capuchin" refers to the Catholic Franciscan order. When the order came to Italy to preach, locals named the dark brown robes and small pointed hats worn by the members "Cappuccino."

The origin of cappuccino coffee came when people added milk to espresso and found that the color resembled the robes of the Franciscan order. They had a clever idea to create some milk foam on top of the coffee, shaped like a small pointed hat, and named it Cappuccino.

Traditional hot cappuccino coffee is made from 1/3 espresso, 1/3 hot milk, and 1/3 hot milk foam. Cappuccino milk foam comes in two types: dry and wet. Dry foam contains more foam, can hold its shape for a longer time, and has a dense texture; wet foam contains less foam, has fluidity, holds its shape for a shorter time than dry foam, and is both dense and smooth.

Why Do Chain Coffee Shops Offer Iced Cappuccinos?

Perhaps to better satisfy customers' different needs~ Some chain coffee shops that serve iced cappuccinos mostly just add hot-steamed milk foam on top of iced lattes. If not consumed immediately in a for-here cup, customers won't be able to experience the dense texture that the foam provides.

Many coffee shops don't serve iced cappuccinos, partly because they are more troublesome to make, and partly because the texture of hot foam transitioning to iced coffee is not accepted by all consumers. Therefore, most coffee shops only offer hot versions of cappuccinos.

Are All Iced Cappuccinos Unpleasant?

Not necessarily! According to FrontStreet Coffee's observations, some coffee shops today use nitrogen canisters to create delicate milk foam, which they pour into milk coffee that's slightly stronger than iced latte.

These coffee shops typically use nitrogen to make fine, smooth foam from cream, juice, etc., to enhance the overall texture of a coffee. The milk foam on iced cappuccinos can also be made in the same way.

However, if you directly use nitrogen to froth milk, the foam will quickly blend with the coffee and cannot effectively float on the surface.

To solve this problem, some baristas suggest soaking gelatin sheets in cold water until soft, then adding them to warm milk to dissolve, and finally pouring into a nitrogen canister for frothing. This way, the foam can better float on the coffee surface and has better durability.

However, making iced cappuccinos this way costs more than the hot version~ So we can also use a French press/non-heating milk frother to froth cold milk into dense foam~ FrontStreet Coffee doesn't typically serve iced cappuccinos, but occasionally baristas themselves want to drink iced coffee with a dense texture, so this is the method they use~

First, pour chilled fresh milk into the French press to the halfway point, then pump the French press back and forth about 20 times, until it's about 8/10 full, and you'll see the container filled with cotton candy-like milk foam!! (Although it's a bit troublesome~)

Then pour the iced milk foam into a prepared glass, first using a spoon to block the foam while pouring the milk from the French press into the glass to the 2/3 mark, then pour the extracted espresso into the glass, and finally fill the glass with the milk foam.

Everyone can also sprinkle chocolate powder/cinnamon powder according to their preferences, which can elevate the layers of the entire coffee~

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473