Why Can't Cappuccinos Be Taken To-Go? What's the Coffee-to-Milk Ratio in a Cappuccino? How Thick Should the Milk Foam Be? What Does Cappuccino Mean?

I wonder if our friends still remember that FrontStreet Coffee previously shared an article about "Why Dirty Coffee Cannot Be Delivered." After that, some friends left messages in the background saying they noticed that many coffee shops don't offer cappuccinos for delivery, with only dine-in and takeout options available.

It's understandable that Dirty coffee cannot be delivered because it needs to maintain the layering of milk and espresso while creating a temperature contrast. But why can't cappuccinos, which like lattes directly mix milk and coffee, be delivered either? Especially when similar drinks like lattes and flat whites can be delivered... This has left many friends puzzled.

Actually, this is quite easy to understand! Although cappuccinos, lattes, and flat whites are all Italian coffees that only add milk and milk foam, they differ significantly in both taste and characteristics! The main reason cappuccinos cannot maintain their quality for delivery is that they have distinctive characteristics that delivery cannot preserve.

The Distinctive Characteristics of Different Coffee Drinks

Lattes focus on maintaining a balance between coffee and milk flavors. To prevent the coffee taste from being too prominent, a large amount of milk is added to balance the coffee's flavor. At FrontStreet Coffee, for example, the parameters used when making hot lattes typically involve 40ml of espresso (20g of grounds, 1:2 ratio, 30 seconds) paired with 200ml of hot milk. Then, to create a smoother texture and enable latte art, milk foam with high fluidity and moderate thickness is created when heating the milk.

Flat whites, on the other hand, emphasize making the coffee flavor rich without bitterness. To achieve this, they use less milk than lattes. Additionally, when extracting espresso, we reduce the liquid output to avoid bitterness, creating a coffee that is rich but not bitter. At FrontStreet Coffee, for example, the parameters used when making flat whites typically involve 30-35ml of espresso (20g of grounds, 1:1.5-1.8 ratio, 30 seconds) paired with 160ml of milk. Then, to give the coffee an even smoother texture, we create extremely fluid, fine milk foam when heating the milk for flat whites to enhance their quality.

Cappuccinos, however, focus on highlighting the coffee flavor, so they use relatively less milk. At FrontStreet Coffee, for example, the parameters used when making cappuccinos typically involve 40ml of espresso (20g of grounds, 1:2 ratio, 30 seconds) paired with 140-150ml of milk. Due to the smaller amount of milk, the coffee flavor is very prominent, which can be difficult for those just beginning to explore coffee to accept. Additionally, cappuccinos have an extremely distinctive characteristic: they must have a layer of dense, thick milk foam. Why? Because this layer of foam provides a dense and rich texture! To achieve this, we need to introduce a large amount of air when frothing the milk, creating numerous bubbles to form a thick foam.

Even when cappuccinos are adapted into iced drinks, their signature thick foam is still preserved. This shows how crucial this thick foam is to a cappuccino. Without this layer of foam, a cappuccino might not be considered a cappuccino anymore.

Why Cappuccinos Cannot Be Delivered

Based on FrontStreet Coffee's simple introduction above, everyone now understands the main differences between cappuccinos, flat whites, and lattes. Besides flavor, there's also the difference in milk foam. The reason cappuccinos aren't offered for delivery is precisely due to their signature thick foam.

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned earlier, the essence of milk foam is bubbles! And the liquid film that traps the gas becomes thinner as liquid gradually drains away. When it becomes thin enough, the bubbles will burst. Therefore, milk foam gradually dissipates over time. (A difference of about twenty minutes)

Delivery from the shop to the customer takes time, and while this period may not be very long, it's enough for more than half of the foam in the cup to disappear. Additionally, many coffee shops specifically heat the milk to a higher temperature than usual for dine-in service to ensure customers receive a warm coffee. Excessive temperatures cause the foam to dissipate even faster. The reduction in foam makes the drink appear smaller in quantity, which can easily lead to misunderstandings and disputes from customers who aren't familiar with coffee. Therefore, to reduce disputes, many coffee shops simply choose not to offer cappuccino delivery, thus avoiding potential conflicts.

- END -

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473