Coffee Basics: Why Cappuccino Cannot Be Brewed with a Siphon Pot

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Cappuccino belongs to the category of specialty coffee with a rich taste that combines both the sweetness of milk and the robustness of coffee. This distinctive flavor profile is achieved through espresso extracted from an espresso machine, combined with fresh milk steamed to create a fluffy and dense foam. When these two elements are perfectly blended, they create the unique, intense coffee flavor that characterizes cappuccino.

However, despite its impressive appearance, the siphon brewer has functional limitations and can only extract black coffee. Therefore, it cannot achieve the same intensity and richness as an espresso machine, nor does it have the capability to froth milk. Consequently, siphon brewers cannot make specialty coffee drinks like cappuccinos or lattes. If you wish to make a siphon brewer latte, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using darker roasted coffee beans, such as FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling, FrontStreet Coffee's Huilan, or FrontStreet Coffee's Queen's Manor. After brewing a high-concentration black coffee, you can add milk according to your personal taste to balance its bitterness.

The Origin of Cappuccino

Cappuccino is the phonetic translation of "Cappuccino," a word derived from the Italian term "Cappuccio" (meaning hood). As a coffee drink, however, it is associated with the Capuchin religious order in Italy.

When members of this order came to Italy for missionary work, they wore dark brown robes and small pointed caps folded from hoods. At that time, Italians had an ingenious idea: they steamed milk into a dense, stable foam and poured it into espresso. The coffee in the cup displayed a ring of brown color similar to the robes, and then they used a spoon to shape the foam on the coffee's surface into a pointed cap. Since the pronunciations of Capuchin and Cappucci were similar, Italians incorporated the "n" into Cappuccio without changing the rhythmic flow, ultimately naming this milk coffee "Cappuccino."

How to Make a Standard Cappuccino

FrontStreet Coffee uses 180ml tulip cups when making cappuccino. Compared to round-bottomed cups, the tall, narrow-at-the-bottom and wide-at-the-top design better highlights the signature "hat" shape of cappuccino.

Espresso Extraction

FrontStreet Coffee uses a specially blended "Sunflower Warm Sunshine" coffee bean, made from a combination of sherry cask-aged and sun-dried Yirgacheffe beans, to produce their espresso. For making a single cappuccino, the extraction recipe is 20g of coffee grounds to yield 35g of coffee liquid, divided into two servings, with an extraction time of 27 seconds. (Alternatively, you can make a single shot directly using FrontStreet Coffee's parameters: 12g of coffee grounds to yield 30g of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of 23 seconds.)

Using Chilled Fresh Milk

Fresh milk better preserves the proteins and milk fat. Proteins are key to forming foam, while milk fat further stabilizes the foam, slowing down the rate of collapse, while also adding richness to the coffee's texture.

Milk Frothing

Choose a small milk pitcher and pour in 150ml of chilled fresh milk. Before inserting the steam wand into the pitcher, purge it to release condensed steam water from the steam hole. Place the steam wand 1cm below the milk surface and turn on the steam. When the steam contacts the milk surface, it will make a "squeaking" sound. This step is called aeration and is crucial for forming foam.

The longer the aeration time, the thicker the foam! For cappuccino, the ideal foam thickness is 1.5cm, so when frothing milk, stop aerating after hearing 6-7 squeaking sounds, then tilt the pitcher to a 45-degree angle to create a vortex that eliminates large bubbles (at this point, the squeaking sound should stop). The milk is properly steamed when it reaches approximately 55 degrees Celsius.

Shake the Pitcher Before Pouring to Prevent Foam Separation

After steaming, the milk will naturally begin to separate between foam and liquid. We need to find a pivot point on the table and rotate the pitcher clockwise at a steady speed by turning our wrist, keeping the milk and foam integrated before pouring.

Pouring the Foam into Espresso

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, when pouring milk, you must not disrupt the espresso's crema. If you pour milk directly, the crema will definitely be disturbed. Therefore, we need to pour the foam first, creating a protective layer between the milk and crema before adding the milk. However, milk is heavier than foam, so naturally the milk would pour first. How can we ensure the foam pours first?

(Key point) Position the pitcher spout directly over the center of the espresso surface, then tilt the pitcher slightly as if to pour, but pause for a moment! Let the foam gather at the spout, then slowly pour into the center. When pouring the foam, there's no need to swirl for integration or move your wrist—just maintain a stable position and pour the foam directly into the center.

Important Notice :

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