Is a cappuccino a valid reason to get out of bed?
Absolutely! But it has to have exceptional foam. Let’s learn how to make it together.
If the secret of a good espresso is in its blend, then the secret of a lip-smacking cappuccino is nestled below a thick layer of foam.
Today you can find all kinds of cappuccinos at coffee bars: cold, spiced, with soy milk, with almond milk, lactose-free…
But let’s start with the classic one and learn how to make foam that’s as good as the one at the bar from the comfort of our home.
For the perfect cappuccino, you need 125 ml of milk, a coffee cup, and the famous foam. Many believe that you need a steamer to make it, but rest assured that it’s possible to enjoy a cappuccino with soft and frothy foam even at home.
What you’ll need:
For a long lasting, dense, and creamy foam you have to use whole milk, because its consistency depends on the percentage of fat in the milk.
Part skim milk creates a foam that dissolves quickly, definitely inferior to the other, but acceptable if you absolutely can’t digest whole milk.
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WHISKS, BLENDERS, AND FROTHERS
No, you don’t need all of them. This is just to give you several alternatives.
The electric whisk that you already use to prepare sweets is perfect: you can whisk the hot milk as though you’re making whipped cream.
Otherwise, an immersion blender is another valid tool. Our personal advice, however, is to heat the milk and pour it into a deep container, in order to avoid getting milk all over the kitchen and splattering all that wonderfully soft foam on all of your furniture.
Obviously, the frother, designed and created precisely for this purpose, has to be included on the list. Whether it’s battery-run, manual, or electric, the important thing is that the milk is hot: the ideal temperature for dense and substantial foam is approximately 60°-65°C.
Here’s one last alternative: a plastic bottle.
Cheap and fast, it just requires a bit of physical endurance. Take an empty plastic bottle and pour the milk into it. All you have to do is shake it rapidly and vigorously until you obtain a delicious creamy foam.
The last resort: acceptance.
Your trusted barman is waiting for you. Maybe even with a nice crispy croissant.
“The important thing isn’t winning the game, but participating in it.”
And of course enjoying a cappuccino with a capital C.
Specialty coffee is by now a well-known term. It is both a specific, precise definition, as well as a notion, movement, more of a fluid concept and philosophy. Let’s take a look at both of these perspectives of specialty coffee.
We’re not “pink quota” fanatics, but we’re familiar with many coffee producing countries, and know, sometimes rather intimately, the societies of which they’re comprised; societies that are often characterized by poverty and limited access to education. Are you ready to get to know some of them?
Even coffee has an aroma wheel that helps with tasting, what is it? Created for professional tasters, today it can help all tasting enthusiasts: let's find out how to train ourselves to taste our coffee at its best.