
Indeed, espresso is such an intense coffee experience that when it first migrated out of Italy, foreigners found it bitter so they sweetened it with generous ratios of hot milk. Gateway drug: Lattes are famously creamy.(Making the “microfoam” in large quantities is either a) impossible or b) requires ridiculous amounts of milk, depending on who you ask.)Įspresso topped by a generous amount of steamed milk topped by a thin layer of milk foam. Why? The larger the drink, the more milk required, which dilutes the strength of the taste and makes achieving even ratios impossible. Because of this, a cappuccino traditionalist will tell you that the idea of a 20-ounce cappuccino (or really anything much more than 8 ounces), is laughable. Sweet venti lies: A traditional cappuccino is known for a strong espresso flavor and for reasonably equal parts of milk and foam.Want less foam and more milk? Order it wet, though some will argue you are elbowing into latte territory at this point. Want more foam and less milk in the middle? Order your cappuccino dry. dry: The baseline for a traditional cappuccino is usually understood to include the milk and foam in equal quantities. Note these same monks were so famous for their color scheme, when a species of similarly shaded primates were discovered in Central America they were dubbed “capuchin monkeys.” When the drink was introduced in Italy, people thought the color of the espresso mixed with frothed milk looked similar to the color of a Capuchin robe.



CappuccinoĮspresso topped by steamed milk topped by a thick layer of milk foam. (It’s my wife’s recipe, and my youngest daughter nearly has it mastered, too.)īut while the “right” way is open to interpretation, a basic definition can help when touring four pillars of most American espresso menus: the cappuccino, latte, mocha and americano. You may as well ask me the right way to make a chocolate chip cookie. What’s the right way to make a cappuccino? What is the proper ratio of espresso to milk to foam? Should it include a dusting of cinnamon or chocolate powder? Is a proper cappuccino wet or dry? Touring four staples of the American espresso menu
