The capuchin monks have a very singular appearance. Remove their hood and you will see their tonsured head surrounded by a ring of brown hair. Now take a cup of cappuccino and you will see white milk foam surrounded by a brown coffee ring. This is how the cappuccino came to be named. This Italian drink is now the most favored form of coffee and is drunk throughout the world. Go to any café and most likely you will find both young and old, chilling out with a cup of cappuccino. The mild milky foam complements the rich taste of the espresso to bring out a flavor that is distinctly appealing – not too harsh and also not too mild. To make a proper cappuccino is quite difficult as attaining the correct ratio of foam and espresso is what gives it its distinctive taste. An espresso machine is used to make the milk frothy. However, you can make cappuccino at home using simple techniques. Read the article below for tips on making cappuccino.
Making Your Own Cappuccino At Home
Any good cappuccino should contain one- third espresso, one- third steamed milk and one- third froth.
Froth
- Take one cup of cold milk in a saucepan and heat it over medium heat.
- Beat the milk slowly at first to form bubbles and then increase the speed and beat until the milk is thickened.
- Increase the heat a little and beat faster until the milk begins to swell.
- Do not allow the milk to boil so keep on increasing and decreasing the heat. Boiling will decrease the froth and ruin the taste.
- Remove from heat and beat on further to increase the froth.
Steamed Milk
- Refrigerate a steel pitcher and pour cold milk into it.
- Keep enough room for the milk to foam.
- Take a steam wand and dip it into the milk. Switch it on.
- Steam the milk 65 degrees Celsius.
Espresso
- Take two tablespoon of fresh ground coffee in a coffee maker.
- Add half a cup of cold coffee and brew the mixture. Don’t use boiling water.
- If you have an espresso machine then the quality of espresso is always better. Pour cold water into the machines water chamber and coffee in the filter holder.
- Turn on the machine. The machine will use high pressure to extract the coffee.
- Collect the espresso in a cup and there should be brown foam.
Cappuccino
- The ratio of the espresso and milk should be dependent on the strength of the coffee you want.
- Use a porcelain cup as it is better at retaining the heat.
- Pour one third of espresso in a cup and then pour the steamed milk. Then using a spoon add the foam on top. The espresso foam should also rise on the top.
- You can garnish the cappuccino with chocolate powder, cinnamon or nutmeg.