The Cappuccino

[kingseven]

The ratios of this never cease to amaze me. Ask anyone in the industry the ratios and they say 1 part espresso, 1 part steamed milk, 1 part foamed milk. As them how big an espresso should be and they say 1 fluid ounce.

So..... a cappuccino is therefore supposed to be a 3fl. oz. drink? Rarely do we see them any smaller than 4.5-5oz, and a wet cappuccino - which is what we are all supposed to be making these days - probably has 1 oz of espresso, 3oz of milk, and 1oz of foam. Or maybe a little more foam and a little less milk.

Either way there seems to be a weird perpetuation of this ratio myth and I don't understand why we can't sit down and work out a correct one. Espresso is a precise art - weights, grinds, extraction times and volumes - yet add milk and it all goes out of the window!

[Joey]

I will make cappuccinos as you said 1:1:1 (fl.oz.)
or double cappas 2:2:2 (fl.oz.)
but nothing else.
In Vienna you get many different versions of a cappuccino:
Some say it's the same as a Melange.
Some do what you described above (the bad example)
And many put whipped cream on top and refuse to make you a c. with foam.
In the old Viennese Coffee Houses I have had so many arguments with waiters - I gave up.

I: I want a cappuccino, but with foamed milk. (to make sure I get the right thing)
waiter: with foam it's a melange
I: No, a melange has more milk, less foam, it's like a smaller latte
Waiter: no, a cappuccino is whith whipped cream on top
I: Have you ever been in Italy? (almost every Austrian has) It's supposed to be 1:1:1 !!! The melange is like 1:2:1 !
Waiter: in our coffeehouse you can have a cappuccino with whipped cream or a Melange with foam, what do you want now?

...so much to customer service and waiter knowledge in Vienna!
(I refuse to call them baristas, as they are only buttonpushers)


joey

[simonp]

I always make myself a 2:2:2, and I like it with nice dry foam

[phil]

and I like it with nice dry foam

Again I find myself missing Peterj. He gave me a drink to try with gob-smackingly superb foam - it was just like the "paint" I hear other people mention. Just like pouring cream, and it was made from semi-skimmed milk . Mine is always either just hot milk or egg whites!

[flimbag]

I also drink the classic 2x2x2 formula -- as my primary drink. I've I've got a good microfoam in the jug though, I just pour it as 2x4, and the foam will seperate out rendering it similar to a classic cappa, but somewhat more delicious.

Incidentally, since my EPNW 2-hole tip arrived, I get proper microfoam from my Euro2000 Jr. every time, effortlessly. I believe that Eric C thinks he has the proper 2 hole, but from the photos he's posted, he doesn't -- he has the same tip as the old Isomac Tea.

[kingseven]

Interesting that you guys are drinking 2x4s so to speak, as I very rarely see 6oz cups - which ones are you using?

[simonp]

Mine are 6oz cups I got from John Lewis, can't remember the make but they are 'Hip-to-be-Square' ones with cartoony sheep on them (girlfreind wanted them, and they've grown on me

[moccafaux]

I dont think that there are rules one has to obey.
If you get the amount of espresso you like within an acceptable time-window (something around 25sec) everything else is up to you.
Myself, I standardized the amount of coffee (17-18gr) and the tamper and vary the grind to go as ristretto as is possible without letting the machine stall. How much milk I add is then entirely down to my mood, hunger, the condition of my stomach or the time of the day.
Simply do as you like

[anette]

The one part espresso one part milk one part foam is a correct way of describing a cappuccino as such, but keep in mind that one part isn't the same as one THIRD, that's where you can get confused. The WBC standard for the single cappuccino cups is from 150ml to 190 ml, so which size you use depends on the flavour profile you're after. How much foam you end up with in the cup is up to your steaming technique, but personally I think if you have less than 1cm it's not a cappuccino. But then again 3 cm in a 150ml cup is a bit much. You need to find a balance between coffee milk and smooth,silky foam, but the balance should come from the sensory evaluation, not the standardized one part this and one part that. So many rules in espresso making need to be clarified and challenged, and taken as guidelines not as the only correct way of making your drink.

Rules make me cranky!
Anette

[kingseven]

Interesting to see so much art poured at WBC and similar, because very few of those drinks will have foam thicker than 1cm - any more and the foam is too thick to pour will much definition unless you are doing for the Luigi Lupi style hearts.....

I use a 150ml cup meself - because I think being a barista is more about making coffee, extracting the finest from the bean, than it is about heating milk and air.... (plus I don't really like milk) - and thats the flavour profile (good term - must steal that!) I prefer.

I think the precision of espresso is one of its great attractions - allowing for better competition - but I think there is still a lot of myth and a lot of marketing going on (not to name names....)

One thing - surely a latte could be described as one part espresso one part milk one part foam - as there should still be some texture in latte milk. How do we differentiate? Merely in the volume of air in the milk?

[anette]

I think if you want to do latte art in a competition you better be confident that you'll end up with enough foam in all cups, because the judges will punish that. Sure it's pretty to look at, but if it's just a couple of millimeters of it, then it's not close to an ideal capp.

yeah, a caffe latte can also be described as one part espresso one part milk one part foam, but the ratio between the components should be different from a cappuccino. You use a 30 ml shot in a 150 ml cup, right? so your cappuccino is 20% espresso, 80% milk/foam. If we extend the accepted size of a cup to 190 ml we can say that a cappuccino has approx. 16-20% espresso. Now what would you say an average latte glass/bowl/cup whichever holds? 200ml? 220ml? If so then a latte will hold 13-15% espresso and the rest milk/foam.

But then you can argue endlessly about what happens if you put two shots in a 200ml glass, is it then just a strong latte or is it technically a cappuccino? Is it then up to the amount and the nature of the foam? or the vessel you serve it in? The spoon you stir with? I say just pick one way of serving it and stick to it, just be prepared to explain and defend you choice when the next customer complains his cappuccion isn't one third foam!

Anette

[kingseven]

I think if you present people a decent wet cappuccino they are usually too busy scooping the foam out the empty cup with their fingers/tea spoon to worry about ratios. A lot ask "aren't you going to spoon any foam on top?" but the proof of the pudding.....

What size cups get used in competition?

[anette]

A lot of people use the "standard" 180cc cups, but quite a few prefer the smaller sizes that lets the coffee shine through more. The taller, narrower cups have been popular in the last few years as well. I agree with you on the 150 cups though, if your espresso is good then why drown it out in a 190 cup?