The Ledge of Know - The Cappuccino

Disclaimer:
Please don’t read this expecting some elaborate history of what is called a “cappuccino”.  I have found it hard to track down any factual information about such beverage, because everything is either hearsay or not confirm-able.  Thus, I am in no position to give the end-all story of the cappuccino.  From here on out, it’s all my interpretation, baby, so take it or leave it.

The cappuccino is a beverage that occurs naturally in the horn of a unicorn.  Typically, it is a 5-6 ounce beverage of 30 milliliters of espresso and 120-150 milliliters of textured milk.  Crazy, I know.  You’ve always believed that the horn of a unicorn has a cavity larger than that, but believe me… I’m “well researched”.

To definitely clarify the definition, let me define some definitive things for you (at least our interpretation thereof):

1. Espresso = the result of placing a portafilter filled with 17-22 grams of finely ground and compacted (tamped) coffee into contact with the group head of an espresso machine (such as the Simonelli in our shop) and forcing filtered and heated (to 190-200 degrees Fahrenheit) water at around 9 bars of pressure for about 20-30 seconds.  The only way to achieve espresso is to use such a device…. Sorry, Aeropress marketers.
2. Textured Milk = the result of crafting a smooth, velvety steamed milk with a minimum of 1 centimeter of foam depth.  There is a fine balance between over-stretched (which leads to massive bubbles) and under-stretched (which amounts to plain ol’ hot milk… you may as well have microwaved it), and the important factor to keep in mind is that the end product should be smooth with microbubbles and quite sweet and not too hot (150-160 degrees F).  To put it into practice and in very trade-specific terms, fill a small steaming pitcher with milk up to half way between the beginning of the spout and the bottom of the pitcher.  Then, place steam wand into milk with one of the little holes poking out, steam milk until you can feel the warmth through the pitcher’s outside (which should be about 100 degrees F, given that our internal temp is 98.6 degrees F).  At the point of feeling warmth, sink the steam wand.  Create a whirlpool with the steam, incorporating the stretched milk microfoam into the whole of the milk (speaking of whole, this works best with whole milk).  Keep steaming until the pitcher is uncomfortable to the touch, which technically should be around 150-160 degrees F, unless you can’t feel heat because of nerve damage.

So… that, in essence, is a cappuccino.  But since you have probably skimmed over most of what I have said, you should stick to coming into the shop for your fix.  Not only is the process even further complicated by the “at-home” espresso machines, but without adequate training and countless hours of practice, the end product may not be as tasty as you’d like.  PLUS I’ve only given you specifications of our shop and how we do it.  Your machine is probably a lot different.

Now for a little bit of what Google has given me about the cappuccino.  Don’t worry: I’ll shy away from the boring stuff.

Google tells me that there are monks and monkeys named “capuchin”, which is the name that Wikipedia tells me the word "cappuccino" has derived from.  Monks and monkeys!  Who woulda thought?  Maybe its true, maybe its not.  At this point, it doesn’t really matter.  The name “cappuccino” has now been given to a 20+ounce, super foamy beverage that is typically flavored with vanilla or chocolate and whose coffee content is questionable at best.  Go to any gas station if you don’t believe me.  They’ll sell you a 48-ounce “French vanilla” cappuccino if they have the cup. Starbucks, too.  They’ll sell you any sized cappuccino because they pretty much invented the variable size for it.  In my opinion, the 6-ounce cappuccino is the best delivery of coffee + milk.  It is sweet, milky, velvety goodness.  Seriously, come in a try one, but only if you have the time to enjoy it “for here”, out of a ceramic mug.  The paper cups don’t deliver the same fanciness that you and the cappuccino deserve.