Cappuccino
I've been asked several times for a cappuccino at the bar. The fact of not knowing how to make one properly can be a problem. Also, the fact that I work at an Irish bar and the owner doesn't give a fuck about the difference between a coffee with milk and a cappuccino, also.
Worse, if I go to any place here in Barcelona and ask for a cappuccino I'll get a coffee with milk with some foam on top, put there with a spoon... this also happens in a known franchising coffee shop called... CAPPUCCINO!!!!
So, I decided to search a bit around in Google to learn how to make a proper one, and I was surprised by the amount of crap roaming around in the internet. Most of the things I've seen actually just talk about adding the foam with a spoon (!), they talk about different sizes (a cappuccino is always a cappuccino, like an espresso has its own "personal" quantity, no bullshit of small/medium/large...) and even in the usage of a thermometer for the milk?!?! I think that any proud italian would freak out reading this kind of stuff. It's the Americanisation of the cappuccino, people don't accept things in its original format, they need to put their own label, ruining everything.
Just to finish. Here's the secret:
half coffee, half cream (not foam!!). The cups used are the same ones used in Portugal for the coffee with milk. The milk comes cold from the fridge and has to be whole (full fat) - semi-skimmed or skimmed doesn't have enough fat to produce a creamy foam. You need to use the hot air steam that all espresso machine have, being the idea to introduce in the milk, small air bubbles giving it a creamy body. The milk is heated up with that steam until the recipient (normally made of aluminium) starts to burn the hand. Shake it a little bit to mix the bubbles with all the milk and put it immediately over the coffee (usually 2 shots of espresso) already in the cup. In the end you get a creamy drink with a strong coffee flavor, instead of that disgusting thing, kind of weak coffee with milk with foam on the top, looking like a dishes detergent.
Uff... now I feel kind of relieved ;)
Worse, if I go to any place here in Barcelona and ask for a cappuccino I'll get a coffee with milk with some foam on top, put there with a spoon... this also happens in a known franchising coffee shop called... CAPPUCCINO!!!!
So, I decided to search a bit around in Google to learn how to make a proper one, and I was surprised by the amount of crap roaming around in the internet. Most of the things I've seen actually just talk about adding the foam with a spoon (!), they talk about different sizes (a cappuccino is always a cappuccino, like an espresso has its own "personal" quantity, no bullshit of small/medium/large...) and even in the usage of a thermometer for the milk?!?! I think that any proud italian would freak out reading this kind of stuff. It's the Americanisation of the cappuccino, people don't accept things in its original format, they need to put their own label, ruining everything.
Just to finish. Here's the secret:
half coffee, half cream (not foam!!). The cups used are the same ones used in Portugal for the coffee with milk. The milk comes cold from the fridge and has to be whole (full fat) - semi-skimmed or skimmed doesn't have enough fat to produce a creamy foam. You need to use the hot air steam that all espresso machine have, being the idea to introduce in the milk, small air bubbles giving it a creamy body. The milk is heated up with that steam until the recipient (normally made of aluminium) starts to burn the hand. Shake it a little bit to mix the bubbles with all the milk and put it immediately over the coffee (usually 2 shots of espresso) already in the cup. In the end you get a creamy drink with a strong coffee flavor, instead of that disgusting thing, kind of weak coffee with milk with foam on the top, looking like a dishes detergent.
Uff... now I feel kind of relieved ;)
posted by Nuno at
2:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home