The Art and Craft of Coffee (25 page)

6.
After each steaming, immediately wipe the wand with a damp cloth
(c)
. With the cloth wrapped around wand, shoot a few steam jets to thoroughly expel any milk residue
(d)
. Be careful not to burn your hand.

Latte Steaming and Frothing Tutorial

Cappuccino Steaming and Frothing Tutorial

A cappuccino is technically one-third frothed milk, one-third steamed milk, and one-third espresso. But this equation is almost never a reality. Don’t focus on the ratios. Instead, concentrate on getting the milk steamed and creating enough foam to define a cappuccino before the steam pitcher gets too hot. You’ll make some great drinks. With time and practice, you’ll fine tune your own signature ratio.

The materials for this are the same as the materials under the latte tutorial.

Instructions

The instructions for steaming and frothing milk for cappuccino are identical to those for the latte. The ratio of espresso to milk and cappuccino’s use of frothed milk are the main differences.

To froth and steam milk for a cappuccino, follow the latte instructions through step 5 and then jump in here.

1.
Free pour the steamed milk into the espresso using a spoon to hold back the foam (a, b, c).

2.
Using the same spoon, top with foam
(d, e)
.

Café Macchiato Steaming and Frothing Tutorial

The macchiato is perhaps the easiest to make of all milk-based espresso drinks. It is simply an espresso shot to which you add some frothed milk. Put another way, it’s a super dry cappuccino with very little foam. In Italy, they say it is stained with milk. It contains no steamed milk.

Instructions

To froth milk for a café macchiato, follow the above latte instructions through step 5, then jump in here. Note: You will not use the steamed milk but only a bit of foam.

1.
Using a spoon, take out a small amount of foam, no more than a dollop.

2.
Place it atop the espresso.

Cappuccino Tutorial

A good dry cappuccino contains almost no steamed milk, just foam. It is easy to see the difference when comparing this photo to the standard cappuccino.

Coffee Recipes: Brews, Cocktails, and Beyond

There are so many coffee drinks out there that you could create an entire book of them. For this chapter, I’ve chosen a few of my favorites.

Espresso. Note the brown crema on top: at casual glance it might appear to be cream, but it’s coffee, pure coffee!

Espresso

As French diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord once said, “Espresso should be as black as the Devil, as hot as hell, as pure as an angel, and as sweet as love.” See
chapter 6
, which begins on page 127, for more about Espresso.

1 ounce (30 ml) of espresso

Sugar, to taste

1.
Prewarm the espresso cup, saucer, and spoon.

2.
Place the espresso cup under the coffee spout.

3.
Prepare an espresso.

4.
Serve with sugar, to taste, if desired.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a glass of still water.

Serving size: 1 espresso shot

Cappuccino

A cappuccino is technically one-third espresso, one-third warm milk, and one-third milk foam, but the ratio often changes to meet the espresso maker’s tastes. The word cappuccino likely derives from the Capuchin monks. The cap of milk foam resembles a monk’s hood (
capuccio
). The color of the monks’ hoods also recalls the beverage’s brown hue.

1 ounce (30 ml) espresso

1 cup (240 ml) milk

Spoon

1.
Prepare an espresso shot and place it into a cup.

2.
Steam and froth the milk.

3.
Free pour the milk onto the espresso shot.

4.
Using a spoon, add foam to the top. Milk foam will separate to create the perfect cap.

Serving suggestion: Decorate the cappuccino by drizzling chocolate sauce on top, using a wooden skewer to make designs.

Serving size: 1 cappuccino

Dry Cappuccino

A dry cappuccino is composed of espresso with layered milk foam. The amount of steamed milk, however, is significantly less than in a regular cappuccino.

1 ounce (30 ml) espresso

Milk foam, to taste

1.
Prepare an espresso shot and place it into cup.

2.
Steam the milk.

3.
Using a spoon, add foam to the top of the espresso.

Serving suggestion: Enjoy with any sort of sweet treat or dessert.

Serving size: 1 dry cappuccino

Cappuccino. Note the white cap and the layers of espresso beneath, clearly visible though a glass mug.

Café Latte

Often served for breakfast, this white coffee consists of coffee and hot milk served with a little milk foam. The Swiss affectionately call it
schale
, which literally translates to “bowl.”

1 ounce (30 ml) espresso

1 cup (240 ml) milk

1.
Prepare an espresso shot and place it into a cup.

2.
Steam and froth the milk.

3.
Free pour milk into espresso shot.

4.
Put foam on top of milk. Foam should be thick and will separate to create the perfect latte.

Serving suggestion: On a hot day, make the iced version of this drink by allowing your 1-ounce (30 ml) espresso shot to cool before pouring it over a glass filled with ice. Add 1 cup (240 ml) of cold milk and stir.