More coffee drinks
Love coffee? Us too! Here are a few espresso drinks to master: A few years ago, we started nerding out on how to make all the coffee drinks we love. After hundreds of experiments, we found this—you can make a coffee-shop style cappuccino in the comfort of your own home! This post is part of our Barista Series where we teach you all the tricks to making homemade coffee drinks. Here’s how to make a cappuccino that tastes like it’s straight out of an Italian café!
A cappuccino has equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foam (⅓ each). A latte is ⅓ espresso and 2/3 steamed milk, with a thin layer of foam on top. Here’s a chart that breaks it down.
Luckily, the cappuccino is the easier of the two to perfect at home! With a latte you want microfoam, steamed milk with a wet-paint like texture that’s tricky to achieve without an espresso machine. But a cappuccino can easily be made with frothed milk using various tools: even a whisk!
Make the espresso using an espresso machine, espresso maker, French press or Moka pot (details are below). Steam the milk: If you have an espresso machine, steam the milk and get it nice and foamy. Or, heat the milk and froth it. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you’ll heat the milk to a temperature 150°F: that’s where the milk is hot to the touch but not simmering. Then, froth it using a milk frother, French press, or whisk. For a cappuccino you’ll want a good amount of froth: the drink is ⅓ espresso, ⅓ milk and ⅓ foam. Serve. Pour the frothed milk into the espresso and serve! It’s nice to use a latte cup, which holds the perfect amount.
Espresso roast coffee: The roast is important to get the right dark, bitter flavor. Also make sure to use a fine grind on the espresso when you make it. Espresso machine, manual espresso maker, or other tools: There are several ways to make espresso. We use this countertop espresso machine. A few cheaper options are a portable manual espresso maker, a French press (go to French press espresso), or a Moka pot, which makes very strong coffee with a similar flavor to espresso.
Use whole milk that’s as fresh as possible. Milk that’s nearing its expiration date does not foam as well. (Trust us: we learned that the hard way!) Whole milk froths the best because it has the highest milk fat. 2% milk also works. This milk works fairly well, though you lose a bit of the richness. Use oat milk for a vegan cappuccino. The best non-dairy milk to use is oat milk: it froths up the best and has great flavor.
If you have an espresso machine, here’s how to steam milk for a cappuccino:
Hold the steaming wand just below the surface of the milk until it doubles in size and is very foamy. Lower the steaming wand slightly until the milk reaches 150°F: use a thermometer or judge by when your hand can’t hold the pitcher for more than a few seconds. Go to How to Steam Milk for more details.
Handheld milk frother. A handheld milk frother is economical and works well. It gets the milk extremely frothy, which is great for making a macchiato or cappuccino. French press. If you have a French press for making coffee, it’s also great for making foam! It makes a nice frothy foam with bubbles a little larger than the frother. Whisk. A whisk can work too. It whips up the milk pretty well, though it has larger bubbles and generates a bit less foam than the other methods.
You can also try an Iced Cappuccino! Combine espresso and a splash of milk with ice, then top with a layer of fluffy cold foam. It’s a deliciously refreshing spin on the classic. 5 from 2 reviews We love this espresso machine, but you can easily make the drink using a French press or milk frother.
The Americano smooths the bitterness of espresso with hot water. Cafe au Lait or Cafe con Leche are French and Spanish spins on coffee and milk. The Mocha is rich and chocolaty, with just the right topping of fluffy milk foam. A Flat White is a fun coffeehouse classic to master. The Cortado and Gibraltar are perfectly balanced with milk and espresso. This Pourover Coffee is the best way we’ve found to make a stellar cup of drip.
