We all love a good cappuccino! There’s just something about the foaminess that makes your insides giggle! Today, we’re spilling the beans on how to make the perfect cappuccino at home! Follow these easy steps and you will be able to enjoy a cup of foamy perfection in no time!
First things first, you will need espresso! For the perfect cappuccino, you will need an espresso as a base, strong coffee just won’t do, unfortunately. To make an espresso, you will need the following:
- Espresso Roast Coffee – the roast is what is important here, you want to get just the right dark & bitter combination. You should also make sure to use a fine grind when making the espresso.
- Espresso Machine or a Manual Espresso Maker – If you do not have an espresso machine at home, that’s okay! A manual espresso maker is much cheaper and portable and does the job just as well!
Next up is the milk. When it comes to milk there are many options to choose from but not all of them will yield the same results.
- Fresh Milk – The most important thing to remember is that whatever milk you choose, it must be fresh! Milk that’s nearing its expiration date will not foam as well.
- Full Cream Milk – Full cream milk is the best choice for a cappuccino as it foams much better due to having the highest milk fat.
- Milk Alternatives – The best Milk Alternative to use is oat milk as it froths up the best and tastes great too!
Now we get to the fun part, the milk frothing! For this step, you will need to use your espresso machine’s steam wand. (If you do not have one, skip this paragraph and we will let you in on a not-so-secret frothing method.) Steaming your milk is the best option for the perfect cappuccino as it adds a sweet creaminess to the flavour.
- Hold the steaming wand just below the surface of the milk until it becomes very foamy and doubles in size.
- Now lower the steaming wand slightly and keep it there until it reaches optimal temperature (usually when you can’t hold it in your hand any longer than a few seconds). Please be cautious of burning yourself during this step.
No espresso machine? No problem! You can still enjoy a perfect cappuccino. All you need is a bit of warm milk & a handheld milk frother or a whisk & some elbow grease. For this step, you first want to heat up the milk in either your microwave or on the stovetop.
- A handheld milk frother is perfect for an at-home barista, and economical too. It yields extreme frothiness, which is exactly what you want in a cappuccino!
- A whisk works just as well, though it might take a bit longer to get the perfect frothy consistency and requires some manual effort. It also generates larger bubbles and a little less foam, but it gets the job done and well too!
Got your espresso, milk and tools? Great! Now it’s time to create magic! For this step you we will combine everything we read above and create the perfect cappuccino!
But first, the secret to a perfect cappuccino (in addition to the above steps) is: The Rule of Thirds! 1/3 Espresso, 1/3 Milk and 1/3 foam! Let’s get creative:
- Make your espresso using your espresso machine or manual espresso maker. Use a normal coffee cup size as we still need to add the milk & foam.
- Steam your milk (if you have a steam wand) or heat up your milk and froth with your chosen method.
- Pour the frothed milk into the espresso, serve and enjoy!
And there you go! The perfect cappuccino at home, done in 3 easy steps.
We would love to hear from you so let us know if you give it a try, what tools & milk you used and how you liked it!