Tools and Ingredients Needed

No job can be completed properly without the proper tools and supplies assembled. This is just as true for making cappuccino as it is for building a house. You should have the following available:

Espresso maker
Milk – skim milk works the best
Coffee beans that have been ground for espresso
Flavorings as desired

Making the Espresso Shots

Fill the espresso machines coffee filter with the proper amount of espresso. The machines instruction manual should indicate how much espresso the machine will make and the basic amount of ground beans to start with.

Tamp the espresso down firmly, until the surface of the espresso appears flat. Place the filter basket into the espresso machine and use an espresso cup to catch the resulting espresso.

Place the skim milk in the steamer cup and steam to a temperature of not less than 140°F but as hot as desired. Once the milk is steamed, turn the espresso brewer on to brew the espresso. In order to make one cappuccino, 2 oz. of espresso should be brewed.

Foaming the Milk

Milk foam is what makes a cappuccino a cappuccino.  The milk should contain a generous amount of foam. Foaming is accomplished by tilting the container holding the milk and bringing the steaming wand almost to the top of the milk as it creates the foam. Gently go around the surface of the milk as more foam is created to make more foam.

The foam is essential to the cappuccino so make sure there is nice, thick foam of milk before proceeding. There should be enough foam to fill one-third of the cup. Once this is finished, remove the steam wand from the milk and pour the espresso shots into the cup or cups.

The Cappuccino Finale

Once the milk is steamed and espresso shots are ready, the cappuccino can be put together. With the espresso shot in the coffee mug, pour enough of the steamed milk on top of the espresso to bring the cup up to two-thirds capacity.

Using a long-handled spoon, gently spoon the milk foam onto the top of the espresso-milk mixture. If flavoring is desired, it should be added before the steamed milk is put on top in order to keep the integrity of the foam intact.

Making a great cappuccino is a wonderful addition to kitchen skills. Cappuccino machines can be purchased that are made for home use. Friends and family will be delighted with a hot, fresh cappuccino served up when they visit.

-Sharon Chapman

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