How to Make Cappuccino at Home

Want to keep from exposing yourself to the public in these germ spreading environment.  Or, maybe you just want to save a little money?  Or, maybe you just want to see if you can do it yourself?

I had some of these same feelings.  So, I decided to learn how to make cappuccino at home.

Here is what I learned in the process of creating the perfect cup of cappuccino!

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They say that the type of coffee drink you enjoy says a lot about you.

What does that mean?

There are the businessmen and women who drink espressos, there are the stay-at-home parents who drink the traditional drip coffee, there are the on-the-go coffee drinkers that hit the drive-thru coffee joints, and there are those decadent chocolate-loving mocha drinkers.

Then there are the cappuccino drinkers who love the warm foam that tops a deliciously brewed espresso.

Cappuccino Definition

A great cappuccino is a strong espresso that is topped with milk that has been frothed up with pressurized steam.

What’s the real story?

Technically, it represents a drink that is one third espresso coffee, one third hot milk, and one third frothed milk topped that can be topped with all sorts of rich treats including cinnamon (with health benefits), chocolate shavings, or even whipped cream.

Emotionally, a great cappuccino is warm happiness in a cup!

Which Type of Coffee Are You Looking For?

To decide which coffee drink is for you, simply examine why you are drinking coffee.

So:

Do you enjoy a pure caffeine hit?  A pure espresso might be what you’re looking for.

Do you need a shot of caffeine to keep you awake in the morning?  Then, a traditional drip coffee might be for you.

But, if you are in it for the taste and rich creamy texture of the coffee, then a cappuccino is the caffeinated drink you are looking for.

Once you’ve chosen the cappuccino as the perfect coffee for you, the next question is how to make cappuccino at home.

If only it were that easy…

There are a few different ways to make that wonderful cappuccino, but the most common way is to brew espresso, steam some milk, froth some milk, and then assemble the drink.

But don’t worry:

I’ll go into more detail about each of these steps. If you are still unsure about how to make cappuccino at home, here’s a video on the physical steps of how to accomplish the assembly of the perfect cappuccino:

The Steps For How to Make Cappuccino at Home

1. Prepare the Espresso

The first step toward a nice cappuccino is to prepare the espresso.

Espresso represents one of the most concentrated forms of coffee.  For a cappuccino, it represents one third of the whole drink.

What’s happening here…

To brew the espresso for the cappuccino, be sure to grind up enough coffee for a shot of espresso.

Make sure you grind it nice and fine. I would personally recommend a burr grinder to get that nice fine consistency.

How can you tell?

The best way to tell if the coffee grinds are fine enough is to pinch some of it between your thumb and your forefinger and if it clumps slightly but doesn’t keep an imprint of your thumb.

Once you accomplish this, it is perfect.

After that, you put the finely ground coffee grounds into your espresso machine’s portafilter and use your pinky finger to spread the grounds around the filter.

Make sure to tap the outside of the portafilter to get any loose espresso grounds off the side of the filter. Then simply place the filter into your espresso machine.

Now you’ve got everything ready to pull the espresso shot.  But, don’t pull it just yet.

Why is this important?

Let it sit in the machine until you’ve foamed the milk so that when you do pull the espresso shot, it’s nice and fresh for when you assemble the cappuccino.

2. Foam the Milk

The next step in making that wonderful cappuccino is to foam or froth the milk.

To start the process, set your espresso machine to steam.

When the indicator light comes on, your machine is ready to start foaming!

Release the steam wand to get rid of any residual moisture.

Then, pour some milk into the chilled metal pitcher. Depending on the type of foam you want in your cappuccino, be sure to choose your milk carefully. A skim milk will make more foam, but a whole milk will make a creamier shot.

Now:

Place a thermometer into your pitcher to check the temperature as you steam your milk. Just lower the steam wand into the milk until it’s just below the surface of the milk and begin the foaming process.

Make sure you listen while you foam your milk. You should hear a ch-ch-ch sound if your wand is in the right place. If it’s not in the right place, you’ll hear whining and see big bubbles forming.

Check the thermometer to make sure that the milk gets up to the ideal temperature of 150 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, when the top is the correct temperature, push the wand further down into the pitcher and heat up the bottom of the milk to the perfect temperature of 100 degrees.

Make sure you slowly swirl the pitcher to whirlpool the milk. Then when the milk gets to the right temperature, take the wand out and set the milk aside for the next step.

3. Pull the Espresso and Assemble the Cappuccino

The last intermediate step to making that fantastic cappuccino is to pull the espresso.

You have already prepared the espresso machine and done everything except pull the shot.

The last thing to do is to just pull the shot and assemble the cappuccino.

So:

Place your cappuccino cup under the espresso dispenser and start the brewing cycle.

As the machine dispenses the shot of espresso, make sure that it is quality by checking that the first part of the shot is dark and is then followed by the rich golden foam called the crema.

Some Additional Tips

In addition, make sure that the shot comes out in twenty to thirty seconds so as to ensure the finest quality of espresso shot.

Once you have the perfect espresso shot and your milk is at the right temperature, you can now assemble the perfect cappuccino.

To assemble the wonderful caffeinated beverage, simply pour the foamed milk over the espresso shot and add anything you want to the top.

The perfect ratio for a cappuccino is one third espresso shot, one third steamed milk, and one third foamed milk.

Here’s the funny/interesting part:

It’s a proven fact that the more beautiful the presentation of your coffee, the more you’ll enjoy it.  So garnish the top of your beautiful cappuccino.  Use a little cinnamon, nutmeg or chocolate shavings.  Or, any other topping that you love!

Once your cappuccino is perfectly topped off, just sit back and sip away the morning.

Your training is now complete!  Now you know how to make cappuccino at home.  Don’t forget to brag to your friends now (see some tips about that below 😉 ).

Cappuccino Varieties

In addition to the standard methods for how to make cappuccino at home, there are other twists if you’re feeling adventurous on the cappuccino front.

Lay’s held a chip flavor contest and one of the finalist flavors was Lay’s Do Us A Flavor Finalist, Cappuccino.

Perhaps during the fall season you might want to give pumpkin spice cappuccino at try.

Another growing talent is cappuccino art. Just do a Google Image search for cappuccino art (or click here) and you will see some amazing cappuccino artists.

Everything from Super Mario, to Daffy Duck, to Panda Bears, and even a 3d kitty cat (using the foam).

The Art that we’ve seen created with a layer of coffee foam is truly amazing.  Check out our Instagram to see MANY examples of coffee art.

But, that’s not all!!

Here are some ways we found that cappuccino ingredients are consumed using some of these homemade cappuccino recipes:

• Cappuccino Muffins
• Cappuccino Cheesecake
• Caramel Cappuccino
• Mocha Cappuccino

Ways to order

If you want to sound like a cappuccino connoisseur, use these methods while ordering your cappuccino:

• Wet – No foam, all milk, and espresso
• Dry – More foam than milk and espresso
• Bone Dry – All Foam, no milk, and espresso
• Regular – 1/3 milk, 1/3 foam, 1/3 espresso

Just imagine how you’re feel when you see the look on the barista’s face when you walk up and order your “bone dry cappuccino, please”.

Cappuccino Without A Machine

Don’t have a couple of “Benjamin’s” lying around to purchase a cappuccino machine?

Here’s what you can do…

Put your milk into a pot and warm it on the stove.  Once it is warmed, put the warm milk into a closed container and shake it until it becomes foamy.  This should take between 30 and 60 seconds.

Possible containers could be an empty milk carton, a jar you’ve saved from a previous purchase, or even a large zip lock bag.

Once you’ve achieved the amount of frothiness you want, pour the delicious foam into your cup, and top it off with your favorite toppings (see above).

Related Articles

Here we have other related articles:

• What is Mocha?
• How To Make Homemade Iced Coffee
• Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

Do You Want an AMAZING Cappuccino Product?

YES - GET IT NOW

And, it’s all because you learned how to make cappuccino at home, and the experience has made you an expert!