Buying guides
The milk kit: jugs, thermometers and frothers
Which jug for which drink, whether a thermometer earns its place, and what a frother can and cannot do when the machine has no steam wand.
Cappuccino
Equal thirds of espresso, milk and dense foam, served small. The classic proportions, and where cafés drift.
Buying guides
Recipes
Cappuccino
Equal thirds of espresso, steamed milk and foam, served in a 150–180 ml cup. The classic ratio, and how to hit it at home.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- medium
Articles
A cappuccino without an espresso machine
A moka pot or an AeroPress gives you concentrated coffee, not espresso. Here is how to build the drink around it, and three ways to foam milk with no wand.
Latte art starts in the jug
Most failed patterns were lost during steaming, not pouring. Here is the texture to aim for, the kit that helps, and how to pour a heart.
Latte, cappuccino, flat white: the same two ingredients
Four drinks, one recipe. What actually separates a latte from a cappuccino, a flat white and a macchiato is cup size, milk volume and seconds of air.
Which milk foams best
Protein builds the foam, fat softens it and sugar makes it taste sweet. What that means for whole, skimmed, oat and the rest at the steam wand.
Why your milk foam collapses
Foam that splits from the milk has one of four causes. Work through them in this order: air, whirlpool, temperature, and the wait before you pour.