Cappuccino

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A typical cappuccino with foam.

Cappuccino is a large Italian beverage prepared with espresso, hot milk and milk foam. A cappuccino differs from a caffè latte, which is mostly milk and a little foam.

A cappuccino bought from a gas station is sometimes be reffered to as a cappucheapo.

In Italy, cappuccino is generally consumed early in the day as part of a light breakfast, with croissant, better known to Italians as cornetto. Generally Italians do not drink cappuccino with meals other than breakfast; however, it is a very common habit, in Italy, to have a cappuccino and croissant after a night out, even if it is about time to go to bed. In other countries it is consumed throughout the day or after dinner.

Besides a quality shot of espresso, the most important element in preparing a cappuccino is the texture and temperature of the milk. When a barista steams the milk for a cappuccino, he or she creates microfoam by introducing very tiny bubbles of air into the milk, giving the milk a velvety texture and sweetness. In some places, skilled baristas create latte art when pouring properly steamed milk into the espresso, making designs such as apples, hearts, leaves, rosettes, and corporate logos.

A cappuccino is generally defined as 1 or 2 shots of espresso (it could have even more), 1/2 cup size of steamed milk and 1/2 cup size of milk foam. There are also "wet cappucinos", (3/4 hot milk and 1/4 milk foam), "dry cappucinos" (1/4 hot milk and 3/4 milk foam) and "bone dry cappucinos" (only the espresso and a full cup of milk foam).

The "iced cappuccino" (or cappuccino "Freddo") beverage is somewhat of a misnomer since there is no way to duplicate the foam on top of the hot beverage, but the term is nevertheless widely spread in some Mediterranean countries where ice is added before the foam. International Coffee Houses' standards prohibit the preparation of (hot) milk foam over ice, since it sets the ground for a fast buildup of bacteria. There are some milk frothing methods which can be accomplished with cold milk, which in this case would make it OK to prepare espresso with foam over ice.

Espresso and cold milk on ice is called an iced caffe latte, while an espresso macchiato is a shot of espresso "stained" with a dollop of milk foam.

A cappuccino is ideally prepared in a ceramic coffee cup, which has far better heat retention characteristics than glass or paper. The foam on top of the cappuccino acts as an insulator and helps retain the heat of the liquid allowing it to stay hotter longer.

Cappuccino originated in post-World War II Italy. The beverage is named after the color of the Capuchin monks habit, which is light/darkish brown with a white hood. Indeed, the word for hood, cappuccio, is often used colloquially for the beverage.

Cappuccino was a taste largely confined to Europe, Australia and the more cosmopolitan regions of North America, until the mid-1990s when cappuccino was made much more widely available to North Americans, as part of the new upscale coffee bar chains with a consciously created "European" ambience (such as Starbucks).

By the first years of the 21st century a modified version of cappuccino was being served by the McDonald's fast-food chain. Tim Hortons, a large Canadian coffee and doughnut chain, began serving cappuccino in the 1990s, but achieved greater success with flavoured cappuccino and, more notably, iced cappuccino.

The widespread acceptance in the U.S. of what was once regarded as a taste of coastal urbanites and older Italian-Americans led to many establishments, such as convenience stores, offering what they represent as cappuccino to their patrons. However, that product is usually an ersatz cappuccino produced by machines similar to those that mix cocoa drinks where all the buyer need do is touch a button and position the cup properly. The drink that comes out is usually produced either from a manufactured mix or double-brewed coffee and bears little relation to the real thing.

Similar products result from home use of store-bought mixes usually advertised, more accurately, as producing "frothed coffee."