Ever since I had to change my diet a couple of years ago, I started to drink more and more coffee. At the same time, I realised that I didn’t really know much about coffee and my idea of a good coffee was probably very different from that of a coffee barista!
How to make a cappuccino at home using a coffee or a cappuccino machine
If you are lucky to have the best cappuccino machine at home, then your morning coffee preparation will be breeze!
For best results, you should always check your coffee maker’s user guide, but you’ll always need the same ingredients – milk and freshly ground coffee beans. It doesn’t matter what milk you use, just bear in mind that whole milk will give you a bigger volume of a froth than for example soya milk. This is because of the fat content in the milk, but other than that (and the taste of different types of milk), there is no difference in how to make the cappuccino.
First of all fill a stainless steel milk jug with about 2/3 of your chosen milk. Place under the milk steam pipe and turn the steam on. It might take a few seconds before you see your milk turning frothy and after that, the milk jug will start getting warmer. Wait until the milk froth comes to the the top of the milk jug and then turn the steam off.
Make sure you wipe and clean your steam pipe straightaway with a clean wet cloth as the milk dries really quickly inside and can block the steam pipe.
Next fill the portafilter container with freshly ground coffee beans, pressing down your coffee beans a bit and firmly clicking the portafilter in place. Make sure that you have enough water in your cappuccino machine, place a suitable size coffee cup underneath and switch on the machine.
Pour hot steamed milk on the top, including some of the milk froth and sprinkle with cinnamon.
How to make cappuccino without a coffee machine
It’s all very well, but not everyone has a coffee machine at home! So is it at all possible to make a cappuccino at home without one?
None of these methods are quite as effective as the real cappuccino machine, but they come close enough.
I’ve tried a few different methods and this one is the best one so far. First of all, I prepare the coffee by the pour-over method.
I place the coffee filter in first, run freshly boiled water around it to soak (and to get rid of any residue from the paper filter). This also warms the coffee cup underneath. Then I pour out the hot water, add about 3-4 teaspoons of freshly ground coffee beans (you might like to add more if you like your coffee stronger), slowly add hot water (at around 96% C) making sure that the coffee is fully soaked before I carry on pouring more water. Then I leave it to stand for 5-6 minutes, which gives me just enough time to prepare the milk.
While you can get various frothing tools or use mixer, blender or even a whisk to froth the milk, I opted for a simple plastic beaker! You can use a saucepan to boil the milk first, but I pour the milk in the beaker (topping it up to about 1/2 of the volume) and bring it to boil in the microwave. This takes about 1- 1/2 min.
Using a thick tea towel I put the lid back on, screw it tightly and then shake the beaker for 1/2 minute or so. It’s great exercise, but just be careful not to burn yourself!
Once done pour over your coffee and practice your coffee art with the milk froth!
I’m sure there are plenty of other ways of making cappuccino at home, so leave me your favourite tip in the comments below.
Magdalena
