Cappuccino (, ; from German ) is an

espresso Espresso (, ) is a concentrated form of coffee produced by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Originating in Italy, espresso has become one of the most popular coffee-brewing methods worldwide. It is cha ...

-based coffee drink traditionally prepared with steamed

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

, including a layer of milk

foam Foams are two-phase materials science, material systems where a gas is dispersed in a second, non-gaseous material, specifically, in which gas cells are enclosed by a distinct liquid or solid material. Note, this source focuses only on liquid ...

. Variations of the drink involve the use of

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

instead of milk, using non-dairy milk substitutes and flavoring with

cocoa powder Dry cocoa solids are the components of cocoa beans remaining after cocoa butter, the fatty component of the bean, is extracted from chocolate liquor, roasted cocoa beans that have been ground into a liquid state. Cocoa butter is 46% to 57% of the ...

(in Europe and Australasia) or

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

(in the United States and South Korea). It is typically smaller in volume than that of a

caffè latte Latte () or caffè latte (), also known as , or , is a coffee drink of Italian origin made with espresso and steamed milk, traditionally served in a glass. Variants include the chocolate-flavored ''caffè mocha'' or replacing the coffee wit ...

, and topped with a thick layer of foam rather than being made with microfoam. The name comes from the

Capuchin friars The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbr. OFMCap) is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of Franciscans, Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three "Religious institute#Nomenclature, F ...

, referring to the color of their

habits A habit (or wont, as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. A 1903 paper in the ''American Journal of Psychology'' defined a "habit, from the standpoint of psychology,

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Viennese classicism * Viennese coffee house, an eating establishment and part of Viennese ...

bestowed the name , possibly in the 18th century, on an early version that included whipped cream and spices. Later, the was introduced in northern Italy during the period of Habsburg monarchy, Austrian domination, and Italians started to use it for the beverage as well as the friar dress. It is sometimes said to have been served in the coffeehouses of Imperial Free City of Trieste, Trieste and other Italian areas of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

in the early 20th century, spreading throughout the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. However, the existence in

central Italy Central Italy ( or ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region with code ITI, and a European Parliament constituency. It has 11,704,312 inhabita ...

of a coffee drink mixed with milk named is already documented in the 19th century.

Definition and etymology

Definition

A cappuccino is a coffee drink that today is typically composed of a single, double, or triple espresso shot and hot milk, with the surface topped with foamed milk. Cappuccinos are most often prepared with an

espresso machine An espresso machine brews coffee by forcing pressurized water near boiling point through a "puck" of ground coffee and a filter in order to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso. Multiple machine designs have been created to produ ...

. The espresso is poured into the bottom of the cup, followed by a similar amount of hot milk which is prepared by heating and texturing the milk using the espresso machine steam wand. The top third of the drink consists of milk foam which is also made using the steam wand. The drink may then be topped with powdered chocolate or

. In a traditional cappuccino, as served in Europe and artisan coffeehouses in the United States, the total of espresso and milk/foam make up between approximately . Commercial coffee restaurant chains in the US more often serve the cappuccino as a drink or larger. In Italy, a cappuccino consists of of espresso; the rest of the cup is filled with equal parts of milk and foam. A cappuccino is traditionally served in a small cup with a handle (180 ml maximum) with a thick layer of foam, while a caffè latte is espresso and milk (200–300 ml), with the milk steamed to be hot and to form microfoam, and is usually served in a large glass. The

World Barista Championship The World Barista Championship (WBC) is an annual barista competition operated by World Coffee Events for the title of World Barista Champion. The competition is composed of the winners of the national barista championships, which are operated by ...

s have been arranged annually since 2000, and during the course of the competition, the competing barista must produce—for four sensory judges—among other drinks four cappuccinos, defined in WBC Rules and Regulations as " ..a coffee and milk beverage that should produce a harmonious balance of rich, sweet milk and espresso ..The cappuccino is prepared with one (1) single shot of espresso, textured milk and foam ("textured milk" is milk that has been aerated to its proper foam level). A minimum of 1 centimeter of foam depth ..A cappuccino is a beverage between 150 ml and 180 ml in total volume .."

Etymology

comes from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, later borrowed in German/Austrian and modified into . It is the diminutive form of in Italian, meaning or something that covers the head, thus literally means . The coffee beverage has its name not from the ''hood'' but from the ''color'' of the hooded robes worn by

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

s and

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s of the

Capuchin order The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. OFMCap) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFMObs, now OFM), the o ...

. This color is quite distinctive, and ''capuchin'' was a common description of the color of red-brown in 17th-century Europe. The Capuchin friars chose the particular design of their orders' robes both in color and shape of the hood back in the 16th century, inspired by

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

's preserved 13th-century vestments. The long and pointed hood was characteristic and soon gave the brothers the nickname "capuchins" (hood-wearing). It was, however, the choice of red-brown as the order's vestment color that, as early as the 17th century, saw "capuchin" used also as a term for a specific color. While Francis of Assisi used uncolored and unbleached wool for his robes, the Capuchins colored their vestments to differ from Augustinians, Benedictines, Franciscans, and other orders. The word , in its Italian form, appears in Italian writings in the 19th century and is described as "black coffee with a few drops of milk or cream which give it the color the tunic of the Capuchins, from which it takes its name".

History and evolution

The consumption of coffee in Europe was initially based on the traditional Ottoman preparation of the drink, by bringing to boil the mixture of coffee and water together, sometimes adding sugar. The British seem to have already started filtering and steeping coffee in the second half of the 18th century. Adding milk to coffee was already mentioned by Europeans in the 1700s. showed up in coffee house menus all over the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

around the late 1700s. took its name from the color of coffee with a few drops of cream, so nicknamed because the Capuchin friars in Vienna and elsewhere wore vestments of this color. Another popular coffee was , with more cream, referring to the somewhat lighter brown of the tunics of the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

order. coffee spread throughout

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

, including the Italian-speaking parts of the Habsburg monarchy. The main port of the empire, the city of Trieste, already had many Viennese coffee houses. According to a popular but unverified legend, cappuccino was named after the Italian Capuchin friar Marco d'Aviano, who contributed to the victory of the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...

. The use of fresh milk in coffee in cafés and restaurants is a newer phenomenon (from the 20th century), introduced when refrigeration became common. The use of full cream is known much further back in time (but not in the use as whipped cream hantilly, as this was a product more easily stored and frequently used also in cooking and baking. Thus, a was prepared with a very small amount of cream to get the capuchin color. Today, is still served in Viennese traditional cafés, comprising still black coffee with only a few drops of cream (in some establishments developed into a dollop of whipped cream), or frothed milk instead of cream. as written today (in Italian) is first mentioned in the 19th century and is described as "black coffee with a few drops of milk or cream". The modern Italian cappuccino evolved and developed in the following decades: the steamed milk on top is a later addition, and in the US a slight misunderstanding has led to the naming of this "cap" of milk foam "monk's head", although it originally had nothing to do with the name of the beverage.

Espresso machine An espresso machine brews coffee by forcing pressurized water near boiling point through a "puck" of ground coffee and a filter in order to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso. Multiple machine designs have been created to produ ...

s were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century. By the end of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Italians launched the "age of crema" as the new coffee machines could create a higher pressure, leading to a finer grind and the now classic crema. In the United Kingdom, espresso coffee initially gained popularity in the form of cappuccino, influenced by the British custom of drinking coffee with milk, the desire for a longer drink to preserve the café as a destination, and the exotic texture of the beverage. In the United States, cappuccino spread alongside espresso in Italian American neighborhoods, such as Boston's North End, New York's Little Italy, and San Francisco's North Beach. New York City's Caffe Reggio (founded in 1927) claims to have introduced cappuccino to the United States, while San Francisco's

Caffe Trieste Caffè Trieste is an internationally known coffeehouse, Retail, retail store, and former Franchising, franchise in San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco. The original cafe, opened in 1956, was the first espresso-based coffeehouse on the West Co ...

(founded in 1956) claims to have introduced it to the west coast; the earlier Tosca Cafe in San Francisco (founded in 1919) served a "cappuccino" earlier, but this was without coffee, and instead consisted of chocolate, steamed milk, and brandy.

Popularity

In Italy and throughout continental Europe, cappuccino is traditionally consumed in the morning, usually as part of breakfast, often with some type of pastry. Italians generally do not drink cappuccino with meals other than breakfast, although they often drink espresso after lunch or dinner. In Italy, cappuccino is usually consumed up to 11:00am, since cappuccinos are milk-based and considered too heavy to drink later in the day. Instead, espresso is usually ordered after a meal due to the belief that the lack of milk aids in digestion. In North America, cappuccinos have become popular concurrent with the boom in the American coffee industry through the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially in the urban Pacific Northwest. In South Korea, espresso and its variants (cappuccino, latte, and ''caffè mocha'') became popular in 2000. Cappuccino is traditionally served in cups. By the start of the 21st century, a modified "short-cut" version was being served by fast-food chains in servings up to .

Preparation

Traditional

Although size is what varies most among cappuccinos served in different regions, the traditional way of preparing cappuccino is to add equal proportions of the ingredients: espresso, steamed milk and milk foam. The drink may often be topped with a dusting of chocolate or cocoa powder. Instead of pouring the steamed milk and then adding the foam, some baristas may instead prepare an extra foamy milk with the steam wand and then pour in this mixture of hot milk and foam as one, as this saves time compared to separately pouring the hot milk and then layering on the foam.

''Freddo cappuccino''

In Greece and Cyprus, a cold cappuccino is widespread known as ''freddo cappuccino'', as opposed to ''cappuccino freddo''. Despite its Italian name, the drink both tastes and is prepared differently from its Italian counterpart, and is uncommon outside of Greece. ''Freddo cappuccino'' is topped with a cold milk-based foam known as ''afrógala'' (Greek: ), which is created by blending cold milk using an electric frother. These frothers are commonplace in Greek coffee shops due to their usage during the preparation of frappé coffee. The foam is then added to espresso poured over ice. Along with the ''freddo espresso'', they were conceived in Greece in 1991 and are in higher demand during summer. Outside Greece and Cyprus, ''freddo cappuccino'' or ''cappuccino freddo'' is mostly found in coffee shops and delis catering to the Greek expat community. In 2017,

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

added ''cappuccino freddo'' to branch menus in Europe.

Similar drinks

Other milk and espresso drinks similar to the cappuccino include: * Macchiato (short for ''caffè macchiato'', sometimes ''espresso macchiato'') is a significantly shorter drink, which consists of espresso with only a small amount of milk. *

Cortado A cortado is a Spanish beverage consisting of espresso mixed with a roughly equal amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity, although the exact ratios have considerable regional variation. The milk in a cortado is steamed, but not frothy and "t ...

is a Spanish hybrid: a slightly shorter drink, which consists of espresso mixed with milk in a 1:1 to 1:2 ratio, and is not topped with foam. Café cortado has traditionally been served in a small glass on a saucer, and its character comes from the Spanish preference of coffee beans and roast plus

condensed milk Condensed milk is Milk#Cow, cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of sweetened condensed milk, to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condensed m ...

replacing fresh dairy milk. Modern coffee shops have started using fresh milk. * Flat white is a drink which is popular in Australia and New Zealand. It can be described either as a latte served in a small cup (like a cappuccino would be), or a cappuccino made with steamed textured milk and with no foam on top ("flat" indicating less foam), and is typically prepared with

latte art Latte art is a method of preparing coffee created by pouring microfoam into a shot of espresso and resulting in a pattern or design on the surface of the caffè latte, cappuccino or hot chocolate. It can also be created or embellished by simpl ...

. *

Latte Latte () or caffè latte (), also known as , or , is a List of coffee drinks, coffee drink of Italian cuisine, Italian origin made with espresso and steamed milk, traditionally served in a glass. Variants include the chocolate-flavored ''caf ...

(short for "caffè latte") is a larger drink, with the same amount of espresso, but with more milk textured to contain microfoam, served in a large cup or tall glass, sometimes with the milk poured to make a pattern (latte art). * Steamer (or babycino) is a drink of frothed milk without coffee (hence no

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...

). In the United States it often has flavored syrup added, while in Commonwealth countries it instead often has a dusting of cocoa powder.

References

External links

* Free newsletter featuring articles on the quality of espresso, chemical and sensory analysis, and market trends. * * {{Authority control Coffee in Italy Coffee drinks Espresso