Why is cappuccino called cappuccino, and how does it differ from latte?

Latte, cappuccino, mocha and flat white all start with espresso plus steamed milk and milk foam from a steam wand. The differences sit in the ratio of coffee to milk and foam, and in the fact that mocha adds hot chocolate. Cappuccino takes its name from the brown hooded robes of Capuchin monks, which its color resembles.

Espresso itself is made by forcing water at about 94°C through finely ground coffee at 9 to 10 bars of pressure. A shop blend might combine 30 percent Yirgacheffe Red Cherry with 70 percent Honduras Sherry, giving whisky aromas, berry acidity, vanilla-cream texture and nutty caramel sweetness. A single shot uses roughly 10 to 11 grams of grounds for 20 to 25 grams of liquid.

Standing at the coffee shop bar, have you ever found yourself staring blankly at the menu's latte, cappuccino, mocha, and flat white? These four seemingly similar Italian milk coffees actually each have their own distinctions in recipe ratios, milk foam thickness, and taste experience. This article will take you through their brewing secrets one by one—from espresso extraction parameters, to the golden ratio of milk and milk foam, to the hands-on details at Front Street Coffee shops. Whether you're a beginner just starting out or a coffee enthusiast looking to refine your skills, after reading this, you'll never be confused when ordering again, and might even be able to recreate your favorite cup at home.

Facing the latte, cappuccino, mocha, and flat white on the coffee menu, can you accurately explain the differences between them?

Hesitating at the bar, too embarrassed to ask, and ultimately just picking something randomly, or simply ordering the same thing every time—this experience is actually quite common. This question may sound basic, but it's genuinely a long-standing confusion for many people. Next, let's join Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) and thoroughly sort out the differences between these four coffees.

First, the common ground: standard latte, cappuccino, mocha, and flat white are all based on espresso, combined with steamed milk and milk foam produced by a steam wand. The core differences among them lie in the ratio of coffee to milk, and the fact that mocha additionally includes hot chocolate.

The principle behind making espresso is having the coffee machine force hot water at about 94 degrees Celsius through extremely finely ground coffee at 9 to 10 bars of pressure, thereby extracting a highly concentrated coffee liquid.

When producing espresso beverages, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) shops typically use their own "Sunflower Warm Sun Espresso Blend." This blend consists of 30% Yirgacheffe Red Cherry coffee beans and 70% Honduras Sherry coffee beans. The extracted espresso carries whisky aromas, berry-like sweet-tartness, a silky vanilla-cream texture, and nutty caramel sweetness.

In terms of extraction parameters, Front Street shops use 10 to 11 grams of coffee grounds to extract 20 to 25 grams of coffee liquid for a single shot, taking about 22 seconds; for a double shot, they use 19 to 20 grams of coffee grounds to yield 35 to 40 grams of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of about 29 to 30 seconds.

How to Make a Latte

Latte in Italian literally means "milk." Just from the name, you can tell that milk is the star of this coffee.

When making a latte, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a 300ml latte cup. First, add 40 grams of double espresso to the cup, then heat and froth 250ml of fresh milk to form about 1cm of milk foam, and finally blend it evenly with the coffee and pour various latte art patterns. As a well-known classic, the latte can be called the most famous type of Italian coffee, with a simple preparation method, and is therefore favored by many coffee lovers. Compared to other milk coffees, the latte has the highest proportion of milk and the most prominent sweetness; moreover, its flavor is highly compatible, and you can add appropriate flavored syrups according to personal taste during preparation to make the layers even richer.

How to Make a Cappuccino

There is a saying that cappuccino was invented by Italians, but after researching the materials, Front Street found that the word "Cappuccino" originates from "Kapuziner," which means "monk" in German and also refers to an old-style coffee. Its key difference from a latte lies in the amount of milk and the thickness of the foam, with the standard ratio being equal thirds: 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 milk foam.

It is said that this beverage originated in 18th-century Viennese coffee houses. At that time, coffee was drunk with the grounds and water together. To make it easier to drink, a Polish man named Kulczycki used a cloth bag to filter out the coffee grounds, then poured it into a glass, adding honey, spices, and cream. This not only made the coffee taste better but also gave it a special reddish-brown color, visually resembling the color of the robes of the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor, so the Viennese called it "Kapuziner."

Later it spread to Italy. With the development of pressurized espresso machine technology, Italians switched to espresso and replaced cream with milk frothed into a dense foam, then used a spoon to shape the surface foam into a pointed hat shape. Gradually, it acquired the Italian name—Cappuccino. Regarding the preparation of cappuccino, the most widely circulated saying is that the ratio of coffee, milk, and milk foam is 1:1:1. Taking a 6-ounce (about 177ml) coffee cup as an example, that means a double Espresso (60ml), 1/3 hot milk (60ml), and the remaining 1/3 foam. The milk foam made this way is about 2.5cm thick, and the first two sips are almost entirely foam, while the coffee flavor underneath is very intense.

When making a cappuccino, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a 200ml straight-sided coffee cup. First, add 40 grams of double espresso to the cup, then heat and froth 150 grams of milk into 1.5cm-thick milk foam, shake until the foam and milk are evenly combined, and pour from the center, letting the thick, dense foam rise above the rim of the cup. The cappuccino produced this way looks like a little hamburger. The first sip brings rich foam and coffee crema, and the second sip is the coffee liquid blended with milk, with an overall rich and solid mouthfeel. Additionally, the cappuccino cup size is not as large as a latte, so even after finishing the whole cup, you won't feel noticeably full, making it suitable to enjoy with dessert.

How to Make a Mocha

Mocha originally referred to a coffee bean with a chocolate aroma, mainly produced in the coastal town of Mocha in Yemen, hence the name Mocha bean. What is generally called mocha coffee today is prepared with a ratio of 2/5 espresso, 2/5 hot chocolate, and 1/5 steamed milk.

There are many cocoa products on the market that can provide chocolate flavor, such as chocolate sauce, unsweetened pure cocoa powder, pure dark chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chunks, cocoa butter chocolate shavings, etc. Prices range from a few yuan to over a hundred yuan, and each type differs in chocolate flavor, solubility, and texture, so you can choose according to budget and preference.

Among them, chocolate sauce is widely used in coffee shop production because it has its own sweetness, is cost-effective, and can be stored for a long time. It can both add a chocolate note to espresso and serve as an auxiliary tool for latte art. However, this type of chocolate sauce has a relatively thick texture and tends to harden in low-temperature environments. After stirring, it is also difficult to fully blend into the Espresso and milk foam, so the hot mocha made with it sometimes has a slightly grainy texture.

As for the choice of espresso beans, it is recommended to use a medium-dark roast type with pronounced nutty flavors. Taking Front Street's bean list as an example, in addition to single-origin Brazil Queen's Manor, Indonesia Golden Mandheling, and Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise, some espresso blends featuring nutty, caramel, dark chocolate, and creamy flavors also pair very well with milk chocolate, taking the taste of hot mocha to the next level.

When making a mocha, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a 300ml latte cup. First, pour the melted chocolate syrup into the ceramic cup, use 20 grams of Warm Sun coffee grounds to extract 37 grams of espresso, and stir well while hot. Next, froth 200 grams of fresh milk to a hot milk foam of about 50 to 55 degrees Celsius, and after hearing 4 to 5 hissing sounds, enter the texturing stage. Then, use a spoon to scoop out a spoonful of the upper milk foam, draw circles in the espresso mixed with chocolate to form a solid white circle, and finally pour all the remaining hot milk foam from the pitcher into the cup from the center until the cup is full.

How to Make a Flat White

Flat white is an Italian milk coffee with a rich coffee flavor, similar in intensity to a cappuccino, but with thinner milk foam than a latte and a velvety-smooth mouthfeel. In the last century, Italians brought espresso to Australia, New Zealand, and other places. The locals did not prefer the thick foam of cappuccino and latte, so they began to froth the milk foam thinner. When the thin foam blended into the coffee, the liquid surface became flatter and flatter, until only a thin layer remained, completely level with the rim of the cup, and thus today's Flat White was born. Flat means "level," while White refers to milk coffee.

Usually, the milk foam thickness of a latte is about 0.5cm, and after blending with the coffee and latte art, it presents a slightly domed full-cup effect. The foam of a flat white, however, is the thinnest and must be controlled within 0.3cm, otherwise it is difficult to achieve a "flat" liquid surface. As for the specific foam thickness, every coffee shop does it differently. Some baristas, in order to let customers taste the upper layer of coffee crema to the greatest extent, will not froth the milk at all and simply heat the milk and pour it into the espresso. Front Street, however, wants customers to enjoy a flat white that is both creamy-smooth and not too "watery," so it retains a 0.3cm foam layer.

When making a flat white, Front Street grinds 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 27 grams of coffee liquid in 20 to 25 seconds, taking only the front and middle sections of the Espresso, that is, Ristretto. Then pour the double Ristretto into a pre-prepared cup of about 200ml capacity. The coffee-to-milk ratio is 1:5, that is, about 150ml of fresh milk. Choose a comfortable milk pitcher and pour in the milk for frothing. Since the foam layer needs to be thinner and denser, the milk should be aerated less than for a latte when frothing, and the temperature is best controlled at 55 to 60 degrees Celsius, making it easier to drink. Finally, blend the frothed milk evenly into the coffee liquid; latte art is optional.

The flat white produced by Front Street carries aromas of vanilla, cream, chocolate milk, and whisky liqueur chocolate, as well as the sweet-tartness of berries. It is smooth, fragrant, and mellow on the palate, with a very lingering finish.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.