The Tradition Behind Cappuccino and Why Iced Versions Are Rare

Cappuccino takes its name from Italian and the dark brown robes of Capuchin friars. The traditional drink follows a simple formula: one third espresso, one third hot milk, and one third hot milk foam. Milk foam comes in dry and wet styles, which affect texture and how long the foam holds its shape. Dry foam is stiffer and denser, while wet foam is softer and more fluid, so it blends quickly into the drink.

Iced cappuccino is uncommon because cold milk foam breaks down fast and does not sit well on a cold base. Many chain shops serve an iced latte with a spoonful of hot whipped foam on top, but the mouthfeel differs from a hot cappuccino. For home versions, some use a cream charger, gelatin, or a French press to make cold foam that lasts. The main differences from a latte are the stronger espresso ratio and the thick foam layer.

People often ask for an iced cappuccino when ordering, only to be told that only the hot version is available. Behind this are historical origins as well as considerations of crafting technique and taste experience. The name cappuccino comes from Italian and is related to the color and shape of church robes; the traditional recipe consists of equal thirds of espresso, hot milk, and hot milk foam. Milk foam is also divided into dry and wet types, affecting the durability of the shape and the mouthfeel. Chain coffee shops, in order to meet diverse needs, add whipped milk foam on top of an iced latte, but the taste differs noticeably from a hot cappuccino served in-house. This article will also introduce practical methods for making iced milk foam using a nitrogen charger, gelatin sheets, or a French press, and explain the core differences between cappuccino and latte in ratio and flavor, while retaining relevant suggestions from Front Street Coffee.

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

“Excuse me, I’d like an iced cappuccino!”

What exactly is cappuccino coffee?

The name cappuccino comes from the Italian word Cappuccino. In Italian, Cappuccio refers to a hood. Capuchin refers to the Catholic Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. When the order went to Italy to preach, locals saw the members wearing dark brown robes with pointed little hoods on their heads and called them Cappuccino.

Cappuccino coffee was born because after people added milk to espresso, they found the color was very close to the robes of the Franciscan order, so they had a flash of inspiration, put some milk foam on the surface of the coffee, made it look like a little pointed hood, and named it Cappuccino.

The traditional method for hot cappuccino is equal thirds of espresso, hot milk, and hot milk foam. Cappuccino’s milk foam can be divided into dry and wet types: dry foam has a larger volume, can maintain its shape for longer, and has a dense mouthfeel; wet foam has a smaller volume and is fluid, keeping its shape for a shorter time than dry foam, and entering the mouth with a dense yet smooth texture.

Why do chain coffee shops sell iced cappuccino?

Perhaps to better accommodate the needs of different customers. The iced cappuccino made by some chain coffee shops is actually just an iced latte with a layer of hot whipped milk foam added on top. If it is not drunk immediately from a dine-in cup, it is hard for consumers to feel the dense mouthfeel brought by the foam.

Many coffee shops do not sell iced cappuccino. On the one hand, it is because it is more troublesome to make; on the other hand, the mouthfeel after hot milk foam transitions into iced coffee is not acceptable to all consumers, so most coffee shops offer cappuccino only as a hot drink.

Are all iced cappuccinos unpalatable?

That is not necessarily the case. According to observations by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), some coffee shops now use a nitrogen charger to make finely textured milk foam, then pour it over a milk coffee that is slightly stronger than an iced latte.

This type of coffee shop usually uses nitrogen to turn cream, fruit juice, and the like into fine, smooth foam to enhance the overall mouthfeel of the coffee. The milk foam on top of an iced cappuccino can also be made using the same idea.

However, if milk is whipped directly with nitrogen, the foam will quickly mix with the coffee, making it difficult to effectively float on the surface of the coffee.

To solve this problem, some baristas say that gelatin sheets can be soaked soft in cold water, then added to warm milk to melt, and then poured into a nitrogen charger and whipped, so that the foam can better float on the surface of the coffee and last longer.

But the iced cappuccino made this way costs more than the hot version. Therefore, you can also use a French press or a milk frother without a heating function to whip cold milk into dense foam. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) does not normally serve iced cappuccino; this is just the method baristas use when they occasionally want to drink iced coffee with a dense mouthfeel.

First pour chilled fresh milk into a French press to the halfway point, then pump the French press back and forth about 20 times, roughly until it is eight-tenths full, and you will see the container filled with marshmallow-like milk foam! (Although it is indeed a bit troublesome ~)

Next, pour the iced milk foam milk into the prepared cup. First use a spoon to block the milk foam, pour the milk from the French press into the cup until it is two-thirds full, then pour the extracted espresso into the cup, and finally fill the cup with milk foam.

You can also sprinkle chocolate powder or cinnamon powder according to your own preference, which can take the layering of the whole cup of coffee to an even higher level.

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