Cappuccino

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A typical cappuccino with foam.

Cappuccino is an Italian coffee-based drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and milk foam. A cappuccino differs from a caffè latte which is mostly milk and a only a little foam. The brown espresso is poured in the middle of the foamed milk in the cup, giving the white band around the brown centre. A cappuccino is traditionally served in a ceramic 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. The Italian word for hood, "cappuccio", is often used colloquially for the beverage. The '-ino' suffix denotes a diminutive in Italian.

Besides a 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. There are also "wet cappuccinos", (3/4 hot milk and 1/4 milk foam), -in Italy called 'cappuccino chiaro', and "dry cappuccinos" (1/4 hot milk and 3/4 milk foam), -in Italian 'Cappuccino scuro' -and "bone dry cappuccinos" (only the espresso and a full cup of milk foam). Attaining the correct ratio of foam requires close attention be paid while steaming the milk, thus making the cappuccino one of the more difficult espresso-based beverages to make properly.

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).

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.

In the United States, the term "iced cappuccino" (or cappuccino "Freddo") is somewhat of a misnomer since the characteristic frothed milk is generally omitted in the iced variation. Without the frothed milk, the drink is called an iced latte. The term has nevertheless spread in some Mediterranean countries where foam is added to an iced latte just before serving. International Coffee Houses' standards prohibit the preparation of hot milk foam over ice, since it is condusive to the rapid buildup of bacteria. It is possible to froth cold milk using various methods, and such preparation avoids the safety issues associated with hot foam and ice.

By the start 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. 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."