Help with making cappuccino.

[Insomniac]

Hey guys. I've never made a cup of cappuccino in my life and I was just gifted a cappuccino machine so I thought I'd give it a try. I tried looking through videos of how people made cappuccino and it seemed simple enough. So I went out and bought some espresso, specifically lavazza.com/corporate/opencms/en/at-home/blends/caffe-espresso.html. Is this good for cappuccino? However, after my first cup, there a lot of things that I had no idea if I did it right.

First of all, how do you know how hard to pack the expresso in the filter holder?

Secondly, there were two types of filters that came with the machine. A small one for making one cup and the larger one for 2 cups. Do these filters make exactly one/two cups of coffee? I just didn't know how much I could get out of the amount of espresso I put in.

Thirdly, when frothing the milk, it seems that the machine adds steam so fast that my milk rises way to the point that the pitcher I'm using is about to overflow to get enough time for it to foam. In videos I've seen, baristas are able to use steam their milk for a long time without the volume increasing so quickly.

Also, how do you sweeten it? It tastes a bit too bitter and nothing like the Starbucks cappuccino after I add the milk.

I never thought there were so much to making cappuccino. Thanks for any help you guys can give.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

First of all, welcome to the board.

Here are my answers and it could be little different each individuals...

I believe Lavazza brand is not bad at all and I believe it would be better then Starbucks coffee if you made it right..

1and 2 You are supposed to fill about .7 oz per shot of espresso. So the machine should have come with little scoop.
After you start brewing, make sure you only brew about 1 oz of espresso.

Starbucks Barista home espresso machine - Part 1 - YouTube

This is starbucks video and it will give you some idea about how much coffee to use and how to use the tamper.
Fast forward to about 6;30 min

When you frothing milk, make sure you use the thermometer and don't over cook it. The video also will show you what temperature and how to froth milk properly

Starbucks Barista home espresso machine - Part 2 - YouTube




Good luck.....

 

[Insomniac]

Thanks. I will check them out.

 

[JessicaMaryBeans]

I find it easier to make foam in a chilled metal pitcher or fill the room temp pitcher with ice and cold water or about 60 seconds. I let the foam sit for 1-2 minutes, slightly hit the milk and foam on the counter top to push the bubbles out. Hope this helps you out Insomniac!