Cappuccino at Home Without an Espresso Machine

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make a cappuccino at home? Gather your ingredients. Use the finest-ground coffee — coarse grounds are too rough for such a delicate drink. I'd choose whole milk; the higher fat content froths up better.

2. Step 2:

   

   First, brew the espresso. There are several ways to do this; the simplest is in a cezve on the stovetop. Put the ground coffee in the cezve, pour in fresh water, and stir with a spoon. For a stronger drink, cut the water down to 60 ml.

3. Step 3:

   

   Set the cezve over low heat.

4. Step 4:

   

   Watch for the foam to start rising over the coffee. Take the cezve off the heat and wait for the foam to settle. Return it to the heat, let the foam rise again, and pull it off. Put it back a third time and repeat. The espresso is ready!

5. Step 5:

   

   Now for the milk foam. Be sure to warm the milk — cold milk won't froth. Pour it into a saucepan, set it on the heat, and bring it to about 140°F (60°C). How do you judge the temperature? Drop a bit on your wrist: it should feel distinctly hot, but not scalding.

6. Step 6:

   

   Now froth the milk. With what? You can try a hand whisk — it works, but it's slow and tiring, and the foam won't come out as full as you'd like.

7. Step 7:

   

   You can use a mixer — the milk froths quickly and easily, but the foam settles fast and has large bubbles.

8. Step 8:

   

   The best tool for frothing milk is a handheld milk frother, made for exactly this. You can find one at any online store, and it's inexpensive. In a minute, the milk whips up into a full, stable foam. Notice how fine the bubbles are — that's the right foam for cappuccino. To pop any large bubbles, tap the saucepan on the counter a couple of times.

9. Step 9:

   

   Now bring it all together. Take a large, wide-mouthed cup and rinse it with hot water. Pour the coffee into the cup through a strainer to catch the grounds.

10. Step 10:

    

    Pour the milk into the coffee slowly, in a thin stream, aimed at the center of the cup. That way the layers won't mix: pour gently and the milk goes in first, with the foam following. In a proper cappuccino the ratio is 1:1:1 — espresso, milk, foam.

11. Step 11:

    

    The cappuccino is ready! Serve it right away. You can dust the top with ground cinnamon, chocolate, or cocoa.