How to make the Perfect Cappuccino
It is essential that you have established how to make the perfect espresso before moving on to other drinks such as cappuccino, as this is the base of the whole drink (please also see How to make the Perfect Espresso). If your espresso is bad it doesn’t matter how well you froth or pour your milk, it will never make a good cappuccino!
The basic make-up of a cappuccino is roughly 1/3 coffee, 1/3 hot milk and 1/3 frothed/foamed milk. In Italy a cappuccino is served in a 6-7oz cup, using a single espresso as the base. Here in the UK we tend to go for larger cup sizes than this, typically 10-12oz, so it is fundamental to multiply these Italian ratios up to suit the cup size you are making. For example a 12oz cappuccino needs a double espresso as its base (about 60ml made with 12-14g of coffee), an 18oz cup would need a triple shot espresso (about 90ml made with ~18g of coffee) etc.
Prepare the required ammount of espresso in the bottom the cup.
Pour some hot milk into the middle of the espresso using a knife/spatula to hold back the foam, the milk will go straight through the crema.
When the cup is coming up to 2/3 full, remove the knife/spatula and shake foam into the top of the drink, this will float on the top of the drink and push the crema out to give a nice hazelnut coloured rim around the drink. The transition between stages 3 and 4 should be one smooth operation.
Cocoa powder can be used to decorate the top of the drink although in Italy a cappuccino is often served without any topping. It is better to avoid other chocolate sprinkles as they tend to be sweet and hide the true flavour of the coffee.