Cappuccino

Section: Hot: Espresso Family · espresso · dairy · build · under 60 s

Setup

Glass: Wide ceramic 200 ml, preheated

Serve volume: 180 ml

Ingredients (as the source specifies)

Double espresso 36 ml
Whole milk 120 ml steamed to a 1:1 foam ratio

Operating procedure

Applies to: classic cappuccino built on a double espresso in a 150–180 ml cup, roughly equal thirds espresso, steamed milk and foam.

Target: under 90 seconds from shot start to service.

Pre-warm the 150–180 ml cup so the drink holds temperature through service.
Start with cold fresh milk in a clean, cold pitcher sized to the drink.
Purge the steam wand for 1–2 seconds and wipe it before texturing.
Have the double espresso ready to pull so the milk goes in fresh.

Pull a double espresso (18 g in / ~36 g out / 25–30 s) directly into the warm cup.
Hazelnut-gold crema, even stream — this is the flavour backbone of the drink.
Steam the milk to a dense, glossy microfoam, stretching more air than a latte for a thicker cap.
Final milk temperature 60–65°C; never let it climb past 70°C or it scalds.
Groom the milk: swirl the pitcher and tap out large bubbles until the surface is paint-like.
No visible large bubbles — texture should shine, not fizz.
Pour the steamed milk into the espresso, holding foam back at first, then let it flood to finish.
Aim for roughly equal thirds: espresso, liquid milk, and a 1–1.5 cm foam cap.
Serve immediately with a spoon; foam should sit as a distinct, dense dome above the rim line.
Dense enough that a light dusting of cocoa sits on top without sinking.

Foam cap is dense and 1–1.5 cm deep, holding its shape, not flat or bubbly.
Milk is sweet and hot to 60–65°C, never scalded or thin.
Balance reads as coffee-forward, with espresso clearly present through the milk.

The cappuccino is defined by its dense foam and coffee-forward balance; if it tastes milky and flat like a small latte, you stretched too little air or poured the foam in too early.

Technique

The procedures this drink is built with. They are the technique, not this drink's own method.

Energy, derived from the ingredient list

Computed line by line against the source's own coefficient table. Nothing here is typed in.

Espresso · 36 × 0.03 = 1.08 kcal
Whole milk 3.5% · 120 × 0.64 = 76.8 kcal

Derived total: ≈ 80 kcal

Caffeine, derived from the ingredient list

Computed line by line at the source's own reference doses. Nothing here is typed in.

Double espresso 36 ml · 130 mg (double espresso reference: 18 g dose = 130 mg)

Derived total: ≈ 130 mg

Recommended adult daily maximum: 400 mg

Allergens, as the source states them: `MILK`

Holding and food safety

These figures are the published guidance, not a house rule. Each carries its source.

Chilled components: hold at or below 5 °C. The legal maximum is 8 °C.
Once a chilled component is out of the fridge, it has 4 hours before it must be discarded.

Your local authority sets the requirement. Confirm these against it before service.

Source: GOV.UK — Food hygiene for businesses (FSA guidance) — retrieved 2026-08-20