To ask how to make the perfect cappucino

[bloomingroses]

I’ve not had my machine that long and am trying hard to make nice espressos and cappuccinos. Is there something I’m missing perhaps? They never taste quite right, a bit bitter I think. I’d love to hear some good tips and maybe a recommend for a good decent coffee. Tia.

What type of machine is it & are you using pods or ground coffee?

I have a Delonghi which will use either - I use lavazza coffee.
I don’t find the steamer powerful enough so I bought a separate one.

Generally, fill with fresh water each time, run a cup with just water to warm it up, then make a double shot espresso and top off with skimmed milk foam. Suits me,

It’s a Morphy Richards and it’s ground coffee. I’m wondering maybe if I should use a smaller cup and more milk?

Maybe change the brand if coffee and see if you can find one you like more?

Is it preground or are you grinding beans?

@BullOx

Is it preground or are you grinding beans?

Im doing both. When I grind my own it doesn’t seem to taste that much different really.

Try grinding a bit coarser. Too fine and the coffee is bitter.

I don’t have a MR machine, but another one. You’ll need quite a powerful steamer to get the froth needed for a cappuccino.
The bitterness will be a combination of the coffee beans and thier roast and how much coffee v milk in your cappuccino. Some of that is personal taste so hard to help, just trial and error.
Fresher beans/ground coffee makes a real difference, but costs more which is a bit of a bugger!

The secret to getting good foam is to always use cold milk. You should also be careful not to over-heat it or it'll taste burnt.

Watch a video on YouTube on how to froth and pour in the milk (tip cup slightly). I find a milk frother wand better than the steamer. And I find I get a richer taste from a dark roast.

Thank you for all the good tips. I’ll get it right yet.

The water shouldn't boil for the coffee
It's one of the reasons I've gone back to a cafetière. You do need hot milk and a decent frother.

My finicky coffee obsessed Italian DP says:
Coarser grind for darker roast,
Espresso roasts will be more intense but may actually be less bitter than a filter roast used to make espresso
Fill but don’t over pack the filter, the water/steam needs to get through the coffee without taking too long as this adds bitterness - add a little less water to reservoir instead if wanting stronger
Choose a sweeter bean, he says eg Brazilian bourbon tends to have a chocolate vanilla toffee overtone (he is waving his arms now, bless)
Cold fresh milk for best froth and experiment with proportions as he likes triple shot in cappuccino but some roasts need less

Hope this helps. He’s now on a roll and flinging coffee beans into the grinder for ‘elevenses’ - and it is his strange Italian opinion that you only have cappuccino in the mornings....

Also whole milk froths better than semi!

Hotel Chocolat velvetiser makes the best foamy milk. You're not supposed to put coffee in it, but you still get a latte / cappuccino effect if you use it to make the milk and add it to the coffee in the cup.

DH used it to heat the milk for DS's weetabix this morning. He devoured it down apparently!

Go for coffee labelled "mild". The dark roast smells nicer but mild tastes better to me.
Low fat milk looks better and frothier but full fat still tastes better.

@Italiangranny

My finicky coffee obsessed Italian DP says: Coarser grind for darker roast, Espresso roasts will be more intense but may actually be less bitter than a filter roast used to make espresso Fill but don’t over pack the filter, the water/steam needs to get through the coffee without taking too long as this adds bitterness - add a little less water to reservoir instead if wanting stronger Choose a sweeter bean, he says eg Brazilian bourbon tends to have a chocolate vanilla toffee overtone (he is waving his arms now, bless) Cold fresh milk for best froth and experiment with proportions as he likes triple shot in cappuccino but some roasts need less

Hope this helps. He’s now on a roll and flinging coffee beans into the grinder for ‘elevenses’ - and it is his strange Italian opinion that you only have cappuccino in the mornings....

Please thank your DP for getting involved. I’m loving his passion and am certainly noting his expert advice.

Get some decent speciality coffee beans. I like Dark Woods or North Star roasters.
You then need to make sure you’ve got your brew recipe right - most coffees require 16-20g dose for a double espresso.
Once you got the correct quantity of coffee then you need to make sure you’re not under or over extracting, both will result in poor quality espresso. Speciality coffee roasters will always give you a brew recipe with their coffee.

At the beginning of lockdown 1 we struggled to get semi skimmed so ended up with whole milk. It makes much better coffees so we've not gone back to semi skimmed

There’s also loads of video on YouTube showing you how to make the perfect espresso and how to foam milk correctly.
It’s also worth going on a home barista course once they’re up and running again. Loads of fun and you’ll be doing latter art by the end of it!

@bloomingroses thank you for giving him a chance to be a flaming coffee nerd for a good cause!😂