Espresso coffee is an Italian invention, which was first introduced by the idea of offering to the consumer a coffee expressly prepared when requested - this is the origin of the definition of caffè espresso.
Nowadays, ‘caffè espresso’ is one of the main symbols of what is knowns as Made in Italy worldwide.
There are no historical facts behind the invention of cappuccino, therefore it is quite possible that a barista at some stage had the idea to use caffè espresso and added milk and frothed it to create the hot drink, referred to as Cappuccino. This is another proud representative of made in Italy products, which is so closely connected to espresso coffee.
Cappuccino was first created to add a hot drink containing caffè espresso to the typical Italian breakfast, i.e. something to be drunk while enjoying a small pastry or a croissant. Nevertheless, it later became a very popular drink in Northern Europe.
Cappuccino is very much loved by consumers living in Northern Europe and in all those countries, in which filter or percolated coffee is appreciated.
Consumers from Northern Europe consider espresso coffee “too strong” and prefer it diluted “Cappuccino” style.
The adding of frothed milk is also used as a base for decorations, creative and artistic patterns which is added to the hot drink by the capable hand of the inspired barista.
The decorative intervention can range from the simple cocoa power dusting with the cocoa duster with standard images, to what is properly called “latte art”.
Obviously, a barista, who surprises his customers with artistic decorations is at a higher professional level, which represents competition for his colleagues from neighbouring bars.
Special tools are available for “Latte Art” creations, but if you have to learn it with a DIY technique, it takes a lot of patience and practice. For this reason, we suggest taking part in a technical training course held by a professional barista.
Some examples of ‘Latte Art’ tools.
Information in this article was taken from the book The espresso coffee production system published by Bazzara.
