How to make a decent cappuccino

Right then,

I am in an Italian mood today. I pinched the wife's bottom at breakfast. Last night was a BBC programme about the history of Venice by this wonderful Venetian guy who tells its story with such passion. Additionally on Breakfast TV this week was an article saying it was impossible to find a decent cup of coffee in Britain (most likely crap as I am sure there loads of Italian coffee places in London).

I am having to dig out our seldom used coffee supply and figure out the capuchino machine since our tea bag supply ran out and my Mum can airlift them in from Britain.

I am someone who was brought up on an odd cup of ready mixed Nescafe. Can still remember those crap Golf Blend adverts. Thr trouble for us Brits is that France was the height of sophistication and not Italy, so we (well read I) don't have a clue about their whole coffee culture.

Amidst my rambling, here comes the question:

What rules do they have for quality coffee and capuchino? Have I even spelt the word right? I am thinking rules similar to our tea culture like always use totally 100 degree boiling water for example.

Someone please enlighten me before I grow very hairy armpits and grab my wife's boobies (and receive a slap in the process). This phase wil last until the teabags arrive. btw I am flying high on caffeine at the moment!

Oh and that's also an excuse for some pic hunting for you of semi naked Italian beauties...

It's cappuccino.
Make sure the milk froth is creamy and not just a pile of bath foam which gets spooned on top.

No Italian thread is complete without gratuitous pictures of Monica Bellucci.

Go to Italy, only place to get one.
The word itself comes from Kapuzziner ( the monks habit was brown and white) this when the Austrians used to own Trieste and imported their coffee culture to the rest of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Follow the link for instructions to prepare a perfect espresso

Frau Angel: that is true Renaissance Art.

btw the statues of that era are amazing, as is the whole art from that period.

I once saw a gorgeous naked woman standing in Chiemsee emulating that pose.

Not sure what machine you've got, but the best results (without a mortgage) are to be had from a simple machine with a permanent filter setup (the kind of handle thing that you see in coffee bars - Siebträger in German). Personally I cannot for the life of me make froth using the steam jet, so have one of these battery-operated jobs, (which may or may not be put to other use by Mrs G. when I'm not there ).

You need at least 15bar pressure to get a decent crema and the machine should be warmed up before making the coffee.

The problem I find is that most of the coffee (and beans) readily available here is quite bitter, including the supposedly good stuff in places like Segafredo.

For ground espresso, look for a 100% Arabica, something like Lavazza Qualita' Oro. If you want to go better, get some beans and a coffee grinder for really fresh coffee. Keep ground coffee in the fridge, well sealed.

A true cappuccino will be 1 part coffee, 1 part milk. The milk should be heated to around 60deg Celsius for the best froth. Results vary depending on brand - Bärenmarke semi-skimmed seems amongst the best.

I did in fact buy a coffee grinder and beans last year. Bugger was that it made such a loud noise I had to shut the kitchen door when guests came. I stopped using it, put some rice through it to clean it outÂ
 and now intend to use it for spice grinding

Cannot get a decent coffe in England? Whilst clearly a load of old tosh, it is undoubtably true that the overwhelming majority of restaurants in blighty have not had their coffee machines setup properly, and don't treat the coffee right. I'm certainly no expert, but the thing to look for in a coffee is the crema - the stuff you see on top of a decent espresso. It comes from the oils in the coffee beans, so to get a decent one, you need freshly ground decent beans.

As to cappucino, well to quite a great half spanish, half english girl I once knew:

Cappucino? No es nada mas que un cafe con leche with a little bit of froth on top.

Brilliant.

Get yourself one of these...best cappucinos and espressos evva...

For freshly roasted beans, visit Supremo, top roasting facilities in Unterhaching: https://www.supremo-kaffee.de.

They have a great selection of coffees - you can buy online or visit their shop. They have just moved (within Unterhaching - now located just behind Lidl on the industrial estate) and plan offering tours of the facilities from December on.

coffee geek probably offers more than you ever wanted to know about the subject, but they are the best information resource I've ever come across.

Coffee panic now over. Wife bought civilised tea bags in Rotkreuzplatz! Rule Britannia!