Cappuccino

A cappuccino (: cappuccini; from German Kapuziner ) is an espresso-based coffee drink that is traditionally prepared with steamed milk including a layer of milk foam.

Variations of the drink involve the use of cream instead of milk, using non-dairy milk substitutes and flavoring with cinnamon (in the United States) or cocoa powder (in Europe and Australasia).

It is typically smaller in volume than a caffè latte, and topped with a thick layer of foam rather than being made with microfoam.

The name comes from the Capuchin friars, referring to the color of their habits, and in this context referring to the color of the beverage when milk is added in small portion to dark, brewed coffee (today mostly espresso).

The physical appearance of a modern cappuccino with espresso créma and steamed milk is a result of a long evolution of the drink.

According to a popular but unverified legend, cappuccino was named after the Italian Capuchin friar Marco d'Aviano who contributed to the victory of the Battle of Vienna.

Adding milk to coffee was already mentioned by Europeans in the 1700s.

Kapuziner showed up in coffee house menus all over the Habsburg monarchy around the late 1700s, and is described in an 1805 dictionary as "coffee with cream and sugar" (although it does not say how it is composed).

The German language Kapuziner is mentioned as a coffee beverage in the 18th century in Austria, and is described as, "coffee with sugar, egg yolks and cream", in dictionary entries from 1800 onwards.

The use of fresh milk in coffee in cafés and restaurants is a newer phenomenon (from the 20th century), introduced when refrigeration became common.

The use of full cream is known much further back in time (but not in the use as whipped cream [chantilly]), as this was a product more easily stored and frequently used also in cooking and baking.

Thus, a Kapuziner was prepared with a very small amount of cream to get the capuchin colour.

Today, Kapuziner is still served in Viennese traditional cafés, comprising still Black Coffee with only a few drops of cream (in some establishments developed into a dollop of whipped cream).

The consumption of coffee in Europe was initially based on the traditional Ottoman preparation of the drink, by bringing to boil the mixture of coffee and water together, sometimes adding sugar.

Kapuziner is mentioned again in writings in the 1850s, described as "coffee with cream, spices and sugar".

The Italian cappuccino was unknown outside Italy until the 1930s.

It is sometimes said to have been born in the coffeehouses of Trieste and other Italian areas of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the early 20th century, spreading throughout Italy after World War I and later worldwide.

The World Barista Championships have been arranged annually since 2000, and during the course of the competition, the competing barista must produce—for four sensory judges—among other drinks four cappuccinos, defined in WBC Rules and Regulations as "[...] a coffee and milk beverage that should produce a harmonious balance of rich, sweet milk and espresso [...] The cappuccino is prepared with one (1) single shot of espresso, textured milk and foam. ("Textured milk" is milk that has been aerated to its proper foam level.) A minimum of 1 centimeter of foam depth [...] A cappuccino is a beverage between 150 ml and 180 ml in total volume [...]."

Cappuccino comes from Latin Caputium, later borrowed in German/Austrian and modified into Kapuziner.

It is the diminutive form of cappuccio in Italian, meaning "hood" or something that covers the head, thus cappuccino literally means "small capuchin".

The coffee beverage has its name not from the hood but from the color of the hooded robes worn by friars and nuns of the Capuchin order.

The Capuchin friars chose the particular design of their orders' robes both in color and shape of the hood back in the 16th century, inspired by Francis of Assisi's preserved 13th century vestments.

The long and pointed hood was characteristic and soon gave the brothers the nickname "capuchins" (hood-wearing).

This color is quite distinctive, and capuchin was a common description of the color of red-brown in 17th century Europe.

It was, however, the choice of red-brown as the order's vestment color that, as early as the 17th century, saw "capuchin" used also as a term for a specific color.

While Francis of Assisi used uncolored and un-bleached wool for his robes, the Capuchins colored their vestments to differ from Augustinians, Benedictines, Franciscans, and other orders.

The Viennese bestowed the name Kapuziner, possibly in the 18th century, on an early version that included whipped cream and spices of unknown origin.

The British seem to have already started filtering and steeping coffee in the second half of the 18th century, and France and continental Europe followed suit.

However, the existence in central Italy of a coffee drink mixed with milk with the name cappuccino is already documented in the 19th century.

Cappuccino is a coffee drink that today is typically composed of a single, double, or triple espresso shot and hot milk, with the surface topped with foamed milk.

Cappuccinos are most often prepared with an espresso machine.

The espresso is poured into the bottom of the cup, followed by a similar amount of hot milk, which is prepared by heating and texturing the milk using the espresso machine steam wand.

The top third of the drink consists of milk foam which is also made using the steam wand.

The drink is then topped with powdered chocolate or cocoa powder.

In a traditional cappuccino, as served in Europe and artisan coffeehouses in the United States, the total of espresso and milk/foam make up between approximately 150 and 180 ml. Commercial coffee restaurant chains in the US more often serve the cappuccino as a 360 ml drink or larger.

In Italy, a cappuccino consists of 25 ml of espresso; the rest of the cup is filled with equal parts of milk and foam.

Outside of Italy, the ratios of espresso, milk, and foam typically equal 1/3 each.

A cappuccino is traditionally served in a small cup with a handle (180 ml maximum) with a thick layer of foam, while a caffè latte (often abbreviated to just "latte") is just espresso and milk (200–300 ml), with the milk steamed to be hot and to form microfoam, and is usually served in a large glass.

The word cappuccino, in its Italian form, appears in Italian writings in the 19th century and is described as "Black Coffee with a few drops of milk or cream which give it the color the tunic of the Capuchins, from which it takes its name".

By the 19th century, coffee was brewed in different devices designed for both home and public cafés.