Cappuccino vs. Latte

The already 'hot' world of coffee is becoming hotter with the cappuccino vs. latte debate. For a novice who is bored of having his regular coffee at the local diner, it will be very difficult to decide which one is better for his taste. By now we have understood that there are three basic types of coffee, namely cappuccino, latte, and espresso. Out of these three, the first two cause the maximum amount of confusion.

A latte is known as café au lait in French, café con leche in Spanish, and Milchkaffee in German. In simple words, it is coffee milk, and often accompanies breakfast. This beverage is actually a double shot of espresso, which is topped with steamed milk. Since it has a generous amount of milk in it, it is very filling.

Latte ideally needs to be served in a 7 - 8 oz. glass, which is often not the case. Since it consists of a generous amount of milk, the drinker should be able to see the milk in his coffee. There are some cafés, where you can see some foam on top of a latte. It is used only for the sake of presentation such as to make it more attractive. It is often garnished with some latte art, usually in the shape of a heart or a leaf.

Cappuccino consists of one-third amount of espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third foamed or frothed milk. This drink has a thick layer of foam on it. The liquid in the cappuccino tastes stronger than that of latte, but the taste attributes should be evenly balanced. There are two ways of ordering this coffee. You can either order it 'wet' or 'dry'. When you order your cappuccino 'dry', it will have more foam as compared to milk. On the other hand, a 'wet' cappuccino will consist of more milk.

Of late, in America, cappuccino does not consist of milk. Milk has been replaced by micro foam steamed milk. This milk has a glossy texture, and a smooth finish with small bubbles. Due to the use of micro foam, when the coffee is made, the thinner micro foam gets poured first in the coffee mug, and the thicker foam ends up as the top layer.

Often, you will see that cappuccino is served in a porcelain cup with 6 - 7 ounces of coffee in it. The cup has a large mouth and a narrow base. Porcelain cups are used as porcelain retains heat better than most other materials. It is normally garnished by dusting cinnamon powder on top.

Besides the way different types of coffee are made, a lot depends on the quality of the coffee beans from which coffee is brewed. Hence, there are other factors too that affect the taste of a cup of coffee. So, the next time you're out to have a cup of coffee, you will know what exactly you should order.