hey guys, it's very easy to stretch milk to 3+ times its fresh/cold volume without burning it.. takes a bit of practice, good quality milk , a proper machine with good pressure and good quality, well filtered water supply. training with a thermometer is a good idea to begin with. You have to aerate the milk at an even, but rather quick pace, while it is still cold to ensure maximum smoothness...+READ

hey guys, it's very easy to stretch milk to 3+ times its fresh/cold volume without burning it.. takes a bit of practice, good quality milk , a proper machine with good pressure and good quality, well filtered water supply. training with a thermometer is a good idea to begin with. You have to aerate the milk at an even, but rather quick pace, while it is still cold to ensure maximum smoothness (microbubbles). Your whirlpool has to be spot on, or else you'll end up with a bunch of big bubbles on top. I don't like coffee done anything like this, but I use this technique to make babycinos (does everyone know what these are??). I can get 'em to look like whippy icecream cones!!

* extra TOP secret trick I do: if you're in a real hurry, (after you've spent all that time getting it right) steam your milk a little too fast, tip it into another jug (pitcher), the same size and stick it in the milk fridge or a freezer for 30 secs - 1 min.. take it out and BOOM instant smooth froth you could build a car out of!-COLLAPSE

By mingostarr on May 30, 2008 12:32 AM

Not true you can make a dry cap and not ruin the milk. I have a machine at home. If the temp is kept under 140 degrees then you will not burn the milk. All this takes is a proper thermometer in your frothing pitcher. I usually use about 1 cup of fat free milk which consistently produces the best foam of any milk.

Ben

By Ben7643 on April 7, 2008 02:30 PM

Instead of ordering a "dry" cappuccino, ask for a espresso topped with a cupful of overstretched foam. That should clarify things for the barista.

Dry foam adds nothing to the drink and it should only be attempted by baristi at Starbucks or at Ma and Pa's Mall Food Court Coffeedrinkery. They are garbage and require the barista to ruin the milk.

By John Manzo on March 22, 2008 04:53 PM

When he says "the rest is just foam" he's talking about the thick layer of foam on top of the espresso in the left glass/highball that goes nearly to the rim. So, basically a dry capp is a shot of espresso topped with LOTS of foam... but the foam isn't saturated with milk, it's lighter and, well, drier. To get the foam, the barista takes your choice of milk and steams it to make it foam (similar...+READ

When he says "the rest is just foam" he's talking about the thick layer of foam on top of the espresso in the left glass/highball that goes nearly to the rim. So, basically a dry capp is a shot of espresso topped with LOTS of foam... but the foam isn't saturated with milk, it's lighter and, well, drier. To get the foam, the barista takes your choice of milk and steams it to make it foam (similar to boiling, but not quite). The steaming process gets the milk to foam without causing it to boil, if it gets too hot, the foam will fall flat... think of bubbles in a bubble bath after they've sat for a bit (flat). Then they take the hot milk and pour a bit in with the espresso and spoon the nice fluffy foam (fresh bubbles in a bubble bath) onto your cappuccino. After they're done making your capp, they do bleed the steamer... keeps it all nice and clean for the next customer. Hope this answers any questions :)-COLLAPSE

By Malia81 on March 22, 2008 12:40 AM

If you mean the liquidy not-quite steaminess form when you bleed the machine out, that's not it. That should be done in a separate receptacle, which is what I think you were getting at.

When you've foamed the milky, you know how all the froth is at the top and all the milk is at the bottom? "Dry" is when you just scoop the fluff out and don't pour any of the milk (the "wet") out into the...+READ

If you mean the liquidy not-quite steaminess form when you bleed the machine out, that's not it. That should be done in a separate receptacle, which is what I think you were getting at.

When you've foamed the milky, you know how all the froth is at the top and all the milk is at the bottom? "Dry" is when you just scoop the fluff out and don't pour any of the milk (the "wet") out into the espresso shot. Make sense? :-)

And ftr, what I like is wet, just not especially milky. I like it somewhere closer to a cappuccino than a macchiato, but nowhere near a latte... which is why I generally make mine at home. Got no interest in trying to soundbite all that into some poor already-harried barrista when I haven't even had my caffeine hit and am thus even more inarticulate than usual.

Oy... going to have some right now!-COLLAPSE

By Mawrter on March 20, 2008 07:13 AM

sorry, I don't get it.

Where does the foam residue come from in the example of a dry cappuccino? He states: "The rest of this is just foam." Can someone explain? Foam from the original pull, not foamed milk?

By toodie jane on March 19, 2008 10:32 AM