Before, when I made cappuccinos they had a homogenous flavour distribution: i.e. what you got in the first mouthful was pretty much what you got in the last. The same all the way through. Now I find that the flavour seems to be split into layers, so that what you get at the start is quite a bit different from what you get at the end.

I'm using an Italian blend just now and it seemed to me that as I drank it, it was metaphorically the same chord, but just played in successively different keys, as I worked my way through it. I could make out about 4, maybe 3 1/2 separate layers in the drink.

So have I just arrived at something that's been known about for ages? Or am I delusional?

I did kind of think that maybe there is a possibility that different aroma chemicals or lipids are held in differing densities of milk. Then I thought maybe as the density of the foam varies, so does the concentration of the coffee.

Any insight appreciated.

The biggest changes are from the effects of cooling.

Check out this discussion: Do you mix / stir your espresso before drinking it?

mitch236 wrote:Check out this discussion: Do you mix / stir your espresso before drinking it?

So it seems perfectly reasonable, that if you do not stir, you will get layers. I used to use a Bacchi and never got layers. Maybe to get layers you need finer grinding, or higher pump pressure or adjustment of some other, of the many, variables. It was a first for me.

Maybe I should say that it tasted God Awful as an espresso, but wonderful as a cappuccino. Meh, I thought it was interesting. Thanks for the replies.