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Any tricks to keep cappuccinos hot - cools off too quickly

Postby misterdoggy on Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:12 am

Everytime I make my Cappuccino/CaffeLatte by the time it gets served its only lukewarm

I make the espresso, then heat the milk and pour. Now the milk is very foamy so it does not retain heat well.

I keep heated glasses but while they wait for the milk to get done on the counter by the time it gets served they are at best lukewarm

We like em hot ?

Any suggestions from the famous Peanut Gallery please ??
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Postby ddr on Sat Mar 28, 2009 10:40 am

Thicker cups retain heat. Also, on your machine you have a hot water dispenser, fill the cup with hot water and leave the water in it until you are ready to steam.
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Postby HB on Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:09 am

If you want super hot drinks, I've found nothing that beats the Bodum double walled glasses for heat retention. But they're fragile.
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Postby Gus on Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:46 am

It sounds like you are pouring the milk and then serving the drink almost right away. If this is what you are doing and the drinks are just lukewarm, it sounds like you are not heating the milk enough. Do you use a thermometer or just go by feel? Perhaps if you are just going by feel try using a thermometer a couple of times for a reference.


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Postby zin1953 on Sat Mar 28, 2009 12:21 pm

misterdoggy wrote:I make the espresso, then heat the milk and pour. Now the milk is very foamy so it does not retain heat well.

I dunno -- my microfoamed milk does retain heat quite nicely.

misterdoggy wrote:I keep heated glasses but while they wait for the milk to get done on the counter by the time it gets served they are at best lukewarm

Then they aren't very well-heated, are they?

Bruce, do you keep your cups on top of the machine? Your Vibiemme should get your cups to a nice, toasty temperature, and a thick porcelain cup should retain heat quite nicely.

A few options:

1) As Dan already suggested, you might want to take a look at Bodum 9 ounce double-walled glasses size.
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2) Frabosk has double-walled inox/stainless steel cappuccino cups (as well as espresso and latte sizes, too).
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(I know you are in France, and these links go to US retailers, but I am sure these are available in France, too.)

3) Check out Nuova Point and other Italian porcelain companies.

Cheers,
Jason
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Postby drdna on Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:33 pm

misterdoggy wrote:I make the espresso, then heat the milk and pour. Now the milk is very foamy so it does not retain heat well.

I keep heated glasses but while they wait for the milk to get done on the counter by the time it gets served they are at best lukewarm

Basically, the idea is to maximize the temperature of the components and minimize heat loss. So milk needs to be hotter and the cup should not be so cool it draws heat from the milk.

Here is what I do:
1. I keep all the cups heated on top of the machine.
2. Before I start I fill a latte/cappuccino cup with boiling water from the hot water tap.
3. I extract my espresso into a separate espresso cup.
4. I steam my milk, plunging the wand into the milk at the end so I heat the milk up a bit more without making more foam than I want.
5. I dump the water out of the latte cup and pour the espresso and then the steamed milk right away.
6. It's hot.
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Postby HB on Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:38 pm

drdna wrote:I extract my espresso into a separate espresso cup... I dump the water out of the latte cup and pour the espresso and then the steamed milk right away.

Bleech, transferring espresso from a separate container loses lots of crema and with it flavor, not to mention the loss of aesthetics. Pour the espresso directly into its (final) cup, it's not going to cool significantly in 30 seconds.
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Postby zin1953 on Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:51 pm

Agreed.
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Postby johndoe on Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:08 pm

Dear ?'er:

I found that the steaming pitcher, once filled is ideal; I just steam, put the hot pitcher on top of the machine, boiler underneath conducts through steel lid to steel pitcher.

Pull the shot - dump that directly into the Stainless Steel pitcher and drink right from it.

Instant; easy washup and go...no cups no mess.

For what it's worth.

While I am drinking and cleaning up, I place the pitcher with the combined milk and espresso on top of the machine while it's off - disconnected from AC; it keeps it plenty hot due to the conduction of heat from boiler below to the Stainless Steel Frothing Pitcher.

Walla.

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Postby zin1953 on Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:31 pm

FWIW . . .

Image
The cups on top of my machine are nice and warm. After dosing and tamping the shot, I put a saucer on the counter, lock the portafilter into place, take a cup/glass from the top of the machine, and start the shot. Then I grab the milk, and start steaming . . .

The milk finishes moments after the shot, and I'm good to go!

BUT, before I drink, I empty the portafilter into the knockbox, clean the grouphead with a spritz-and-brush, rinse clean the portafilter and the basket, set them out on a towel to dry and -- if I anticipate pulling another shot relatively soon, I lock another portafilter into place. THEN, I sit down and enjoy my hot cappuccino/latte . . .

Cheers,
Jason
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