Guys

Does a cappuccino have latte art? Thoughts?

It can but most are etched not poured if you are using classic cappuccino foam which is thicker than latte foam.

I usually just pour the milk in for a cappa and try for a rosetta. Generally I feel this doesn't really take much more time than dumping the milk straight in and gives a little time for the "cap" to form and to allow for a bit more milk to be added to the cup. I'm usually right on maximum with a the cap mounding over the rim on my cappuccinos.

I never make lattes so I wouldn't know if it's easier to pour art as a latte vs cappuccino.

cannonfodder wrote:It can but most are etched not poured if you are using classic cappuccino foam which is thicker than latte foam.

How true! or perhaps cappuccino art can be classified as over-sized monk-heads

Yes, but then you'd call it cappuccino art. Not latte art...

Well, the milk it thicker, so traditionally people do tulips or hearts on the small diameter cappuccino cup.

Macchiato, Cappuccino, Latte, Super Latte...etc

IMO they are just words used to communicate to a barista how much milk you want and of what type (foam only or more milk).

If you're making at home...put in how much ever you like and forget about the correct term. I sometimes like a "tiny" latte which is just a double espresso with the cup filled up the rest of the way with extra milk from a cappa I just made. Probably half-half milk and espresso.

If you're in Italy, things are different than the US, and same in other countries, shouldn't be too surprising. But I'm not sure you would have to insist on a "real cappuccino". If you know a place or cafe tends to be heavy with the milk, just ask them for a cappa with half milk or so. Or ask for milk on the side and pour yourself. Cafes will tend to make drinks how people there like them...and us Americans really like our milk I guess!

Latte is the Italian word for milk; so, latte art is "milk art", regardless of the style of drink. The name of the drink that is made of espresso with lots of steamed milk is "caffe latte". In the US (and perhaps in other non-Italian countries) "caffe latte" is frequently abbreviated to "latte", which may confuse a native speaker of Italian, who might think you want a glass of milk.

Cappuccino and caffe latte are distinguished by the ratio of espresso and steamed milk, caffe latte having more milk than cappuccino. The exact proportions seem to vary quite a lot from one cafe to another.

I'll just add that the world barista championship rules specifically say that the cappuccino may be prepared with or without latte art, but I can't remember the last time I saw a competitor video that did NOT have latte art.

I thought this thread was about "can a cappuccino have latte art", not "what is a cappuccino".

I guess because a large cappuccino in one place is considered a latte in another it becomes confusing. When you pour a cappuccino with latte art, and the guy next to you says it's a latte, does it really become a totally different drink? After all, we are talking about the same coffee, with the same milk in it, just differing amounts of milk. If I put more than 2 cubes of sugar in an Americano does it become something else?

Then again, I don't put a whole lot of stock in a name.