For me, the distinction of cappuccino from other drinks is the amount of froth (whether dry or wet). I assume those who like cappuccino enjoy the thick foam and thus the foam should be much more abundant. 1/3 is about right for cappa, for latte it's a 1-2cm foam layer(depending on cup). For cappuccino, you will 'eat' the foam first before drinking the coffee. For latte, you're drinking a mixture of foam & milk simultaneously.

When done that way, the best art I can do with cappuccino is only a basic heart or apple (even with swirling the jug before pouring). If I can pour a tulip or rippled heart, I considered that the foam is too little, I'd call that a latte with more foam.

Cappuccinos with milk art served at ditta Artigianale in Florence, Italy:



In this closeup you can see that the foam is somewhat thicker than would typically be used for a latte:



Caveat: ditta Artigianale purports to be the first specialty coffee cafe in Italy. They serve lighter-roasted single-origin coffees using a variety of brewing methods not found at traditional Italian espresso bars. If you go to Florence, visit ditta Atigianale!

The USBC rule sheet does say that cappuccinos may include latte art. You can pour good latte art with thick foam. You just need to pour at a higher flow rate to get anything with definition.

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

Sorry I went off topic. My point -- in response to one of the posts above -- was that it's called latte art because it is made of milk, not because it is atop a caffe latte.

I most definitely think a Cappa can have art.

To that, I think in todays US Speciality coffee industry, the traditional cappuccino rules are not really the true form of what a cappuccino is today.

True cappuccino by definition, is a drink of thirds. 1/3 Espresso, 1/3 Steamed Milk, 1/3 Milk froth.

Thats not generally what a cappuccino is today in the majority of speciality coffee shops, third wave etc..


For me personally,

Machiatto, Piccolo, Cappuccino, Latte.

These describe the size of the cup being used. A Machiatto is made in a Demitasse, a Piccolo is something I saw 49'th Parrell does, which is like a double size macchaitto, or 4oz. A Cappuccino, is made in a 5-8oz cup. A Latte is made in an 8-12oz cup. There is some slight overlap at the 8oz mark for me. Anything over 12oz is a waste of good espresso(and I personally argue, similar to our Italian friends, that anything over 8oz is purely an early morning breakfast drink)

The reason why I say for me it just defines cup size, is because I go about making all those drinks the same way, more or less.
#1-I never make a milk drink with half of a double shot. That true traditional cappa is generally made with a single shot, ie-use the double spouted PF and two cappa cups. I dont pull singles and I dont split shots from double or triple baskets. Basket depending, Im always making a milk drink of any size with the same amount of espresso.

#2-I pretty much make my milk the same way. For SURE, I dont ever make hard shaving cream foam. It is always microfoam, all the time. Now, sure, I might make the milk a tad thicker or a tad thinner depending on my mood, but it is always pourable microfoam. I firmly believe that is how you properly steam milk, and making thick shaving cream foam you can shape and scoop, is wrong, and will lack the sweetness and richness of microfoam. YMMV


When you watch competitions, you see the baristi making cappas in ~5oz cups, with a split double. But, look at the milk. When the judges are checking the milk with the spoon, you can see how deep the cap of foam goes. Maybe its me, but I dont see it being 1/3 of the cup.

The way this cappuccino is made, is how I make mine. Nothing would change if I used a larger cup, or smaller. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqs1HhiGHck