What is authentic? Cappuccino coffee suffers from "identity crisis"

Once upon a time, we couldn't tell the latte from the cappuccino; now, we can't tell the latte from the fragrant white. Even the current "identity" of cappuccino has been questioned. Look, are you really drinking cappuccino?!

Cappuccino coffee

According to an article published in the US media on the 9th, cappuccino is a coffee drink loved by coffee fans. But now the former king of specialty coffee drinks is suffering from an identity crisis.

Once upon a time, cappuccino was very easy to identify, the article said. An espresso with hot milk, topped with protein frost. But now, even among experts, there is no small debate about what a cappuccino is, with coffee connoisseurs focusing on the size of their coffee as a distinguishing feature.

Food and coffee writer Oliver Strand (Oliver Strand) believes that in the United States, cappuccinos have small, medium and large cups, but they are actually made. Strand believes that a cappuccino is basically a four-ounce drink.

There are also coffee roasting professionals who believe that what exactly is a cappuccino should not focus on the weight factor. Others cling to the old-fashioned definition: the layering of coffee, hot milk and milk bubbles in cappuccinos is the focus.

The article said that in some coffee shops in the United States, cappuccinos are not layered, there are no bubbles visible at the top, and they taste the same from the first to the last. This version seems to violate the cappuccino standard promoted by the American Special Coffee Association (Specialty Coffee Association of America) and its affiliated coffee makers' association (Barista Guild), which calls for at least 1 centimeter of milk foam.

But some people in the industry said that this standard is a bit "absurd". The milk foam is only 1 centimeter thick and becomes a latte if you are not careful. Some coffee experts believe that it is those "latte art bitches" that cause so few milk bubbles in modern cappuccinos. Experts say that in this age of "no photos, no cooking", fewer bubbles help baristas to make complicated tricks.

In New York, coffee shop owners can't stand customers who are convinced they know what an "authentic" cappuccino is, removing the names of all drinks from the menu. The boss believes that no matter what kind of coffee it is, it is "espresso with milk". However, he is particularly annoyed by the newly popular Little White Coffee (flat white), which is made from espresso and milk with a variety of "authoritative" practices.

However, the article says that not all people who care about such issues are as dismissive of coffee taxonomy as the boss above. Italy's National espresso Institute (Instituto Nazionale Espresso Italian), for example, calls for the use of "25ml espresso and 100ml steam to beat milk bubbles".

Italian coffee lovers are so committed to the idea of authentic cappuccino that the chairman of the country's agricultural committee proposed in 2007 that the government should issue certificates to cafes that use the right production methods.

But some people also disapprove of the so-called Italian standard of perfection. Coffee industry insiders point out that even in Italy, cappuccino standards are diverse, and the only thing they have in common is their small portion size, which is considered a morning drink.

Some culinary historians say cappuccino may have originated in Austria and became popular with the rise of the American coffee chain Starbucks. Scholars also say that perhaps the best cappuccinos do not require fancy barista techniques or other decorations.

Source: China News Network