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Despite the majority of the espresso I drink is either straight or caffé americano style, milk frothing is an art I’ve always admired. Sure pulling a perfect shot of espresso is an art itself, and as an enthusiast (I don’t consider myself an aficionado yet) a whole other level that’s part of the coffee experience. There is something about being able to hand a guest a cup of coffee they wouldn’t be intimidated by. Once the word “espresso” enters into the offer of coffee, people seem to immediately be put off. And this is something I totally understand, but at the same time wish they would trust me.

So how does milk frothing help the intimidation problem? First, a properly prepared latte or cappuccino looks beautiful! Presentation is half the battle. While I think a wonderfully tiger stripped/speckled double espresso is a sure sign of pleasure, some people just see something thick in a cup. Properly steamed/frothed milk adds a layer of sweetness beyond just plain ol’ milk. There is also fun to be had creating iced drinks with frothed milk. In all, I think even the shyest coffee drinker might give a latte or cappuccino a second sip before turning it away completely.

And now I can get to what I really was aiming for, my ability to reproduce a decent cappuccino has arrived. With a little finesse my presentation and foam will become more presentable, but the first step is to be consistent.  Thanks to Paul over at KoffeeKosmo I’ve a technique that I understand every step in order to reproduce steady results. You can find a break down of the KoffeeKosmo frothing method at Coffee Snobs.

You can see how well my progression is going, I posted my first real cappuccino earlier this year. The big problem with that cappuccino was the foam being too stiff. Today’s pictures show a nicer, more velvety foam. I’m hoping with some more practice I can create some simple latte art and nicer a cappuccino presentation. I’m a little rough around the edges.