A restaurant drink at home is possible if you have a cappuccino maker at home. Fragrant cappuccino, latte and other coffee-type drinks will be relevant for both adults and children. They will keep you warm in the cold winter and set a positive mood in rainy weather.
You can drink cappuccino every day and delight your friends on holidays. A cappuccino maker is the thing that will make your life better.
Main indicators of milk for frothing
However, not everyone can get a cappuccino with a beautiful, long-lasting foam. It is not possible to learn this art right away; it is preceded by many unsuccessful attempts.
It’s not just skills that require making good coffee, but the right drink requires an appropriate selection of products.
A great cappuccino is coffee with the right milk
The editors of the YaNashla website have prepared for your attention a review of the best brands of milk for making a tasty, healthy coffee drink. Let's consider which company is better to use milk for cappuccino.
When a barista knows how to properly froth milk for drinks in coffee machines, he will not always get good, tasty coffee. A homogeneous, stable foam can only be formed if the quality parameters of the product are met. The main components of milk liquid for cappuccino:
- fat percentage;
- presence of protein.
When cooking, the temperature of the product plays a role.
Fat content
According to experienced baristas, the percentage of fat content has almost no effect on the milk frothing process. But for dense, persistent foam it is considered quite important. It is suggested that the best milk fat percentage for cappuccino is 3 to 4 percent. With milk of such fat content you can achieve a thick, fluffy foam with a sweetish-creamy taste, for which cappuccino is loved and highly valued.
The optimal texture is obtained from a product with a fat content of 3.4%. Drinks are prepared from this milk in coffee shops and bars. If you use low-fat products to make cappuccino, every coffee lover will feel it - the drink will have a grayish color, the foam will have a loose and dry structure.
Proteins and carbohydrates in unboiled milk
When considering a package of milk, you need to pay attention to the protein composition data. Experienced baristas attach great importance to this parameter, considering it more important than the fat content percentage. Foam from milk, which has a high protein content, is viscous, thick, creamy, microdispersed and has a long standing time.
The protein in the product must be at least 3%. When this figure is no more than 2%, then it is impossible to make a good cappuccino from it.
The carbohydrates found in milk provide the sweetish taste of the foam. This is lactose (milk sugar). The ideal milk sugar content is 4 grams or higher.
There is a category of people who have persistent intolerance to milk sugar. Therefore, coffee shops usually prepare a lactose-free drink with sweet foam.
Additional criteria
In addition to fat content, proteins and carbohydrates, when preparing a coffee drink, you need to remember the following additional criteria:
- Naturalness. If the composition contains powder, this is a serious reason to refuse dairy products of this brand.
- Whole milk is not used to prepare the drink, as it may have an unpleasant aroma when heated.
- Baristas also do not recommend using packaging with products marked “Eco”, “Bio”, “Farm”.
- Dairy products are not pre-boiled; they are removed from the refrigerator just before preparation.
- The temperature of the dairy product should not exceed 5⁰C, that is, it should be stored in the refrigerator. If the drink is prepared in a machine with no temperature control, then you can use a product at room temperature.
If the above factors are not observed, the drink may not produce foam, or it may take a long time to prepare.
Most baristas agree that the best product is milk that has undergone the necessary heat treatment. Ultra-pasteurized can be stored for a long time and can be whipped well in a coffee machine. Regular pasteurized is also good to use for making cappuccino.
But most often, baristas use a normalized product.
Normalized milk is considered to be milk in which fats, proteins or dry fat-free substances have been changed. When normalizing a dairy product by fat content, skim milk and cream can be added to the whole product. Or vice versa, cream is taken from it during the separation process
Milk processing methods
To choose milk, you need to know how it is processed and understand which product is best suited for making delicious cappuccino.
- Pasteurization
This is a one-time heating process. It is used to disinfect dairy products and increase their shelf life. The liquid is heated from two seconds to one hour at 62 - 97°C.
Heating the milk kills microorganisms, but viable spores can develop under the right conditions. To prevent pasteurized milk from spoiling, it must be stored for no longer than 5 days.
- Ultra pasteurization
Boiling milk to a temperature of 140°C allows you to preserve the necessary elements in the product.
During ultra-pasteurization, all microorganisms die, so this milk can be stored for up to one and a half months at room temperature. At dairies, products are bottled in hermetically sealed Tetra Pak packaging to ensure long-term preservation of all beneficial properties.
- Sterilization
The process of completely ridding products of bacteria, fungi, and prion proteins. During sterilization, milk is boiled for a long time - up to thirty minutes. This type of processing allows you to preserve the product for a long time, however, many useful components are lost during boiling.
Heat treatment processes do not affect the foaming and stability of milk foam, they guarantee the quality and safety of the product.
For coffee
In stores you can buy models from different manufacturers. The devices differ in the materials of the flask, housing, filter with piston, volume, and design.
What to look for:
- Device flask material. The classic option is a glass container. Heat-resistant or borosilicate glass is used (the latter is resistant to damage). In such flasks the brewing process is visible, which is appreciated by true gourmets. Premium French presses come with double walls for longer heat retention and better brewing. “Minus” is fragility, high price for borosilicate and double glass models. Plastic ones are cheaper and lighter, but low-quality materials emit a specific smell when heated, changing the taste of the drink itself. Ceramic flasks that retain the temperature of coffee for a long time, as well as reliable metal flasks, are convenient. But their walls are opaque, so many buyers prefer glass.
- It is advisable to choose devices with a steel piston.
- Metal filters are only suitable for coarsely ground coffee; polymer filters also trap small particles, so they are suitable for all types.
- The handles should not heat up, so it is better to buy models with plastic linings (or, alternatively, wooden ones).
The parts of the French press should fit snugly against each other, the piston should be pushed down without any serious effort. Check that there are no gaps between it and the walls of the flask.
Models with legs on the base are more convenient, as they are stable. The design is chosen based on one’s own preferences, especially since today the line is varied and you can buy a teapot with a press to suit any style.
Types of plant milk for cappuccino
When preparing a coffee drink, they use not only natural, but also plant milk.
Popular types of milk are:
- From soy. It's cheap and whips up just as well as cow's milk. Has good taste. However, it may curdle when heated. It is recommended to shake soy products together with espresso.
- From almonds. Has a pleasant nutty taste. During the heating process it may curl, and during the beating process it may separate. This herbal product is also shaken together with espresso.
- From oats. The product whips easily, but has less protein than the natural product, so the foam falls off quickly.
There are other types of plant products: rice, coconut, cashew nuts. However, they are not popular enough and are rarely used in coffee shops.
Comparison of models
Let’s summarize our acquaintance with popular models of cappuccino makers. See the comparison table and choose the best of the best.
Model | Power supply | Material | Control type | Volume, ml | overheat protection |
Kitfort KT-710 | 600 W | metal | mechanical | 630 | There is |
FIRST AUSTRIA FA-5293 | from batteries | metal, plastic | electromechanical | – | – |
Melitta Cremio | 450 W | mixed | electromechanical | 250 | – |
Galaxy GL0790 | from batteries | metal, plastic | electromechanical | 400 | – |
Caso Fomini Crema | from the network | metal, plastic | electromechanical | 200 | – |
Clatronic MS 3326 | from the network | mixed | electromechanical | 450 | – |
VES H-200 | 500 W | metal | electromechanical | 600 | – |
Cappuccino makers
Modern technologies allow you to freely prepare your favorite food in an ordinary home kitchen using special appliances. Coffee lovers can prepare any aromatic drink using cappuccino makers. With such devices, getting a cup of espresso, moccacino, latte, cappuccino and other types of coffee drinks does not take much time at home. All drinks have a pleasant appearance and magical taste.
Retail chains offer a large selection of various devices adapted to release steam, which helps froth milk for different types of coffee. Typically, cappuccino makers are sold complete with coffee machines, but can also be purchased separately. Their use provides advantages when preparing coffee due to attachments that greatly simplify the work:
- the milk is whipped and heated at the same time;
- preparation does not take a long time;
- light foam is obtained quickly and easily.
Milk frothers allow you to achieve excellent foam quality; the preparation process is fully automated: you need to add milk to the bowl and start the machine.
Based on their design, they are divided into groups of manual and automatic products.
Manual
The hand-held product is controlled directly by the user. The device contains a whisk - a spring and a bowl for liquid. This is a fairly common type of cappuccino maker; the device is portable, compact, and inexpensive. It is simple for frothing milk and making foam:
- the device promotes the formation of water vapor, which, using pressure, enters a specialized tube;
- froths milk, saturating it with air;
- the steam supply control function is installed;
- For each type of drink, the preparation of foam is simplified.
This type of beater is suitable for experienced coffee lovers. For beginners it will be difficult; the beating process must be controlled by a person. Without the skill, it is impossible to prepare a delicious cappuccino with fluffy foam.
Automatic
To make coffee in these devices, just press one button and the drink will be prepared. The user must only ensure that the food compartments are not empty and wash the device after the cooking process.
Each device has its own characteristics and differences. Therefore, before purchasing a coffee machine, you need to familiarize yourself in detail with its functions in order to make the right purchase - purchase a product for professionals or for beginners.
Panarello
The coffee machine comes with a small cylindrical nozzle for frothing milk, which is lowered into a bowl of milk liquid.
The Panarello attachment is used to make milk froth, it is often called a mechanical cappuccino maker, although in fact it is more of a manual device than a mechanical one. Its action is to supply streams of steam into the inside of the bowl of milk, where a lush, stable foam is formed, evenly distributed by air bubbles. Experienced baristas obtain foam without special attachments, but when the user wants to prepare the same coffee at home, manual cappuccino makers come to his aid.
The Panarello nozzle has a tube with holes made of stainless steel, the tip of which is connected to a device for supplying steam generated in a specialized boiler of the coffee machine.
Why is milk added?
Cappuccino is made using espresso. This coffee has a bitter taste due to caffeine and tannin.
30 milliliters of espresso contains up to 75 milligrams of caffeine and 2% tannin. Find out more in the article “Espresso Coffee: What It Really Is.”
Expert opinion
Vadim Kudryavtsev
Coffee expert, professional barista and simply in love with this aromatic drink.
Ask the barista a question
Milk softens the bitter taste and prevents blood vessels from constricting, so the drink does not increase blood pressure.
Milk contains B vitamins and calcium, which are washed away by caffeine. It also contains protein, vitamin A, milk fat, phosphorus, potassium, and ascorbic acid.
Making a delicious cappuccino
To prepare a flavorful drink, you need to properly prepare the base. It requires quality coffee. If you have a coffee machine, the preparation process is simplified. If it is not there, the base of the drink can be brewed in a regular pot:
- Pour the required amount of coffee into the pot.
- Fill it with warm water, put it on the stove and bring to a boil.
- We make sure that the coffee does not boil; when the foam rises, immediately remove the drink from the heat.
- After the coffee foam settles, the procedure must be repeated three times to ensure the coffee is strong and aromatic.
- Pour the drink into a ceramic container.
- Froth the milk in a cappuccino maker until you get a fluffy foam.
- Using a spoon, carefully place it on the surface of the coffee drink.
The proportions of the ingredients must be equal. There is no need to mix them.
Having learned how to quickly whip milk into foam, you can prepare a tasty and healthy cappuccino drink for yourself and your loved ones.
Let's consider the rating of the best brands of milk for cappuccino, which, according to customers, enjoy trust and high purchasing power.
How to use
The main advantage of a coffee pot with a press is the ease and speed of making coffee.
The technology is simple:
- The water is boiled, but not poured into the flask immediately, but after 5-6 minutes, so as not to spoil the taste and aroma of the drink. Proportions are chosen individually, but experts recommend using approximately 20 g of product for every 150 ml of container volume;
- rinse the flask with hot water;
- add ground coffee;
- carefully pour boiled water (93-95 degrees);
- mix with a spoon and cover with a lid;
- do not touch the press yet, hold for 3-4 minutes;
- then carefully lower the plunger with the filter;
- pour the drink into cups and mugs.
French press coffee is prepared immediately before consumption; the drink is not left in the flask. Tasters note that in such a device it reveals its taste and aroma more strongly.
The best inexpensive brands of milk for cappuccino
PARMALAT NaturaPremium 3.5%
Ultra-pasteurized cow's milk has an optimal fat content of 3.5% and a good protein content of up to 3 g. The whipping process is easy and fast, the foam lasts a long time and does not settle. After heat treatment, the product retains all vitamins and beneficial microelements, has a rich taste, and is free of unpleasant odors and foreign tastes.
You can buy Parmalat in online stores. It is packaged in a convenient, airtight tetra pack with a lid.
Packaging volume - 1 liter.
Cost - 80 rubles.
milk PARMALAT NaturaPremium 3.5
Advantages:
- large volume;
- convenient packaging with a lid;
- delicate aroma;
- pleasant taste;
- low calorie;
- does not contain milk powder;
- suitable for many dishes.
Flaws:
- not detected.
Good Burenka
Ultra-pasteurized cow's milk has a fat content of 3.2% and protein of 3 g, and is a product normalized in terms of the mass fraction of fat. The milk does not contain preservatives and undergoes double heat treatment. It has a long shelf life - up to six months.
Used to make cappuccino or latte. Beats well and holds foam well. The lactose contained in milk gives the foam its flavor and sweetness.
Packaged in tetrapack, volume - 1 liter.
Cost: 73 rubles.
milk Dobraya Buryonk
Advantages:
- holds foam well;
- pleasant taste;
- healthy fat content;
- convenient packaging;
- interesting design.
Flaws:
- When left outside the refrigerator for more than 10 hours, it turns sour.
Foam test
To determine whether the foam is suitable for cappuccino, scoop it with a teaspoon and turn the spoon over the saucer. If the foam drains slowly and reluctantly, then it is suitable for the recipe. If the foam is liquid and flows quickly, then it is too watery and you won’t get a good cappuccino with it.
If the result of whipping is watery foam, then it is not suitable for cappuccino, but you can try making a latte with it.
The best brands of milk for cappuccino in the mid-price segment
Petmol UHT 3.2% “For cappuccino”
The ultra-pasteurized product is popular and in demand among coffee lovers. The foam stays high and fluffy for a long time, since the composition contains a high amount of proteins - 3.7%. But due to the low fat content (3.2%), the drink lacks the familiar creamy-sweet taste. However, cow's milk is actively used for the preparation of fancy drinks, it is recommended as the “choice of professionals” due to its good whipping and excellent foam.
Packed in a cardboard bag with protective foil, has a dispenser.
Volume - 0.95 l.
Cost: 88 rubles.
Petmol UHT milk 3.2% “For cappuccino”
Advantages:
- beats perfectly;
- the foam is dense and lasts a long time;
- The drink is soft and delicate.
Flaws:
- not sold everywhere;
- volume less than 1 liter.
Milk river “For cappuccino”
Ultra-pasteurized premium milk 3.5% fat, can be purchased in a package consisting of 12 packages. Production is made from natural raw materials based on new technologies, thanks to which the product retains all useful vitamins and microelements.
The milk is whipped into a thick, fluffy foam, the drink acquires a creamy, nutty, unforgettable taste thanks to the optimal amount of protein (2.8 g) and fat (3.5 g). This ratio allows even a hand whisk to achieve an airy, sweetish foam.
Packed in a tetra pack with protective foil and a plastic ring.
Volume - 0.973 l.
The cost of a pack is 1080 rubles, 1 package is 90 rubles.
milk Milk river “For cappuccino”
Advantages:
- excellent taste;
- lush foam;
- easy to whip;
- long shelf life;
- dense packaging with a slanted top and an HDPE lid.
Flaws:
- difficult to find on sale.
What is the difference between coffee and tea devices
The first devices of this type were patented in Italy (1929), but the French (Martin SA) launched them into mass production. Then the modified French press appeared among the products of the Bodum (Denmark) and Household Articles (England) brands.
Initially, the device was used only for making coffee, and only later they began to brew tea and other drinks. There is no difference in devices for coffee or tea. In product descriptions of different brands, the same model is positioned as a French press for coffee and tea.
The classic design is a cylinder-shaped glass flask with a spout, installed in a metal or plastic body. A vertical piston rod with a filter is inserted inside, driven by pressing the top cover with your hand.
Premium models are distinguished by first-class quality materials, original design, and high prices.
On a note! Experts recommend choosing small-volume flasks for brewing coffee, and 800 ml and above for tea.
The best brands of milk for premium cappuccino
House in the Village 3.5%
The product of the Domik v Derevne brand is rich in vitamins and minerals that have a beneficial effect on the body. Made from natural milk, it helps strengthen the immune and skeletal systems and remove toxins from the body. There are no GMOs in it.
UHT products are ideal for making cappuccino with healthy, tasty foam.
Packaged in airtight packaging with a convenient neck, in which the quality of milk is preserved for nine months. Consists of normalized milk with fat content 3.5 g and protein 2.8 g
Volume - 950 g.
Cost - 130 rubles.
milk House in the Village 3.5%
Advantages:
- stable taste characteristics;
- pleasant aroma;
- thick foam lasts for a long time;
- fat;
- convenient packaging;
- good aftertaste.
Flaws:
- high price.
Bottom line
Having analyzed the best models of cappuccino makers, we can answer the question that worries many people: “Which one is better to buy?”
As mentioned above, there are many variations of milk frother. Stationary heated ones are the best. They are suitable for coffee machines, as well as for regular Turkish coffee. An additional advantage is their great functionality, which is not limited to milk foaming.
There are different options on the market in terms of design, volume and dimensions. Each consumer chooses according to his taste and budget. Although, regarding the price of cappuccino makers, it is worth noting that high cost is not a guarantee of high-quality work. There are budget models that cope with their task no worse than expensive ones.
When choosing a frother, it is worth considering that the key to thick foam is the peculiarity of milk, and this rating will help you choose a high-quality frother.