Monday, July 06, 2009

Starbucks and the "short" cappucino

Starbucks apparently has a "short" cappucino that mirrors the real thing. For those of you unaware of the reality, Starbucks doesn't actually make a cappucino. What they make is a latte. If there is significantly more milk than espresso in the drink, it reduces the amount of actual coffee flavor, which is the primary purpose of the cappucino.

Having spoken with a manager of Starbucks, he admitted that indeed, their equipment simply doesn't make it properly. The temperature is too high and overcooks the milk. In order to do it properly, they have to work with their equipment. It doesn't do it automatically the way they do it at Peets.

My answer was to always order the drink, but ask for it "extra-dry". Even then you will often by subjected to a giant, heavy cup of milk.

If you pick up a cappucino, as I have stated previously, and it is HEAVY from the solid milk, instead of light from foam, you have been offically "milked" as I call it. There isn't any excuse for it. It's simply a typical American bastardization of a very good thing from another place.

There are things we do better than the Italians. Pizza, for example. Coffee? Shoes? Nope.