Cappuccino coffee is espresso coffee topped with frothed and steamed milk. The Mr. Coffee Espresso and Cappuccino Maker is simple to use to create perfect cappuccino at home. The grind of the coffee is important in making espresso coffee. It should be ground finely, though not into a powder, so it resembles fine salt or sand. Warm the cups before brewing as this helps to keep the coffee hot.
Brew Espresso Coffee
Fill the water reservoir of the Mr. Coffee Cappuccino Maker with cold water and switch the machine on, ensuring both "brew" and "steam" buttons are in the "off" position.
Put one or two scoops of coffee grounds, depending on how strong you want the coffee to be, into the filter with the filter in the filter holder. Press the coffee grounds firmly down with the bottom of the scoop.
Insert the filter holder into the Mr. Coffee machine with the thumb guard flipped back. Use the line on the brew head to align the filter holder correctly. It should be approximately 45 degrees to the left. Lock the filter into place by moving the handle to the right until the handle is in the "lock" position and feels snug. Do not overtighten.
Check that the Mr. Coffee Brew Ready Indicator Light is now lit. Place a wide coffee cup beneath the two spouts (or two cups side by side so one spout drips into each cup). Press the button with the cup symbol to begin brewing. Allow the coffee to drip from the spouts for approximately 30 seconds, adjusting the time for stronger or weaker coffee.
Remove the cup of coffee from the drip tray, when dripping has finished. Take out the filter and filter holder. Ready the filter holder for cleaning or refill with coffee grounds if brewing a second cup.
Prepare the Milk for Cappuccino
Fill the cold, stainless steel pitcher to about one third full of cold, skim or 2% milk. Press the button with the steam symbol. When the Mr. Coffee Cappuccino Maker is ready to steam milk, the steam indicator light will come on.
Turn the steam/froth control knob on the Mr. Coffee Cappuccino Maker counterclockwise to start steaming the milk, keeping the steaming tube in the milk and close to the bottom of the pitcher. Continue steaming until the milk is hot and frothy. It will rise in the jug as the volume increases. For extra froth, carefully move the pitcher up and down while keeping the steaming tube immersed in the milk. When the milk is hot and frothy, press the steam "start/stop" button.
Pour the frothed milk into the coffee cup with the espresso coffee prepared in Section 1. Sprinkle a little drinking chocolate powder on top if desired.
Tip
For expertly frothed milk, always start with cold milk straight from the refrigerator and a cold pitcher. Even rinsing the pitcher in warm water before frothing milk will make the jug too warm. If it needs rinsing, use cold water.
Warning
The filter and filter holder, along with the steaming arm, are extremely hot immediately after brewing. Care should be taken when removing the filter for cleaning or refilling.
Writer Bio
Deborah Jones started her freelance writing career in 1990. Her work has appeared in The Writer's Forum, "Reader's Digest" and numerous D.C. Thomson magazines. Jones has a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing and a postgraduate certificate in education, both from the University of Derby.