There are many strange coffee terms referring to different types of coffee, methods of making coffee and appliances for making coffee. From Affogato (a type of ice cream mixed with espresso) to Red Eye (a type of coffee), these vocabularies can often be confusing for many people.
Perhaps the most confusing are these ones describing different types of cappuccino coffee: wet cappuccino, dry cappuccino and – as if the first two are not baffling enough – bone dry cappuccino.
This article mostly focuses on the last one but I’ll also explain what the other two mean.
But first, I’m assuming you have at least heard of cappuccino coffee. It’s a popular menu item in Starbucks and many other coffee shops.
If you are not sure exactly what it is, cappuccino is a type of coffee made using three ingredients: a shot of espresso, steamed milk and milk foam. All ingredients are in one-third proportions.
If you also don’t know what Espresso is, it is a type of strong coffee made by forcing hot water through coffee grounds. This results in a thick upand smooth coffee with a layer of crema (caramel-coloured oils from the coffee) at the top.
Now that you are familiar with the basics let’s look each type of cappuccino.
Wet Cappuccino
This is the regular cappuccino serving consisting of a third espresso, a third steamed milk and a third milk foam.
When you order a cappuccino from the barista, you are ordering a wet cappuccino.
Many people love it because it perfectly balances between the strong flavour of coffee in the espresso with the creamy taste of milk.
Most coffee shops give you the option of adding extra flavouring ingredients like caramel, cinnamon or just sugar.
Dry Cappuccino
Not everyone likes the strong creamy texture and flavour of a regular cappuccino. There are those who want a bit more coffee without going full-coffee.
The dry cappuccino is perfect for them.
It is a rejigged version of the wet cappuccino. It still contains all the three ingredients but cuts back on the milk. It’s why it’s called a dry cappuccino.
You get a shot of espresso, less milk than usual and a thick layer of milk foam on top.
This reduces the amount of creaminess in the coffee. The thick layer of foam also helps keep the coffee underneath steaming hot.
Bone Dry Cappuccino
This is the weirdest one of them all.
It takes all the milk out of the beverage. It consists of a shot of espresso and an extra-thick layer of milk foam. That’s all. No milk. Hence the term ‘bone dry’.
Bone dry cappuccino has a very strong coffee flavour to it and none of the creaminess of steamed milk. It’s almost like you are drinking an espresso or a macchiato (espresso with very little milk).
The thick layer of foam keeps your espresso hot.
But while you may love your cappuccino bone dry, your barista doesn’t.
Bone dry cappuccinos are tedious to make because they have to steam a lot of milk to make enough foam to fill your cup.
So I’d recommend making this one at home in youy favourite cappuccino cup. Then when you go to Starbucks, just order for a regular or dry cappuccino.
