My name is Miroslav Škorvánek, I am a professional barista and trainer. I have been professionally involved with coffee for 8 years, also competitively and as a trainer for coffee lovers who want to improve their coffee preparation skills.
I started cooperating with Milk Agro a year ago when, after all those years, I finally opened my own café in Michalovce U Baristu – an experience of drinking coffee.
At the beginning, I knew I wanted to support Slovak producers, so I focused on the Sabinov dairy, which has a long tradition and quality of its products. In the café, I use quality dairy products for preparation, from cream for whipped cream, through yogurts with probiotic cultures, butter for croissants, to quality Sabinov cheeses for wine.
In the café, the most used dairy product is, of course, milk for preparing all milk coffee drinks. At first, we used semi-skimmed Sabi milk because the company did not produce 3.5% milk. We solved this by adding cream to the milk to increase the fat percentage. Therefore, I was very pleased when the market introduced the novelty of "fresh whole milk 3.5%".
This milk has many advantages for me, but the main one was that it is fresh, 7 days old. As a barista, I did not want to work with dead milk, as they say, milk with a shelf life of several months. Freshness of milk, fat percentage, delicious taste, optimal protein ratio for the right milk foam texture, and of course, that it is our Slovak milk were priorities for me. I recommend this milk not only to all baristas in cafés but also to all coffee lovers who prepare their cup of coffee at home.
And how to prepare the perfect cappuccino? The basis of every milk coffee drink is a properly prepared espresso. So this also applies to cappuccino. A cappuccino cup has a volume of about 180 ml and must always be warmed. Into this cup, we prepare a perfect espresso.
We take fresh chilled whole milk, pour it about halfway into a jug, and froth it with the steam nozzle on your machine. The milk temperature after frothing ranges from 55 to 65 °C.
Make sure the temperature does not exceed 65 °C because then the milk boils, loses its natural sweetness, becomes bitter, and is heavy on the stomach. The milk must have a smooth texture without bubbles. When the milk is ready, pour it into the espresso in the cup. If poured along the edge of the cup, a brown ring of espresso crema and a white center should form around the cup. The milk foam should not exceed the cup's edge but be level with the top. This is traditional cappuccino, where the milk foam thickness is about 1 cm. You can play with the milk and pouring technique to create various patterns on the cappuccino, called latte art.
This way, you achieve a delicious, properly prepared cappuccino with a delightful taste and texture. Traditional properly prepared cappuccino does not need sugar because it is naturally sweet. But if you like cappuccino sprinkled with cinnamon or cocoa or flavored with syrup, why not? It is up to each of us how we enjoy our cup of coffee or favorite cappuccino at home or in a café. The main thing is that it is properly prepared.
I hope I have inspired you to try cappuccino. Try making it at home or visit your barista to prepare it properly and, of course, with the freshest milk possible. Cappuccino is the most popular milk drink in the world. It is sensual and sexy...
