Cappuccino vs. latte
Both start from the same double espresso shot, but a cappuccino's deep foam layer and smaller milk volume give it a lighter, airier texture than a latte.
In short
A cappuccino has less milk and much more foam than a latte. The same espresso in a smaller cup under a thick, airy layer of foam gives a drink that feels lighter in the mouth and tastes more of coffee. A latte is mostly warm liquid milk with a thin layer of foam, so it is larger, smoother and milder.
If you remember one thing, make it this: the difference is how much air was put into the milk. Almost everything else follows from that.
Air is the third ingredient
CoffeeHQ explanation
Steaming does two things to milk. It heats it, and, while the tip of the wand is at the surface, it folds in air. The longer the tip stays at the surface, the more air goes in and the more the milk expands. Milk for a cappuccino is stretched for longer, so the same amount of liquid becomes a much larger volume of foam.
Foam is mostly air, so it carries less sweetness and less dilution than the same volume of liquid milk. A cup that is one third foam contains less milk than it appears to, which leaves the espresso more prominent. That is why a cappuccino tastes stronger than a latte of similar size.
The trouble with equal thirds
Accounts differ
A cappuccino is often defined as one third espresso, one third milk and one third foam. It is a memorable rule and a poor description. A double espresso is perhaps 40 to 60 ml, so equal thirds would give a drink far smaller than any café serves.
What the rule is reaching for is proportion of foam, and on that it is roughly right: a traditional cappuccino has a foam layer of a centimetre or more. Italian practice favours a small cup of around 150 to 180 ml. Elsewhere the name is applied to much larger drinks, and some speciality cafés now serve a cappuccino with silkier, thinner foam that is hard to tell from a flat white.
How the two usually measure up
Typical range
| Variable | Typical range | What moving it does |
|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, finished size | About 150–180 ml | |
| Latte, finished size | About 240–350 ml | |
| Foam on a cappuccino | About 1–2 cm | Thick enough to hold a dusting of cocoa. |
| Foam on a latte | Up to about 1 cm | |
| Serving temperature | Similar | Both are steamed to roughly the same temperature; foam insulates, so a cappuccino can stay warm longer. |
Typical café ranges. Neither drink has an enforced definition, and large takeaway sizes fall well outside these figures.
Which suits what
Tendency, not a guarantee
- You want to taste the coffee
- A cappuccino, or a smaller milk drink still. Less liquid milk means the espresso's character comes through more clearly.
- You want something gentle and long
- A latte. The larger volume of milk softens bitterness and acidity, which is also why it is the usual base for flavoured syrups.
- You are using plant milk
- A latte is more forgiving. Thick, stable foam is harder to achieve with many plant milks, so a foam-led drink exposes the difference more.
- You are making it without a steam wand
- A cappuccino is easier to approximate, because most frothers make stiff, airy foam more readily than fine microfoam.
Taste the difference air makes
CoffeeHQ explanation
One shot each, two textures
- Change
- Steam one jug of milk with a long stretch and one with a very short stretch, and pour each over an identical shot.
- Keep the same
- The coffee, the shot, the milk and the size of the cup.
- What to notice
- The airier drink should feel lighter and taste more strongly of coffee, even though both began with the same amount of milk in the jug.
What to do next
- The cappuccino in full — Composition, a home method and how to correct thin or stiff foam.
- How to steam milk — Stretching and texturing are the skills that separate these two drinks.
- When foam comes out too stiff — The most common fault when aiming for a cappuccino.
- Latte versus flat white — The same question at the other end of the foam scale.
At a glance
| Aspect | Cappuccino | Latte |
|---|---|---|
| Total beverage yield | 180ml | 240ml |
| Milk volume | 120ml | 200ml |
| Foam | Deep layer of milk foam, roughly equal parts espresso, milk and foam | Thin layer of foam |
| Intensity | Strong | Medium |
| Typical vessel | Cappuccino cup | Tall glass or mug |