Dry Cappuccino: Is It Really Dry (Or Bone Dry)?

 

There really is no such thing as disliking coffee. It doesn’t matter if it’s regular black or a dry cappuccino, sooner or later we’ll find ourselves hooked on the aroma of morning caffeine.

With so many different blends and varieties to choose from, coffee has proven to be the most versatile beverage in the world.

From deep, dark, and bitter brews for the no-frills office worker on the go, to the creamy, smooth, and sweet latte perfect for a light conversation with family and friends, there really is no end to the many different kinds of coffee drinks you can enjoy.

In fact, there are close to a hundred coffee concoctions to try. Even a single type of brew can have a handful of versions.

Take a cappuccino. Here is how it’s regularly drunk:

regular cappuccino
Standard cappuccino consists of espresso+milk+foam.

Every one of us had probably had a regular cappuccino, but wouldn’t you know it, a cappuccino is actually a coffee beverage that comes in many forms.

Aside from the typical cappuccino blend, this coffee drink can be enjoyed in four other ways:

  • Wet cappuccino
  • Super wet cappuccino
  • Dry cappuccino
  • Bone dry cappuccino

When I first heard about these different kinds of cappuccino, I got this in my head:

 What is a dry cappuccino, and what in the world is then bone dry cappuccino? 

I mean, you have to admit that when comparing wet cappuccino vs. dry cappuccino, wet variety doesn’t sound that weird. Every cappuccino is wet (made out of water and milk) but how can a cappuccino make out of water and milk be dry?

Little down the line, we’ll see that a dry cappuccino is kind of a sugar-coated espresso with the major advantages:

  • Dry cappuccino doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste that you get with an espresso.
  • No dry mouth! Ever drank an espresso and got dry mouth? As crazy as this may sound, dry cappuccino doesn’t dehydrate your mouth like an espresso.

Wondering just what sets all of these different types of cappuccinos apart from each other? We’ll start with the mind-boggling dry cappuccino.

Dry Cappuccino – How Dry It Actually Is?

Newsflash, dry cappuccino is not actually totally dry. It is, however, drier than a standard cappuccino.

What distinguishes the dry cappuccino from the standard and the wet variety is that it has relatively more espresso among all three. You still make a dry cappuccino with 1 oz. espresso shot but relatively to standard cappuccino dry cappuccino tastes more like an espresso. Why?

 Dry cappuccino is a standard cappuccino without steamed milk. This brings it closer to an espresso. 
dry cappuccino
Dry cappuccino consists of espresso+foam.

Sometimes the dry cappuccino can have so much more espresso (double espresso for example) that the bottom-most layer accounts for half of the entire drink.

Kind of like this:

double espresso dry cappuccino
Dry cappuccino with a double espresso.

Getting Rid Of Espresso Aftertaste (Point Of Dry Cappuccino)

The point with a dry cappuccino is to take away the bitter aftertaste of an espresso.

An espresso simply bashes your taste buds immediately. That’s why it also has that ‘coffee high’ feeling right away.

However, in the case of dry cappuccino, the milk foam above the espresso (or two) acts as a coating against the somewhat bitter taste of espresso.

If you imagine rolling a shot of a dry cappuccino in your mouth, the first thing that hits your taste buds is not an espresso, but the milk foam. Milk foam protects the tongue and gives a sugary taste. The espresso just rolls down your throat and the last thing you swallow is the milk foam. Effect?

 No somewhat bitter espresso aftertaste. Dry cappuccino in basically a milk-coated espresso. 

No Dry Mouth After An Espresso

Do you ever have a dry mouth immediately after drinking an espresso?

That’s because your tongue (sensor for dry and wet) is being dehydrated by an espresso.

If drink correctly, the espresso in dry cappuccino never actually hits the tongue. That takes care of the dry mouth after drinking coffee.

It’s quite paradoxically that we call a ‘dry cappuccino’ something that reduces the dehydrated feeling.

What about the bone-dry cappuccino?

Bone Dry Cappuccino – Just Less Foam

How can you make a dry cappuccino that’s even drier?

Simple. Just add less milk foam.

Every coffee beverage has to have a name and dry cappuccino with less milk foam is simply called ‘bone dry cappuccino’. That’s it!

bone dry cappuccino
Bone dry cappuccino has less milk foam than a dry cappuccino.

When you’re thinking about ordering dry cappuccino vs. bone dry cappuccino, which one is better? Well, bone-dry cappuccino is basically closer to an espresso than a cappuccino.

If you prefer espresso as oppose to cappuccino, order the bone-dry cappuccino. If you’re more of a cappuccino guy or gal, go straight for dry cappuccino.

Standard Cappuccino

Lending a thick, milky, and foamy appeal to its bitter espresso counterpart, the cappuccino is comprised of three different layers that make it a distinct coffee beverage from the other choices on a typical cafe menu.

Generally, a cappuccino is made up of three layers: the bottom-most is a dark shot of espresso, the middle is a lighter, thicker layer of steamed milk, and of course, the topmost, and probably the most enjoyed part of the entire beverage, is a soft pillow of fluffy milk froth.

Combined, these three layers create the standard cappuccino. As a general rule, both the milk and coffee should be in equal parts, but there are some variations that put a twist on how this coffee drink was originally intended.

Wet Cappuccino – More Milk And Foam

Can you guess what is a wet cappuccino by now?

It’s quite simple – more steamed milk and more milk foam than a standard cappuccino.

When you drink a cappuccino or any kind of coffee drink for that matter, the bitterness of the blend can make it feel as if you’re downing a very harsh, dark, and dry drink.

This is why a lot of people prefer enjoying their coffee with creamer or milk. That said, the wet cappuccino is exactly that – a standard cappuccino with more milk and more froth than the normal.

For a cappuccino to be called a wet cappuccino, it has to have less of the espresso shot, more of the middle layer of milk, and more of the froth.

Basically, the wet cappuccino is more like a cup of milk with a bit of coffee at the bottom. This cappuccino variety is commonly enjoyed by those who want to sit back, relax, and enjoy a laugh with a few good friends.

On The Topic Of Super Wet And Bone Dry Cappuccino

While both the wet cappuccino and the dry cappuccino might add a quaint little spin on an otherwise coffee café staple, there are those who like to push the envelope and bend the guidelines even more.

That’s why the super wet cappuccino and the bone-dry cappuccino are being offered in countless coffee shops across the globe.

The super-wet cappuccino is a coffee beverage that has a significantly larger portion of milk and foam that the coffee becomes nothing more than a flavourful touch. And yes, if in case you didn’t realize it by now, a super wet cappuccino is the ever loved latte.

A bone-dry cappuccino, on the other hand, is exactly what you think it is – a shot of espresso with very little (sometimes absolutely none at all) milk and a thin layer of foam at the top. Many like to think of the bone-dry variant as an espresso with frills.

No matter which way you want to see it, there is no denying that all of these variants are well worth the try.

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