Bone Dry Cappuccino – A Coffee Lovers Guide

Last updated on January 22nd, 2024 at 13:22

I get many questions thrown at me about the famous and popular bone dry cappuccino on our online coffee community.

This article aims to answer all these questions, curiosities and leave you with an excellent step-by-step tutorial on how to make this tasty coffee beverage at home.

Keep reading to get the low down on bone dry cappuccinos!

What Is A Bone Dry Cappuccino?

Before I get started talking about a bone dry cappuccino, let’s talk about and get familiar with its brother the dry cappuccino.

A dry cappuccino is a cappuccino that is made almost the same way as a wet cappuccino with the exception that it has half as much steamed milk and more milk foam.

Typically a wet cappuccino, also known as a traditional cappuccino and a regular cappuccino, is made with 1/3rd espresso, 1/3rd steamed milk and 1/3rd frothed milk.

A dry cappuccino has half as much steamed milk and more frothed milk is added and the same single (or double) shot of espresso.

Bone dry cappuccinos are made with a shot of espresso and foamed milk, 1/3rd espresso and 2/3rd foamed milk with no steamed milk at all used.

Read: Dry vs wet cappuccino

How To Order A Bone Dry Cappuccino At Starbucks

Ordering a bone dry cappuccino, or a bone dry cap as it is known as an abbreviation is easy. All that is required for you to do is request it from your barista and he or she will know exactly what this beverage is and what you want.

If you are a little unsure and ordering at another coffee shop simply ask for a bone dry cappuccino. If the barista is unsure, simply request a cappuccino with no steamed milk and only milk foam, to make the rest of the drink with the foam.

With that description it is as clear as the day is long what it is that you will get, – a delicious bone dry cappuccino.

Bone Dry Cappuccino Calories

It’s not known the exact amount of calories that are in a bone dry cappuccino. What I can tell you with 100% confidence, there’s not a lot.

A black coffee, a shot of espresso as it is with no sugar added, has no calories as there are no calories in it. A naked coffee with no milk or sugar added has no calories.

Due to bone dry cappuccinos having no milk and only 60 ml (2 ounces) of foam I’ll estimate that there are less than 10 or 20 calories. If you add sugar you are adding 5 calories per teaspoon.

How To Make A Bone Dry Cappuccino

Making a bone dry cappuccino is not at all difficult. Follow the steps below, and you will make an amazing beverage with a good, strong bold coffee taste.

Equipment Needed

To get the best quality coffee you need to use some special equipment, a home espresso machine and a quality ceramic burr grinder.

The home espresso machine will help you to pull perfect espresso shots every time. A quality ceramic burr grinder will help you to get an even grind size with little heat dissipation due to the material used in its construction.

Ingredients Needed

To make amazing coffee of any kind, you will need amazing ingredients. That there is no doubt about – it’s the chefs principle, at Latte Love Brew we encourage you to use this principle.

• Freshly roasted specialty Grade Dark Roasted Coffee Beans.
• Quality whole fat milk.
• Mineral water.

Let’s get making a bone dry cappuccino, step by step.

Step 0: Prepare Your Equipment

This is a pre-maintenance check to ensure that your gear is clean and in perfect working order.

Dirty coffee makers will produce imperfect coffee.

Give your home espresso maker a good clean to ensure that there is no lime scale or mineral deposits stuck in it. A good preventative step here is to always use mineral water or filtered water when you are using it.

Clean your portafilter and group heads and ensure the internal pipes are clean.

Double-check the water temperature is 96C (205F), the uppermost point of the ideal brewing temperature.

Check the pressure is 9 bar (130 PSI). The water pressure is important for brewing coffee.

Ensure that your ceramic burr grinder is clean and clear of coffee oils and grinds by giving it a clean. Old grinds and coffee oil can and will spoil your coffee.

As a habit, clean your grinder after each use by giving it a blow down and wipe. Never store coffee grounds in your hopper. Even though it’s convenient, it is not the ideal conditions for your beans and does not encourage cleanliness of your grinder.

Store your coffee beans in a professional coffee canister with a one way valve and airtight lid. Store your canister in your fridge for maximum freshness.

Step 1: Weigh Your Beans

Using a coffee to water ratio of 1:1.5 for a good strong, bold coffee taste from the shot you will need to weigh 20 grams of coffee beans.

Weighing your coffee beans as a whole is good practice as their weight when they are ground is the same. Weighing your beans as whole helps to keep them fresh for a little longer as you delay the oxidization process.

Step 2: Grind Your Beans And Pull Your Shot

Grind your beans to a find coffee powder of a 200 micron size and tamp your 20 grams of coffee firmly and evenly.

It should take no more than 30 kilos of pressure to tamp. Tamping is a skill to master and perfect as it affects how your shot will end up, whether it will channel or not.

Pulling (brewing) of your shot should take only 25 second +/- 5 seconds.

I’ll talk about the brew time in a moment.

While your shot is brewing, being pulled, you can move on to step 3.

Step 3: Steam And Froth Your Milk

Steaming your milk is easy. Half fill your milk jug with whole fat milk and put your steaming wand below the milk surface and start to steam your milk.

Keep your eyes open for a whirlpool effect and move your wand through your milk from top to bottom to ensure an even heat.

To froth your milk dip your wand half an inch below the milk surface and listen for the tearing sound of magazines at this point your milk will be bubbly and perfectly frothed.

Step 4: Add The Foam To Your Espresso Shot

With your perfectly poured espresso shot, add your milk froth and keep adding your foamy milk until you have a ratio of 1/3rd espresso and 2/3rd foam.

Optionally you can add a sprinkle of cocoa and/or chocolate shavings.

Step 5: Enjoy Your Bone Dry Cappuccino

The best step of them all, enjoy your perfectly made bone dry cappuccino.

Brew Time – Pulling Time

Pay attention to how long it takes your espresso machine to pull your shot. The perfect brew time is 25 seconds with a variation of plus or minus 5 seconds.

If your shot takes less than this range. Taste test it, it will likely be slightly sour. Let your taste and your eyes be the best judge. It may also have a slightly inferior quality of crema on top.

The fast brewing time is, in the majority of cases due to your grind size being too large, slightly too large. Adjust and use a slightly smaller grind size to get a greater contact time with the hot water.

If your brewing time is too long, again trust your taste buds and taste test it and check it visually for quality, color and quality of the crema. It will likely be too bitter.

The most probable cause is your coffee grinds are too small. Try by grinding your grounds to a slightly larger grind size.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bone Dry Cappuccino

What Does A Bone Dry Cappuccino Taste Like?

A Bone dry cappuccino is an espresso that is topped with a lot of foamed milk and has no steamed milk added. It is 1/3 espresso and 2/3 foam. It’s taste is bolder, stronger and notably more bitter flavor than a wet cappuccino.

Is Bone Dry Cappuccino A Macchiato?

No, bone dry cappuccinos are not the same as a macchiato. The difference between these two beverages is the milk foam and the amount used.

Bone dry cappuccinos have 2/3 rds approximately 60 ml (2 ounces) of milk foam, a macchiato has only a dollop added on top of the espresso shot.

The result of this slight difference in taste and texture due to the extra foam.

What Does Extra Dry Cappuccino Mean?

The term “extra dry cappuccino” is a request for a bone dry cappuccino, a shot of espresso topped with double the amount of milk foam. No steamed milk is used in an extra dry cappuccino.

How Many Shots Of Espresso Are In A Cappuccino?

The number of shots in a cappuccino depends on the drinker; normally it has only one shot unless requested. It is not uncommon for a coffee lover to request a double shot.

When Should Cappuccino Be Drunk?

A cappuccino is a morning drink in Italy. It is rare that you will see an Italian drinking this beverage in the afternoon and certainly not in the evening.

Why Do Italians Not Drink Cappuccino In The Afternoon?

Italians rarely drink a cappuccino of any type after 11 am as it is seen as a meal replacement and the milk upsetting the digestion.

Final Thoughts – Bone Dry Cappuccino

I believe I have covered everything about a bone dry cappuccinos, If I’ve missed anything out, shoot us a message, and I’ll happily add what you feel is missing from this article. 

Did you make a bone dry cappuccino? 

How did it turn out? Do you have any special tips, tricks, techniques? 

Join our online coffee community on Facebook/Meta and share you coffee creations, tips, images and selfies with us all. 

We look forward to hearing from you!