• International Days
• National Cappuccino Day

On November 8th, we celebrate National Cappuccino Day, honoring the iconic drink consisting in espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam. It's not just about the flavor, but also about cherishing simple, meaningful moments shared over a cappuccino.

There are legends built around the history of the Italian beverage. One story attributes the birth to the Capuchin friar Marco d'Aviano in 1683, who is said to have sweetened bitter coffee with milk or cream: the drink's name, "cappuccino," supposedly comes from the color resembling the monks’ brown robes. Whereas the other legend suggests the creation origins from a Viennese drink made with coffee, whipped cream and spices.

The history continues with Luigi Bezzera, who in 1901 patented the first espresso machine, revolutionizing coffee preparation: the machine became popular after World War II, when technical advancements made it easier to use and accessible. Later, in the 1990s, cappuccino gained further popularity in the United States thanks to coffee chains like Starbucks, which introduced new variations of the drink and made it a staple in the modern coffee culture, offering creative takes that catered to evolving consumer tastes.

It's important to mark the differences among the most famous espresso-based beverages that contain milk, but in a different texture and composition. Cappuccino has equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and a thick foam layer, creating a balanced yet strong coffee flavor, whereas caffelatte is made with more steamed milk and a thin layer of foam, offering a creamier, milkier taste. The flat white uses microfoam (finely textured milk) and has a creamier texture without a thick foam layer, providing a smoother, stronger coffee flavor than caffelatte but less frothy than cappuccino.

National Cappuccino Day is also a way to celebrate the craft of coffee making. Many cafés use this opportunity to offer specials, showcase their best cappuccino creations, and highlight the skills of their baristas.

Cappuccino is not only a warm and good tasting beverage but has also evolved in a new art: indeed, latte art has gained popularity in recent years. It consists in creating shapes on the surface of cappuccino by using steamed milk: the most common designs include heart and flowers, but more complicated patterns such as swans, rosettas and tulips are produced. This art form transforms a regular cappuccino into a visual masterpiece, showcasing the skill and precision of the barista in every cup.

Sources: 

https://nationaltoday.com/

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/