You don't need to spend more for good cappucino

I've been making cappucino 5 to 10 times per week for years. This machine does great. Making cappucino takes some technique, you can't just watch Starbucks. Later, I'll tell you how I do it.

I owned two different Krupps machines before this. One was a more expensive model, one was the predecessor to this model. Both worked reasonably well, but I like this one better. I get excellent steam pressure, which is really the key to cappucino.

On this machine you are either making the espresso, or steaming the milk. A rotating switch changes you from one mode to the other.

There is on this model (as almost all models) an air introduction nozzle attachment designed to draw air into the milk as you steam it. You don't need it, I hate the way it works, pull it off and put it in the drawer. I don't think it's a fault of the machine, I don't like any of these. I'll tell you how to pull air in with my instructions below.

It takes a little while to heat up, but I find by doing things in the right order, I don't spend too much time waiting around. Here's my procedure:

1. I put water from the carafe into the tank, close it up and turn the system to steam. It's not going to start steaming for a little while, if it does, you'll hear it and turn it off for a moment. How much water depends on how much coffee and how many people your making for. We like a lot, so for two of us I fill the carafe to just below the ring.

2. I clean the yesterday's coffee grounds out of the container. If you're more obsessive than me, you might have already done this.

3. I fill the container about 2/3 full of espresso ground coffee, packed, but not too tightly. You must have your coffee ground espresso - basically as fine as possible. If you don't, the water is going to run right through it. If it takes a painfully long time for the coffee to brew, you've packed it too tight, back off a little. How tight you need to pack is dependent on how fine the coffee is ground.

4. I put the container on the machine and switch to coffee mode.

5. I fill two cups (you can do three) to about one-third full with COLD milk. The milk must start cold. I put sugar in mine, but you can add the sugar later.

6. I wait until the carafe is half-way full of coffee, on the line labeled 2.

7. Key step - I rotate the knob toward steam, stopping just when the heat light turns on. I want to build up a little more pressure before I actually start to steam the milk. I leave it in this position for about 40 seconds.

8. I hold the cup so the tip of the steam nozzle (remember I took the attachment off) is just touching the surface of the milk. If you don't get the cup into position before you turn the steam on, you're going to have milk everywhere.

9. Turn the knob all the way to steam.

10. Now comes the technique. You want to hold the cup at just the right level, moving it down as the foam is produced. You want to suck a little air into the milk along with the steam. You do this by having the tip of the nozzle right at the surface of the milk. You will be able to hear the air being sucked in. If you have the nozzle too high, milk will start flying. If you ahve the nozzle too low, the milk will still churn, but you won't get as nice a foam.

11. The foam is going to expand to fill the cup, but you want to judge when it's done based on temperature. You need to get it hot, but too hot and the foam will collapse (even before that, it will be hotter than you want to drink). Hold the cup in both hands, the hand that is actually on the base of the cup will be able to feel when the cup gets warm, that's when the milk is ready. For this reason, don't start learning to do this in insulated travel cups.

12. When the foam is ready, turn the steam off and remove the cup.

13. No need to reheat for other cups, just steam them the same way you did the first. There will be plenty of pressure.

14. When all the cups are steamed, turn the machine back to making coffee. You want to run the rest of the water out of the tank.

15. While the coffee is making (you're going to get a loud steaming sound out of the coffee maker part at this point), get a wet sponge or dish cloth in your right hand, keeping your left hand dry.

16. Wipe the milk off the nozzle with the sponge or cloth. When the coffee is completed, rotate the knob back to full steam. Wait for the steam to stop coming out, then loosen the top of the tank (so you don't get a vacuum later). Make sure the steam has basically stopped before you open the top of the tank - or you're going to get burned and have a mess - and you won't be able to sue me.

OK, so there's technique - but it's not that hard. And just think of the money you're saving over Starbucks.