So, I've been working in specialty coffee since 2000. And nearly every day since my first shift behind an espresso machine, I've encountered a customer requesting an iced cappuccino.
And generally, up until now, that meant that the customer was referring to a sickly sweet vanilla flavored iced beverage they encountered at a 7/11 or QuickTrip.
To my horror, I have recently been having customers requesting that I steam their milk as normal for their cappuccino, and pour the shots and the steamed milk with foam over ice.
I haven't set foot in a Starbucks for years, so I decided to do some reconnaissance to figure out what semi-obnoxious trends they've recently set. And sure enough, they offer an iced drink topped with foam that they refer to as an iced cappuccino.
Someone, anyone, please tell me what is the point of this?
Early on in my career as a barista, I was taught that if you steam your milk, and then ice it, you're very likely to give yourself a bad tummy ache because the milk will release more gas in your digestive system.
Only the watery bits of the milk that are left after you stretch it to create foam will be left to mix with your espresso, leaving the foam stuck to the inside of your cup.
In my coffee shop, we serve a traditional 6oz cappuccino. How do I reconcile this with what these customers are asking for?
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