What does your coffee say about your personality?

There’s been a recent study that tested the habits of 1,000 coffee drinkers. It measured the different types of coffee that people drink daily, and then linked their habits along with psychological styles and personality traits. This is what they found:

The Black coffee drinker:

Straightforward
Quiet, but moody
Likes to keep things simple
All about minimalism

The Espresso drinker:

Hardworking, but moody
Takes on Leadership
Knows how to get what they want

The Latte drinker:

Likes to please people
Often indecisive when it comes to making decisions
Tends to be anxious

The Cappuccino drinker:

Controlling and obsessive
Creative, honest and motivated
Makes great friends, but gets bored with people who are unimaginative

The Frappuccino drinker:

Will try almost anything once
Trend setter
Courageous and adventurous
Doesn’t make healthy choices

The Instant coffee drinker:

Laid back
Cheerful and optimistic
Tends to out things off

The Soy milk drinker:

High maintenance
Detail oriented
Self centered and self-righteous

Beverage Basics

Not everyone is a born coffee-drinker and we often forget that not everyone knows the in’s and out’s of coffee or espresso beverages. For those that may be out of their comfort zone walking into a traditional café or ordering an espresso, I’m going to give you a breakdown of the 4 most commonly confused espresso-based beverages: Espresso, Macchiato, Latte, and Cappuccino.

When the perfect espresso is poured, you can distinctly see three layers with the last being a sweet crema. The lowest layer is the strongest tasting, with a full body and roasty flavour. The second layer usually blends into the lowest quickly but contains all of the identifiable flavour profiles of the espresso. The third layer is the most beautiful. If done correctly, your espresso will be topped with a rich hazelnut-coloured crema that has a smooth mouthfeel and a sweet finish.

If you’re not a straight espresso type of person, try opting for a macchiato. A traditional macchiato contains a shot or two of espresso and is topped with just a little frothed milk for a richer mouthfeel and creamier taste. Adding this small amount of frothed milk can turn your quick espresso into a lasting beverage.

A traditional Italian macchiato is not to be confused with newer, westernized beverages that can sometimes be quite large in size.

One step up from a macchiato is a latte. By just adding a bit more frothed milk, and a layer of fluffy foam you have the simplest yet delicious espresso beverage. Most espresso blends are roasted to create flavour profiles that can not only withstand a large amount of milk, but also compliment the creaminess that frothed milk offers. Lattes are made

by frothing enough milk to fill your cup and poured on an angle to allow the milk to mix with the espresso and the foam to be layered on top. As someone that may not enjoy plain espresso and often takes his or her coffee with creamer or milk, a latte is a great place to start. Consider adding flavoured syrups or spiced toppings to your foam as well!

Not to be confused with a latte, although they are quite similar, a cappuccino is probably the most decadent of these four beverages. Because it only contains a small amount of frothed milk and is mainly comprised of foam, cappuccinos can be described as dessert-like. Cappuccinos are made by frothing the milk for just a tad longer than a latte or holding the frothing pitcher at just the right angle to allow the steam to create a wet foam. When poured, the froth should mix with the espresso and become a canvas of rich brown and golden colours allowing the entire beverage to be a thick consistency.

It’s said that true Italian cappuccinos are no more than 8oz. of liquid and are traditionally stirred after serving to incorporate all of the flavours.

Now you’re a pro at determining which flavour, texture, and size of beverage best suits you!

How-To: Make the Perfect Foam for a Cappuccino

Frothing milk with your Espresso Machine

Fill a frothing pitcher a third full of cold milk. (Whole milk works best)
Turn the steamer on so that any water will be pushed out. Don’t get any of this water into your milk.
Once the steamer is at full force, fully submerge the steam wand quickly into the milk (don’t go slow, if you do, be prepared to clean up the milky mess!!).
Drop the frothing pitcher down until you position the tip of the steam wand just beneath the surface of the milk. If the surface of the milk becomes violently turbulent, and large bubbles form, then move the nozzle slightly deeper into the milk, you should hear a deep rumbling sound.
As the milk rises, slowly lower the frothing pitcher to constantly maintain the same depth of the steam wand. Once the milk has doubled in volume, fully submerge the steam wand into the milk and this will increase the temperature of the milk.
Turn off the steam when the temperature hits 60 degrees C (140 degrees F). If you don’t have a thermometer, judge the temperature with your hand by holding the bottom of the frothing pitcher. The temperature will continue to rise after you remove the wand from the milk. The maximum temperature should be 71 degrees C (160 degrees F).

Frothing Milk with a Whisk

There is no need to purchase an expensive espresso machine or a frothing machine to make frothed milk. A whisk can be used to aerate the milk and in just a few simple steps, you can turn milk into rich and creamy froth perfect to enjoy with your coffee or

espresso. You will also need a stove, saucepan,

and cold milk. For a rough idea of how much milk you will need, fill one of the cups you will be using to serve the beverage halfway with milk and multiply that amount by the number of people being served. Steps:

Pour the cold milk into the saucepan. The milk should not be over the halfway mark of the pan, to allow for expanded foam.
Place the saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.
Take your whisk and slowly begin to stir the milk (wide bubbles will begin to form). As more whisking occurs, the smaller and more condensed the bubbles will become.
Increase the speed of whisking as the milk temperature rises. By now, you should be whisking the milk as if you were beating eggs and the volume of the milk should be increasing. It’s important to not let the milk come to a boil! If you do boil the milk it will ruin the taste and you will have to start over. If you think the milk is about to boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and continue to whisk away from the stove.
Continue to whisk and aerate the milk until it develops into a fluffy velvety froth and doubles in volume.