What Is A Bone-Dry Cappuccino?

Maybe you heard someone order it, and now you're curious — a bone-dry cappuccino is another type of coffee drink you want to try. You learned what a cortado was, and you finally understand the flat white, but the combinations of milk, coffee, or espresso are seemingly endless. You can't be blamed for being curious, after all — but still, it helps to have some idea of what you're ordering before you go in.

A cappuccino is thankfully one of the older, more familiar drinks, even if it sometimes gets confused for a latte. Cappuccinos are made from equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foam for that perfect balance between silky smooth and rich coffee flavor. It's about as common a sight as plain old coffee these days, but that basic ratio of ingredients is variable enough that you can order a few different styles. One of the significant distinctions in cappuccinos is "dry" versus "wet," and that difference is where bone-dry cappuccinos come from.

Although any kind of cappuccino is technically wet, the dry and wet order refers to the amount of milk used in proportion to the espresso. A wet cappuccino will have a higher amount of milk than usual, while a dry one will have less. The actual ratio will depend on the nuances of where you're getting your cappuccino and who is making it, but the general idea should be the same wherever you order one. Depending on how far you go in either direction, you could be heading into latte or macchiato territory. However, the amount of foam on a cappuccino should still distinguish it since a bone-dry cappuccino is characterized by a pillow of foam at the top.

As you might have inferred, a bone-dry cappuccino has no steamed milk mixed in with the espresso. Its only adornment is the typical foam poured atop an otherwise black drink. It's a coffee drink for people who like the texture of foam but don't want much messing with the flavor of their coffee. If you, or someone you know, only drinks black coffee or straight espresso, this may be a great alternative brew for them. If not, you still have a fun new term to impress all your coffee-drinking friends.