Popularity
Cappuccino was traditionally a taste largely appreciated in Europe, Australia, South Africa, South America and some of North America. By the mid-1990s cappuccino was made much more widely available to North Americans, as upscale coffee houses sprang up.
In Italy, and throughout continental Europe, cappuccino was traditionally consumed early in the day as part of the breakfast, with some kind of sweet pastry. Generally, Europeans did not drink cappuccino with meals other than breakfast, preferring espresso throughout the day and following dinner. However, in recent years Europeans have started to drink cappuccino throughout the entire day. Especially in western-Europe (The UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium) cappuccino is popular at cafés and terraces during the afternoon and in restaurants after dinner. In the United States, cappuccinos have become popular concurrent with the boom in the American coffee industry through the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially in the urban Pacific Northwest.
Iced cappuccino
Cappuccino Freddo is the cold version of a cappuccino, where the drink usually has a small amount of cold frothed milk atop it. This drink is widely available in parts of Italy, where it is not served with ice. In Rome, for example, each bar has the drink already prepared. In Northern cities, like Milan, however, it is almost impossible to find cappuccino freddo. Instead, "gelato da bere" (a thick blend of gelato and espresso) or "shakerato" (espresso and ice shaken together) are more popular. The term has also spread throughout the Mediterranean region where foam is added to the drink just before serving, often varying from the Italian original. In North America, however, the terms "Cappuccino Freddo" or "Iced cappuccino", if offered, may be somewhat of a misnomer if the characteristic frothed milk is omitted in the iced variation. For example, at Starbucks, without the frothed milk the drink is called an iced latte. It is possible to froth cold milk using various methods.
By the start of the 21st century, a modified version of cappuccino was being served by fast-food chains, such as Starbucks, offering sizes up to 600 ml (21 imp fl oz; 20 US fl oz). In recent years leading independent cafés have begun offering cappuccino in its traditional size (150–180 ml (5–6 imp fl oz; 5–6 USfl oz)) only - distinguishing them from other cafés and larger chains.Starbucks does offer a "short" cappuccino (240 ml (8 imp fl oz; 8 US fl oz)), but it is not listed on store menus or on the website.
Convenience store cappuccino
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)
