It began with a simple question: why is your cappuccino foam so much better than mine? I mean, I drink more of them, make them more often, and really enjoy them. How could Aki—who drinks only one a day—make a better foam and thus a better cappuccino? Befuddled and frustrated, I asked and the response was: It Is About Listening. I said, excuse me, and the next response, while at first cryptic, put the hammer in line with the nail and sent the message home: You Have to Know How to Make the Noise.
Cappuccinos, as in cooking and stretching, further life present tasks and challenges—making great foams. The question is how to succeed. I was concerned with the visual, textural, and temperature aspects: generating bubbles, making sure they did not burst, and making sure the milk was hot. Aki simply used another sense, her ears, to determine great foam. When the steam wand was in the correct position in the milk with the proper amount of steam, a high-pitched bubbling noise was created; the perfect balance for great steam. Mind you, Aki did not forget her other senses; she keeps her hand at the bottom of the milk being steamed to calculate temperature.
The key which Aki unveiled for me is that if you listen and can generate the noise, greatness may be achieved. It does not really matter how many cappuccinos you make; if you do not understand the process and the journey, you are only drinking a frothy cup of coffee rather than a rich, sensual experience.
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