You Keep Using That Word...

Making the perfect dry cappuccino:

My explanation to an expert:
To create the perfect cappuccino you must start with a small, 8oz mug with a large mouth. Pull the shots slow into the bottom of the cup. As the shots are pulling steam milk to create a ratio of foam to liquid, about 75% foam and 25% liquid. Pour the milk into the shot and use your wrist movements to create a design of choice. Best served immediately.

My explanation to those just learning:
To create the perfect cappuccino you must start with a small, 8oz mug with a large opening on top. Start the espresso machine, pack the coffee grounds, and pour the shots slow into the bottom of the cup. As the shots are pouring steam milk (to 140 degrees) to create a ratio of foam to liquid, about 75% foam and 25% liquid. To do this you want to take the steaming pitcher, pour about 4oz of milk in, and move the tip of the steamer up and down in the milk to hear a bubbling sound. Once the milk reaches 140 degrees, remove it, it should be a perfect combination of milk froth and liquid. Slowly pour the milk in and using the foam and wrist movements, create a design once close to the top. To create a basic leaf swirl the pitcher back and forth like you are drawing a smile and get larger each time, finish by pulling a line all the way through the middle from bottom to top. Best served immediately.

My explanation to someone who doesn't care:
A cappuccino is an espresso drink that is served in an 8 oz cup. You pour the shots really slow like draino down a sink, and then steam some milk to heat it up to 140 degrees. When you steam the milk you have to swirl it around a special way to make it foamy like a bubble bath! Once the milk is warm you pour it into the cup and use wrist movements to make pretty designs like a leaf or heart. Then you serve it immediately!

For the experienced baristas, no metaphors were needed, as they understand coffee language and would understand everything I was saying. For those just learning, I tried to use more explanatory detail and metaphors like "hearing a bubbling sound" and "drawing a smile". The bubbling sound is a sound anybody would recognize, and everyone knows how to draw a smile. These metaphors make it a lot easier to understand the exact movements and process you want. For my explanation to someone who doesn't care, I tried to relate the instructions to everyday things. Most people have used draino at some point in their life, and know you have to pour it into the drain very slowly for it to work best. I also related the foam to a bubble bath, because everyone has seen what a bubble bath looks like and would then be able to visualize foam!