The cocoa shaker in two lines
The cocoa shaker is the tin with a mesh top used for the final dusting on cappuccinos and speciality coffees. It measures 6 x 6 x 9cm, sits in one hand and spreads the cocoa in an even veil, which is the only way to decorate without weighing the drink down.
Who it is for
For any bar serving cappuccinos and marocchini. It is the simplest tool on the coffee station and one of the most visible, because the cocoa is the last thing the guest looks at before drinking: an even dusting says care, a heap in the middle says haste.
The mesh does the work, not the hand
Cocoa spooned on falls in lumps, because it is a fine, fatty powder that tends to pack. A mesh breaks it up and lets it come down in a thin cloud that settles on the foam without sinking. The right movement is to hold the cocoa shaker twenty centimetres or so from the cup and give two or three sharp taps on the side rather than shaking it: shaken, too much comes out at once, and the excess cocoa draws moisture from the foam and forms the dark crust that lifts off in one piece on the first spoonful.
Specifications
- Use: dusting cappuccinos, marocchini and speciality coffees
- Delivery: mesh top
- Dimensions: 6 x 6 x 9cm
- Weight: 0.15kg
Keep it away from the steam
It is the one warning that really counts. Cocoa is hygroscopic: it draws moisture from the air, and on a coffee station the air near the steam wand is saturated. A tin left there for a morning cakes, the mesh blocks and from then on it comes out in lumps whatever you do. Keep it in a dry zone, closed when not in use, and empty out the bottom once a week.
Choose the cocoa shaker if
You make cappuccinos, the marocchino is on the list, or you dust speciality coffees. With a stencil resting on the rim of the cup it also becomes the tool for laying a figure or a logo on the foam, which is the fastest way to give the service an identity without being able to draw.
Before or after the pour
On a cappuccino you dust at the last moment, with the foam settled, because cocoa put on earlier sinks and vanishes. On a marocchino the cocoa goes in the bottom of the glass before the coffee, and that is what gives it its dark layer. They are two opposite uses of the same tin, and they are also why many coffee stations keep two, one for each.
Care
Empty it, wash it and dry it completely before filling it again: a single drop of water left in the mesh cakes the whole contents. Anyone washing at the end of the shift leaves it open and upside down overnight, which is the simplest way to be sure it is dry the next morning.
FAQ
How is the cocoa shaker used? Hold it twenty centimetres or so from the cup and give two or three taps on the side, without shaking it.
Why does the cocoa come out in lumps? Because it has taken up moisture: keep it away from the steam wand and fill it only when the tin is properly dry.
Can it be used with a stencil? Yes, resting one on the rim of the cup lays a figure on the foam.
What size is it? 6 x 6 x 9cm, at 0.15kg.
Does it suit icing sugar too? Better to keep one per powder: sugar leaves residue that cakes in the mesh.
The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 pieces -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item.
Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.
The other pieces of the coffee station are in the coffee accessories guide.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.