When you want to prepare a coffee, make sure that the machine is at the right temperature and in the case of the first brewing, heat the brew group by letting a little hot water run.
If possible, fill the tank with fresh water daily so as not to use water that has stagnated inside it for too long, which could have an unpleasant smell and taste.
After each dispensing, it is generally recommended to eject the capsule or pod from the group to prevent it from getting stuck in the group itself when it cools down.
Clean and rinse the drip tray daily and empty the used capsule container.
Before preparing the coffee, whether you use ceramic or porcelain cups, rather than glass, heat them in the microwave for about twenty seconds depending on the material, alternatively fill them with hot water from the machine by making a dispensing empty and let heat up so that when you go to brew the coffee, the temperature of the coffee does not drop too much and the cream that preserves the aromas deteriorates.
As for the shape of your cups or small glasses, always prefer those that have an accentuated conical shape because it helps to keep the cream compact and to preserve all the aromas inside the cup.
Have you ever wondered which is the best milk to use? Not all types of milk are ideally suited for frothing. And between milk and milk there may also be differences in terms of intensity and taste pleasure.
One of the fundamental rules to know is that milk protein is a friend of foam: it acts as a natural "surfactant" and allows the air to remain incorporated in the milk, keeping it trapped for a long time. The relative concentration of surfactants determines the quality and stability of the foam. With the same fat, therefore, the more protein a milk is, the more suitable it is for the preparation of cappuccino.
Among the different types of milk found in the supermarket, the differences in terms of protein content exist, but they are not very marked. The protein content is around 3.2% in UHT milk, the long-life one, while in fresh pasteurized milk it can reach 3.4%. One to zero for fresh pasteurized milk.
The enemy of foam is milk fat. Fats reduce the stability of the foam and, with the same protein, the leaner a milk, the better the result at the time of the cappuccino test. But there is a but. A low-fat or semi-skimmed milk does not remotely give the pleasure of a whole milk. Especially if it is a fresh milk, with its pleasant and unmistakable "cream effect". Ultimately, the choice falls on fresh pasteurized whole milk, which offers the right compromise between the stability of the foam and the gustatory pleasure of our cappuccino. (source: https: //www.ildolomiti.it/blog/francesco-gubert/la-schiuma-perfetta-nel-cappuccino-ci-vuole-il-latte-giusto)