The Milk Frothing Guide

Guide Posted: Friday, November 7, 2003

Author: Aaron De Lazzer

Why foam milk? Because everyone else is doing it? Because you can’t drink straight
espresso all the time? Because without pouring latte art you feel strangely unfulfilled… ?

No, milk is foamed and steamed for one reason and one reason alone, to enhance and
elevate the sensory experience of coffee, and espresso in particular.

Let’s start there, the sensory experience. Coffee IS a sensory experience. We therefore
want to do anything we can to maximize it. That
thought, that thread of truth will be our
manifesto on our journey to prepare the finest
foamed and textured milk your kitchen has ever
seen. (That includes attending to all the little
details when pulling our shots of espresso but
extends of course into taking the time to create
beautiful milk to accompany and encompass the
espresso in our macchiato or cappuccino)

It will be both the easiest and the most difficult

(or is it easily the most difficult?) thing you have
yet encountered. Hot milk with coffee is OK. It
gets you somewhere but does not at all compare
to the texture and full rich mouthfeel of properly
steamed and foamed milk. Handled correctly the milk can be transformed. This is the
direction we are heading. The achievement of this fabled foam is our reason for being.
Where Do We Go From Here? Or How to Use this Guide?
There are a bunch of different avenues you can travel along within our Guide to Steaming
Milk. Depending on your level of experience etc. you may want to jump straight to a
particular section or meander along going from front to back, leaving no stone unturned
on your journey to becoming a milk steaming superstar.

Tools of the Trade

Let's get right into this. No preamble, no rigmarole, no flowery words.

What You're Going to Need
Before undertaking the quest for perfectly steamed and
foamed milk we’ll need to assemble a handful of tools and
accessories to assist us in our pursuit of
steamed/foamed/frothed milk perfection.
Milk Pitcher
Sure, you could use a plastic cup, but then again, you could
take coffee advice from a Safeway clerk. Let's do it right. If
you aspire to pour latte art it will need to have a sharply
defined spout like the one in the picture. If you're just Pitchers
steaming milk, any shaped pitcher will do, taking care to There's a gazillion styles
keep the size of the pitcher in proportion to the steaming out there - but we like
the 20oz, 'needle nose'
style the best.
capacity of your espresso machine. You shouldn’t need anything larger than a 20 oz
pitcher in any circumstances and if you think you do I would rather see you steam two
small pitchers than one big one. It allows for more control and in turn a better drink at the
other end.
Thermometer
Unless your name is Sammy Piccolo, do use a thermometer when you steam your milk. It
will allow you to be consistently great. Get a nice one too, with an easily readable dial.
Not one of those cheap things they always sell home users with the dial face the size of a
dime. A cheap thermometer will make you hate life, so find a good one. We will discuss
the burning question of what temperature to steam the milk to a little further on.
Damp Cloth
This is for wiping off the residual milk left on the steamwand after steaming. Keep it
clean and moist. Do not fall into the temptation of wiping anything else with this cloth.
Spoon or Spatula
To spoon or not to spoon that is the question. I generally aim to steam the milk in a way
that I do not need a spoon. Ideally we want the milk to separate IN the cup, not in the
pitcher after which you have to scoop the foam, or hold back the foam etc. Have a spoon
around when you are learning. They can be especially helpful for building cappuccinos or
when divvying up foam for multiple drinks.
Of Course, Milk
Milk Everywhere!
Lots to choose from; I
wonder how buttermilk
froths...
Lots of choice. There is no
right or wrong way to go
although there are some
preferences that I would
like to suggest. Put out of
your mind that some milk
has more fat than others.
We worried about that sort
of thing in the late ‘80s and
those days are over. Going
back to our manifesto,
coffee is a sensory
experience and we want to
have the finest one we can
muster. A little fat in our
milk gives us a running
head start to a special
coffee experience.

I would like to suggest that

you make whole milk your
default milk of choice. If
you absolutely can’t bring
yourself to do it or if you
are Canadian you can use
2%. If you must use non-fat
milk you may, just don’t
tell me about it. If you’ve
been really good and are
going for a special treat I
highly endorse the use of
Creamo/10% table cream to
soften and round out an
espresso macchiato a la
Seattle style. There are of
course some alternative
forms of milk (Any
volunteers to milk the
buffalo? “Hey there girrrrl,
steady, steady…my wife
needs a cappuccino this
morning…”) but our focus
will be on regular ol’ cow
milk. The different
properties of milk and how
they influence the steaming
and foaming process will
be attended to further on.

Well that is pretty much the

meat and potatoes of what
is required. Beautifully
simple. I assume that you
have proper sized cups
warmed and at the ready as
well as the multitude of
other obvious things that
you require to make coffee
(fresh roasted coffee,
tamper etc.).

Build Those Drinks

First, a word about the

author.

The author of this

document is not a big fan of
certain aspects of the
bastardized coffee culture
that see in North America
as introduced to us via the
Big Bad Mermaid.

So with that in mind I will

have a tendency to steer
things in what I consider to
be the more traditional
direction with an emphasis
on smaller sizes and the
like. It is not to put a right
or wrong on the way you
choose to drink your
coffee; only to suggest that
there is another more
 elegant and refined way of
doing things that I want to
emphatically urge you to
try.

Whether you knew it or not

there is a certain
underground ethic of what
is cool in the world of
coffee and particularly
espresso. Small is cool.
Small cups, small quantities
of coffee and small
quantities of milk are all
very cool. The best part is
that you can create cool in
your own home.
The Recipes
These are the faves. I don't
have to tell you that there
are many more "milk based
coffee drinks" out there, but
we'll work with the
standards.
Latte: This is a wildly
popular drink in North
America. Large quantity of
milk, small quantity of
coffee. Something the
Italians might serve to their

Latte
Just a big bowl of hot milk,
with a lil' bit of coffee to
flavor.

children.

It is a great introductory
drink, the coffee is softened
almost to the point of non-
existence and it is topped
by just a whisper of foam.
Very approachable, perfect
for non-coffee drinkers and
the warm milk crowd.

Café au Lait: The French

version of a latte. Big and
Milky. Something to dip
your croissant in, to linger
over or to wake up with. It
is made with steamed milk
and double strength, dark
roast coffee in a 50:50
ratio. 50% steamed milk,
50% coffee. Foam is
generally not a feature of
this drink but I won’t tell if
you don’t tell. Float a little
foam on top if you want.

Typically served in a large

bowl or anything that you
can wrap your hands
around in a loving embrace.
Espresso is not a feature of
this drink and so it could
also be called a Poor Mans
latte. Easily and
inexpensively made with
only a few simple
instruments. See the
Steaming Milk for
Newbies section for more
details.
Mocha
Lots of chocolate, lots of
milk, lots of whipped cream,
little bit of coffee.
Mocha: Considered by many to
be the gateway drink of the
espresso world. A lot of people
get hooked and stay hooked on
these things. Ya got your
chocolate, ya got your sugar, ya
got your fat, and did I say you
got your chocolate?

You make a mocha with quality

chocolate syrup (think Guitard
or Godiva, not Nestle Quick),
coating the bottom of your cup.
Use about an ounce worth of
sauce for a 12oz drink, plus or
minus to taste. Brew the shots
of espresso on top, give it a
quick stir, add steamed, lightly
foamed milk on top of that and
then the coup de grace is a
generous pile of whipped
cream to finish your arteries
off…I mean your Mocha.

Use the same amount of coffee

as you would for a latte. If
you’ve got a steamwand that
can really move the milk add
the chocolate sauce to the milk
before steaming so that the two
mix a little more thoroughly.
Some have been known to skip
the chocolate sauce and just
steam chocolate milk with good
results. Nothing beats some
really fine chocolate.
I don’t drink these because I
wouldn’t want to seem weak or
anything and I’m afraid I might
like them.
Cappuccino
The quintessential,
"accepted' milk based
espresso drink - when done
right.
Cappuccino: The undeniable
classic and darling of the
espresso world. It is the perfect
example of milk and coffee
done right. The cup itself
should hold 5 to 7oz and no
more. Sharing the space in the
cup in one-third proportions is
one shot of espresso, one-third
steamed milk, topped by one-
third foam.

This is the first coffee of the

day. The espresso is softened
by the steamed milk and also
mingles with the voluptuous
foam. That first sip is coffee
wrapped up in and permeating
the foam, which adds texture
and mouthfeel followed by
some soothing steamed milk.
Everything is in balance. The
coffee is not overwhelmed or
smothered by the milk and
there is enough foam to
enhance the cup but not so
much that I have to dig to find
the coffee. A true traditional
cappuccino is a white cap with
a ring of dark brown crema at
the edge. The above picture
although lacking the ring nicely
shows the proper proportion of
foam to steamed milk and
espresso.
Espresso Macchiato: An
espresso macchiato is espresso
with the corners rounded off by
a little bit of milk. The classic
is a shot of espresso with a
dollop of foam on top.
Macchiato means “marked”
and the dollop of foam marks
the surface of the espresso.

Personally my preference and

the common preparation here
on the West Coast is the shot of
espresso marked with not just
foam but a little bit of that
steamed/foamed milk combo
added to fill your demitasse
cup. Use approximately a 1:1
ratio, half of your espresso cup
is filled with espresso, the other
half filled with your steamed
and foamed milk.

A Note on Milk Drinking

Times
That macchiato I just
described? That's the drink to
have at around 10am, after that
it should be espresso and
espresso only - be the
CoffeeGeek. Feel the
CoffeeGeek. Live the
CoffeeGeek!

Yes, it's true: milk in quantity

should not be consumed with
coffee after about ten although
this might come as a bit of a
shocker for some. I'm not
talking your drip coffee here,
mind you - if you want to live
the espresso lifestyle, listen to
the choir.

The cappuccino is the first cup

to linger over with your
morning cornetto; the
macchiato gets to be the encore
performance with a little less
milk around mid morning.
After that it is all about
espresso for the rest of the day.
Latte? That's training wheels
for the uninformed, unwashed.
Mocha? I'd rather have some
tiramisu with an Americano.
Café au lait? Only in Paris, and
only with my morning
baguette.

To drink a milk based espresso

drink after mid morning is
considered gauche, very poor
form. To drink a milk based
espresso drink with your meal,
don’t. It’s just wrong. You’ll
see people crossing themselves.

Hello Milk!

This section is a much more in

depth look at milk and the
chemistry of milk. Part of the
interest in looking at things
with this level of detail was to
answer some of the following
questions that I was curious
about.
• Why does the milk
seem to get better (ie,
sweeter), when you
steam it? Is it a change
in the chemistry? The
incorporation of air?
Both?
• Why do some steamers
make a "sweeter" milk
than others do, even
when using the same
milk?
• Great foam, good foam,
and no foam - what is it
about the milk that
plays a role, or is all in
the skill of the Barista?
Note, I don't necessarily
provide the answers in a
specific way to these questions,
but once you read this part of
the guide, you'll see I managed
to answer them in a roundabout
way. Oh, and there's one more
question:
• What is wrong (or right)
with me that I care this
much about coffee and
creating the perfect milk
to marry with it?
Hrmm. That is a question!

Before we go racing off willy

nilly to create beautifully
textured milk lets have a quick
look at milk in a way that you
(or I) never thought we would
ever need to. We’ll introduce
ourselves so to speak and get to
know the milk a little bit better
Sugars, Fats and Proteins oh
my!
Bovine milk is fascinating
stuff. Complex and very nearly
a perfectly complete food. In
addition to all the vitamins,
minerals etc. we have three
things that require our
attention, as they will play a
starring role in the final
outcome of perfectly prepared
milk. They are, in no particular
order, fat, protein and milk
sugar (or lactose).

Milk is an ever evolving

product, with changes in its
composition fluctuating slightly
but consistently, due to the feed
of the cow, the type of cow
producing the milk, the stage of
lactation etc. These will result
in subtle yet potentially
noticeable changes in the
quality of the foam you can
produce, and the taste and
texture of the
cappuccino/drinks you prepare.
This is especially true with high
grade, "microfarm" type milk -
the kind you get from a farm or
coop of farms, as opposed to
that big name brand you see on
the Safeway shelves.

With all of this said, I do not

want to hear excuses that the
drink you made today wasn’t as
good or the foam not as tight
because all of a sudden this
milk is obviously from a Jersey
cow and you’re used to milk
from a Guernsey cow or that
the cows are into the clover and
alfalfa these days and we all
know that dry feed produces
the best flavoured milk…and
so on. We’ll assume that the
milk is generally stable and that
if the foam isn’t there and the
flavour isn’t there…well, it’s
you.
Lactose
Banana Milk!
Use this milk and you won't
have to worry about sweetness
from lactose - it has added
sugar! Milk and espresso,
together at last!
The slightly sweet and pleasant
taste we find in milk is primarily
due to the relationship of lactose
and chloride contents. Lactose is
the milk sugar, a disaccharide of
glucose and galactose to be precise.
It is a solution (homogeneously
mixed in a liquid) in milk. It is also
less soluble (the ease with which it
will dissolve in a liquid) than
sucrose and therefore perceived as
less sweet. Hmmm. On the scale of
relative sweetness sucrose is 100,
lactose rings in at a low, low 16.

However increasing the

temperature of the milk (by
steaming for example) has the
effect of increasing the solubility of
the lactose and in turn increasing
its perceived sweetness, a good
thing for us. That lovely increase in
sweetness of steamed milk from the
espresso machine or the hot milk
your Mom made for you as a child
is due to the increased solubility of
the lactose at higher
temperatures…in case you were
wondering.

Wrap some tape around the middle

of your glasses and push’em back
up your nose. You’ve joined the
milk science club and it’s only
going to get worse.
Fats
I’m all about a little fat in the milk.

Milk is sold based on the quantity

of fat it contains and can range
from 0% in non-fat to
approximately 4% in whole milk-
Yum! Although not primarily
concerned with the taste of the
milk, milk fat gives body to the
flavour…a fuller flavour so to
speak. Fat can be a big player in the
sumptuous mouthfeel and texture
of our steamed milk.

Sure the foam is a big player too

and we’re getting there but the fat
lends and inherent richness to a
milk based beverage (apart from
the foam) that cannot be denied.
Remember our mini-manifesto:
richness is good.

There is some concern about

dietary fat and it going straight to
the hips. Milk fat is especially
pernicious. This is where the size
of the cup come into play and the
logic behind the small is better
ethos comes into focus. Do not
drink 20oz lattes! If you do, you
will need to use non-fat milk so
you don’t get a fat ass and at the
same time deny yourself the
pleasure of sinfully rich whole
milk. Think small. You are not a
calf.
Proteins
I've saved the best for last.

Proteins are responsible for our

milk being able to be foamed.
Technically very complex little
structures, milk foam bubbles and
how they are created can be tough
to get a handle on. Case in point:

“Foam formation is mainly based

on the effect that in the boundary
layers of the phases, liquid and air
molecules are enriched due to a
boundary layer activity and
therefore stabilize the boundary
layers.”
(Milk and Diary Product
Technology, Spreer & Dekker,
1998)

Hmmm, do I ask the audience, call

a friend or choose the 50-50?

When you are steaming milk you

are incorporating air into the milk.
Proteins are important because they
are adsorbed (defined as the
adhesion in an extremely thin layer
of molecules to the surfaces of
solid bodies or liquids with which
they are in contact, so don't email
me saying I had a typo, and should
have spelled it absorbed) by the
thin film surrounding an air bubble
giving stability to the entrapped air.

We want proteins. But it doesn’t

end there. There are actually two
types of foam in milk, which may
appear separately or
simultaneously. One foam appears
to be a protein type and the other a
phospholipid-protein type. So who
cares?

Well the relationship of fat and

protein can impact how easily the
milk will foam and at what
temperatures milk is most receptive
to taking on air.
Proteins and Fats
Treat Yourself!
Not only does half and half
(10% fat) milk froth well, but it
adds an entirely new layer of
richness and vitality to milk-
based espresso drinks.
Foam stability decreases reaching a
minimum at about 5% (whole milk
is 4%) fat and then increases
rapidly as fat is increased to 10%,
with highly stable cream-type
foams forming when the fat content
is increased to above the 10% level
(table cream at 18% or whipping
creams at 35% etc.)

Increases in fat content also cause a

decrease in foam volume as well,
up to a level of approximately 5%
fat. Therefore skim milk offers the
potential for the greatest volume of
foam and most stable foam. This
potential decreases gradually
through 2% milk down to whole
milk - it has the lowest potential to
create heaps of foam but to create
heaps of stable foam. Get it? Whole
milk, while "foamable", is more
difficult than skim milk. Here's
where it gets weird again - go
higher in fat than that 4% whole
milk, (eg, beyond a fat content of
5%), and you once again see a
steady increase in both foam
volume and stability. There's a
reason why whipping cream is 35%
fat content :)
Now if our goal is to create
volumes of foam, non-fat milk gets
the nod. It will create the most
foam for us. Despite that fact I like
a tasty drink and therefore
recommend whole milk or fuller fat
milk. This may confuse some of
you. Yes whole milk will be more
difficult to foam and work with but
in the end massive volumes of
foam is not the end all and be all, a
fabulously satisfying drink is. The
fat in whole milk will make for a
tastier drink and in the hands of a
skilled barista whole milk will
create as much foam as you need.
Protein in Detail
There are two different types of
proteins in milk; whey proteins and
caseins. The later make up 80% of
the total protein of milk, and both
play an equally important role in
the formation of foam.

Casein imparts good surface-active

properties and thus plays a role in
the functional properties of
whipping/foaming. Whey proteins
although offering less surface
activity than casein, they offer far
superior foam stabilizing properties
creating a more rigid film at the
air/water interface of the foam.

Once again who cares? If you're

serious about your milk foaming,
you should, if only to shed some
light on how slight differences in
the components of the milk will
affect the properties of the foam we
create. In fact, your typical PBTC
(person behind the counter) or
manager of a typical chain café
should take note of this… after all,
those are the places and people
who most often resteam milk.
Here's the scoop.
Of great interest is that both
proteins are stable up to
approximately 140F after which
they become susceptible to
denaturation. The proteins no
longer maintain their native shape
or charge and will not behave in the
same way to facilitate the creation
of foam. New proteins are needed,
more milk must be added. By
adding fresh milk to already
steamed milk you introduce new,
unchanged proteins and can foam
again.

The above is a complicated way of

explaining where the old adage that
you can “foam milk once and
steam it twice” comes from. To
foam milk a second time won’t
work because the proteins that
facilitated the formation of the
foam initially have become
denatured. You can of course just
reheat the milk a second time but
even that is not recommended.
Steam only as much milk as you
need for a given drink. Start with
cold fresh milk every time. Never
resteam milk or add fresh milk to
already steamed milk. It is
considered poor form.

If you're in a shop, and paying $3

or $4 for that cappuccino or latte,
ask, nay, demand they only use
fresh, cold milk to make your
beverage. You will notice a huge
difference. If they challenge you,
quote the above chapter and verse,
or take your biz elsewhere. It's your
hard earned money - why settle for
denatured, reduced-charge milk!

Back on subject, it doesn’t end

here. Foaming potential relates not
only to the relationship of the
proteins and the fats but is also
influenced by the temperature at
which the milk is foamed.
Effect of Temperature on
Foaming Ability
Other Milks
There's a range of milks to try -
some steam better than others.
Soy can work well, but
Buttermilk can be a disaster.
Low fat milk is most receptive to
taking on air at low temperatures.
This applies as well to both whole
milk and cream, although to a
lesser extent. So from
approximately 40F (fridge
temperature) up to about 100F,
things are looking good for your
milk and all the chemical changes
you're bringing into play.

However, at approximately 100F,

on up through to 160F the trend is
reversed with the higher fat dairy
products consistently exhibiting a
greater volume (as seen as a
percentage increase in volume due
to foam) of foam being produced at
any given point. In general
temperature trumps the influence of
the fat on foaming. All milk,
regardless of fat content, creates
the greatest volume of foam at
cooler temperatures.
The Take Home Message
All this science. My brain hurts.
But we're almost there.

Here's the bottom line: To assist

yourself in creating as much foam
as you are going to need for your
drinks, you should start with cold,
fresh milk and a clean, cold pitcher.
Start with milk as cold as you can
and create foam right from the gun
to create the greatest volume of
foam possible.

Ok pencils down; stop spinning

your Erlenmeyer flasks. We’re
about to skip on past the chemistry
of things and get down to the
process and the practical aspects of
steaming milk. It’s about time!

Foaming, Frothing, Steaming...

It’s all the same thing…sort of. In a

radical departure this article will
not attempt to highlight the
steamed portion (heated not
foamed) as being a separate entity
from the foamed or frothed portion
(milk with air bubbles
incorporated) of the milk. Why? It's
simple:

Properly prepared milk is always

foamed. Even if you don’t want
any foam in the drink you want to
foam the milk just slightly.
Incorporating air into the milk
improves and sweetens the taste.
Milk that has not been foamed at
all tends to taste flat and dull by
comparison.

So with that in mind, great milk

properly prepared, whether it be for
a latte, cappuccino or whatever has
foam mixed in throughout the
entire pitcher of milk. For a latte
where less foam is required, the
volume of milk will have expanded
by approximately one-third due to
foam. For a cappuccino it will have
approximately doubled.

You will have incorporated foam

into the milk but it will not be
sitting on the top with the steamed
milk underneath. Oh no, it will be
intertwined and mingled all
through the entire pitcher of milk.
Ideally when you pour the milk
into the cup that is where you will
see a settling out of the foam on
top. The quantity of foam you have
incorporated into the milk will be
dependent on how much is required
for the drink and how aggressively
you worked to incorporate air into
the milk.

When you steam, you always want

to foam for properly textured foam;
that is what makes ordinary milk
extraordinary.

Let's get at it. Newbies, step up.

Excuse me but I’m new
Otherwise known as the
Beginner's Guide to Milk
Frothing.
Welcome my friends. Much like
Alice in Wonderland you are about
to fall down the rabbit hole and into
a completely new world. The world
of coffee is a vast place with a
never-ending list of choices and
decisions to be made.

To help you negotiate the maze of

specialty coffee and in particular
how to steam milk to go with that
specialty coffee at home. If you are
new and know very little about
creating a boutique style coffee
experience at home you’ve come to
the right place.

You may not remember quite

where you caught the taste for the
espresso and milk experience but
smitten you are. Could have been
on your travels to Europe, a local
coffee house or maybe just a
friend’s house. Now you want to
create the magic combination of
espresso and milk loveliness at
home. Where does one begin?
May we suggest…
Got someone who needs easing
into coffee, and normal milk
won't do? Buy chocolate milk
and froth that!
Wow, is there a lot of fancy
schmancy coffee equipment out
there. Grinders, espresso machines,
all different prices, different
colours, different brands. It can all
be a bit intimidating. Just one visit
over to the Consumer Reviews
section can give one the willies.
But that's where you should go, to
find out the best products for your
needs - read what consumers have
to say, and make an informed
purchase choice.

This article is about steaming milk

and making milk based drinks, so
we shall start with the simplest
possible approach to creating a
fabulous espresso and milk
experience and work up to slightly
more complicated options as we

Where to Start?
Café au Lait. I guess we start with
the café au lait. This is sort of like a
latte but the French version. It is a
big milky cup of coffee that is dead
easy to whip up.

First a quick word about the coffee

(I know this is article about
milk…). Café au lait is made with
double strong drip coffee not
espresso like its cousin the latte.
You can use a drip brewer but for
the quintessential café au lait
experience you want to use a
French Press or Bodum. You may
already have one but if not Aabree
(the folks who ponied up a
few bucks to make me sit in my
home office typing all this up) has
a great selection. Get a nice sized
one, about one liter or so (32oz)
and brew up a good strong pot
using 60g (2.25oz for you
Americans) of coffee per liter of

Warning to you girly-men out

there: this’ll be a solid cup of
coffee that’ll put hair on your legs
and believe it or not that’s exactly
what you want. Also to stay true to
tradition use a dark roast coffee,
ideally a French Roast or
something with a smoky bite.

We want to combine this with hot

milk in a ratio of 50:50 and poured
into a nice big bowl that you’ll
need two hands to grip. Pour the
coffee and the milk into the bowl at
the same time for extra style
points and the best mixing of the
two liquids

You can steam or heat the milk in a

couple of ways. There's the stove
of course, but you must remember
to always keep the milk moving.
No one likes a thick skin of milk
crust on his or her café au lait.

One step better is to use an auto, or

regular ol’ manual frother that will
not only allow you to heat the milk
but to foam it as well. Although
foam is not a feature of the café au
lait normally, a little foam never
hurts. Both types of frothers will
work great although if you’re like
me I think you’ll end up using the
auto frother more in the long run.
The Capresso frothXpress is a good
choice and produces foam like a
champ. Perfect for a café au lait, or
of course a latte. Speaking of
which…

Caffe Latte: Although very similar

to the café au lait the latte uses
espresso as the "coffee" base for a
slight twist on the experience.

So you’ve got your auto frother and

French press working to create café
au lait perfection but are ready for a
slight variation of the theme, ready
for something new.

The easiest and most inexpensive

way to create a true espresso
experience at home is with a moka
pot or stovetop espresso maker.
It’s what the Italians use at home
for a coffee in the morning before
they get out the door and head to
their favourite coffee bar for more
coffee. The Stovetop espresso
maker is a classic little unit used all
over the world and creates an
intense coffee experience that will
leave you wanting more. To get the
best coffee out of these little things
find an Italian Grandmother
(Nonna), maybe your own, and get
her to make the coffee. It you don’t
have or can’t find one of those
(deep breath) you’re going to have
to make the coffee yourself.

My only advice when using one of

these little guys is don’t use too
much heat when brewing. Slowly
and patiently make the coffee,
don’t try to rush things. Use an
espresso blend from your local
roaster if you can.

The strength of the coffee out of

these little things mimics espresso
to a certain degree, and you will
want to keep the proportion of
coffee to milk similar to what you
would in a coffee bar. About one
ounce of coffee for six ounces of
milk, two ounces of coffee for a
twelve ounce latte and so on. This
should keep the coffee from
peaking through the milk too much.
Adjust to taste.
The Next Level
Beautiful Macchiato
A beautiful, apple-heart
macchiato - latte art in a 2oz

Ok so you’ve dabbled with coffee

before (or as discussed above) but
you’re not in college anymore and
you’re ready to step up. Not way
up mind you, just up to the next
level. We're talking baby steps
here, people!

For a very reasonable amount of

money you can get yourself a very
capable espresso machine that will
be fun to use and may be the first
step into thinking about a career
change and becoming a
professional Barista. At the very
least you’ll start talking with your
hands, as all the Italians do.

As much as I would love to speak

to the whole package (the coffee,
the grinder, the machine etc.) at
this point, this is just an article
about steaming milk and we have a
minor section coming up about the
types of machines out there, and
the milk they froth, so I won't delve
into that here. Our focus will be
narrowed down to what you can
expect when it comes to steaming
milk on an espresso machine at this
level - the beginner, newbie level.
Don't worry noob! You're cool! We
were all noobs once, after all!

Most of the espresso machines at

this level are actually value packed.
We're talking a lot of performance
in a very reasonably priced
package. That said there are certain
limitations and considerations with
machines at this level.

For instance, they will almost

always have a froth assistor on the
wand. This is a sort of
device that is designed to
compensate for the smaller boiler,
lower steam pressure, and general
milk steaming ignorance of the
typical user. I mean this in the
nicest way of course. Hey we all
started here. Noob.

Enough sarcasm for a paragraph.

I'm actually impressed with some
of these machines. A fine, fine
example of an espresso machine at
this level is the delightfully
designed Francis! Francis! X3, a
machine I had the pleasure to work
with recently. It's no La Marzocco,
but you can definitely work with it.
And here's what you can do with it.

Steaming milk on a machine like

the little darling X3 can be as
simple as:
Show up (very important!)
Turn the machine on
(almost as important!)
Press the steam button. This
turns the element in the
boiler on to create steam.
When the ready light turns
off/on you’re ready to go.
Submerge the froth assistor
deep into the pitcher of
milk.
Turn the steamwand open.
 Do nothing. The froth
assistor will do it all for
you.
Turn the steamwand off at
the desired milk
temperature (150-155F).
Pull your shots of espresso
into some preheated and
preferably stylish cups.
Spoon or pour the steamed
and foamed milk onto your
shots of espresso.
Bask in the praise of your
guests’ oooing and aaaahing
over your drinks, thinking
that you are a coffee genius.
This is the intended design. Simple,
easy to use and verging on
foolproof. The problem is, the foam
isn't the greatest, but can fool most
non coffee-achievers. Here's a
visual step by step of the auto-pilot
style of frothing:

Loose and Easy Hum or Talk

Not much finesse, not Go ahead - hum a song,
much control - just talk on the cell phone
drop the tip barely into while you're frothing.
the milk. The machine's doing
the work

Bubbly Mess Dishwasher Soap

This is what most Now you have the
 auto-frothers can do, at visual - this is the stuff
least on steam-wand mountains were made
machines. of.
If you want more you can have
more with these machines. The
frother, if left to its own devices
(i.e. submerged in the milk) will
create volumes of big bubble foam
that you can see in evidence above.
Not what we want really, not that
there is anything wrong with that
but as budding coffee connoisseurs
we know that there is something

The seductively smooth textured

microfoam.

The stuff that latte art is made of.

There is an improvement in taste
and texture of a drink with this
denser, finer bubble foam. To get
this foam on an X3 and the like you
need to be a little more attentive
while steaming. And you may even
be able to reach that holy grail:
latte art calibre foam.

Latte art. Proper, micro-bubble

sized, pourable foam will allow
you to pour latte art. If you don’t
want to learn how to do this it’s
because you have never seen it.
Once you’ve seen latte art and
tasted the type of milk and coffee
needed to pour it, nothing else in
you life will matter. You will be on
a mission and stop at nothing until
you have learned to pour latte art
on your drinks.

Ok, back to the better foam.

Do everything itemized above but

rather than just sinking the tip into
the milk and leaving it there we
want to instead "surf the froth
hole". That hole at the side of the
froth aiding tube is the froth hole
and to create beautiful foam we
want the surface of the milk exactly
at the level of the hole. Essentially
what pro Baristi do with a
traditional wand (that is, surf the tip
surfaces of the wand on the top of
the milk), we're doing horizontally
with the froth aider steam wand.

If you surf the hole just right, the

milk will be drawn in and foamed
creating a denser and finer bubble
foam than if we had just let the
frother to do all the work.

You’re going to need to gradually

be lowering the pitcher as the milk
is being foamed and expanding.
This is a very gradual process. The
trick is to keep the surface of the
milk at that hole. Let the hole do
the work and be patient. If you rush
things, bringing the pitcher down
too quickly you’ll blow it-literally-
blowing big bubbles into the milk.

Done right this machine can create

beautifully textured foam that will
let you pour latte art and create
divine espresso drinks in your own
home. Practice, practice, practice.
Let me give you a visual walk
through of what is possible on a
machine like the Francis! Francis!
X3, and its froth aiding tip.

Surfing the Hole Tricky, but doable

Here, the side-mountedSurfing a side-hole on
 intake hole is being a froth aider can be
"surfed' to introduce tricky, but microfoam
controlled air into the is possible.
milk.

Keeping it tight Get ready

Wand's sunk in deep, We're getting ready to
we're keeping those stop steaming - there's
bubbles tight. not much 'coast" on the
X3, so we time it close
to 150F.

Big Difference
Not quite the silky
microfoam a
traditional wand gives,
but much nicer than
the previous step by
step.
Milk Choices
If you want the nitty gritty detail on
milk, make sure you read our
Pointdexter science review of
. However for the novice
things can be as simple as this.
Non-Fat Milk will be the
easiest to foam. It will not
however be as decadent a
combination with your
coffee and for this reason I
don’t ever really like to use
non-fat milk.
 2% Milk will foam quite
easily and is a nice balance
between ease of foaming
and some fat in the milk
making for a creamy and
tasty drink
Whole Milk is going to be
the most challenging to
create foam with. It will
however be some kind of
tasty when combined with
coffee. The extra fat in the
milk makes your latte or
cappuccino a special treat.
Remember that the creation of
foam is an admirable goal but it is
not the end all and be all.
Especially the creation of huge
volumes of foam, we need just a
little bit. We do not want to create
foam at the expense of the larger
experience and so my preference is
always for a fuller fat milk-
always. :)

In Italy they use whole milk. If you

were to order low-fat milk they’ll
look at you like you’re some sort of
bleeding heart, left of center liberal
freak and obviously a tourist with
no understanding of la dolce vita or
proper café culture.

If you say nothing and drink the

coffee as it is served to you, you
will get whole milk, very likely
enjoy the whole milk and come
back home telling everyone how
great the coffee is in Italy. It’s not
just the coffee; it’s the milk too.

The milk is important, treat

Create the Coffee First or Steam

the Milk First?
Each machine is slightly different.
Generally milk based drinks feature
milk not espresso. We want to
focus all our attention on creating
great milk. To that end, pull your
shots first into preheated cups and
set them aside (on the Francis!
Francis! machine, you actually
want to steam first, make espresso
second). Press the steam button and
get the machine to create steam
while you prep your cold fresh
milk in a clean cold pitcher.
Surfing the Air Intake Hole
When using froth aiders with
side air-intake holes, this is
where you level your milk to get
microfoam action.
* When the ready light comes on or
goes off you’re ready to steam
Blow out the steamwand to get rid
of any moisture in the wand and
confirm that you’ve got enough
steam coming out of the machine

Away we go. For the best

results we want to make the
froth aid work for us as
discussed above. Get the
surface of the milk right at
the edge of the hole in the
side of our frothaider
Hold it there as the milk is
foamed and heated. As the
milk continues to expand it
will rise in the pitcher and
necessitate a subtle
lowering of the pitcher.
Stay with it and never force
things trying to stretch the
milk too quickly. Big
bubbles will tend to result.
Take the milk up to 150-
155F. Depending on the
desired quantity of foam
you will need to have been
foaming almost right from
the gun and continue
foaming until the
temperature has reached
150F. At this level of
machine you’re kidding
yourself if you think that
you are going to be awash
in beautifully textured,
slightly wet, hold me close,
cappuccino foam. You
might very well however
have created some very fine
Latte foam in terms of
quality and quantity. Latte
art can be yours.
There is very little coasting
with a home machine in that
the temperature you see on
the thermometer is accurate
and to shut the wand off at
150F will give you milk
that finishes at 150F. Some
prosumer machines and
commercial machines heat
the milk so quickly that you
must shut the steamwand
off approximately 10F
before the desired finishing
temperature, i.e. shut the
wand off at 140F to finish
at 150F.
Always give the milk
pitcher a little knock when
you’ve finished steaming
the milk. This can break up
any big or medium sized
bubbles that may have
formed during the process.
Follow the knock with an
aggressive spinning of the
pitcher. I like to keep the
pitcher on the table and spin
it while imagine making
smaller and smaller circles
as you spin. This helps to
further texture the milk and
you’ll see a change in the
surface of the milk go from
a dull luster to a smooth,
 glossy sheen. Very sexy.
More Advanced Techniques
Again, no real preamble, no real
flowery words here. Let's get into
this. Time to hit the upper grades.

You’re now ready to ask the

question, to free pour, or to spoon?
Free Pour or Spooning: that is
the Question.
First, it’s not the kind of spooning
you might be thinking of if your
mind has a tendency to wander. Get
it out of the gutter, okay?

Free pouring milk-based drinks are

what all the rock star Baristi do. It
is how you pour latte art and it is
how you make cappuccino if you
are a Barista demi-god.

To answer the question and make a

choice starts with how you’ve
steamed the milk. Properly steamed
milk has foam mixed in throughout
the entire pitcher so that thing is the
smooth pouring, gorgeously
textured, quicksilver sheened,
viscously transformed milk. Yes
please. It pours beautifully in one
fluid motion. The foam and milk
are one and it is in the cup where
things will settle out.

Some machines allow you to create

free pour quality milk but this is a
tough place to start, it is however
where we want to go.

For a new Barista and someone just

learning to foam milk at home the
spooning method is probably the
best way to go, and there's no
shame in it. In fact, I like to spoon
when building cappuccinos.

Instead of just pouring the milk

onto the espresso, we’re going to
use a spoon and scoop the foam out
of our pitcher and onto the surface
of the espresso. Just a little bit of
foam for a latte and of course just a
little bit more than that for a
cappuccino.

We will then use the spoon to hold

back any remaining foam, while
pouring the milk out. The milk
will/should punch through the foam
in our drink, lifting up the foam
and mixing with the coffee.

This is a much easier approach and

is not as time sensitive as the free
pour technique. To free pour you
are generally pouring the milk right
after pulling it off the steamwand.

Instead pause and let the foam

settle out in the pitcher. You can
then very easily spoon the foam out
and pour the steamed milk. This is
much more realistic with an entry
level machine and even with pro
machines and at the Barista
competition level many people will
still use the spooning technique for
a cappuccino. It is much easier to
get a consistent proportion of foam
when making multiple drinks...like
one for you and one for your wife.
Steaming with Serious Toys
The performance you can get out of
espresso machines at the $300 to
$750 level is really impressive.
You will be very happy for a very
long time...as long as you don’t
visit someone’s house with a better

More than that the need to upgrade

(the time’ll come, it always does)
will have less to do with the quality
of the drinks you can make and
more to do with some of the finer
points that the upper end machines
offer... (Hot water tap, steam and
brew at the same time, professional
portafilter...)

The machines at this level come

with a few idiosyncrasies but we’ll
consider those part of the charm of
the whole experience.
Steaming milk on a Solis SL 70
and the like (Traditional Single
Boiler Machine)
The performance of the steam
wand on this bad boy will leave
you pie eyed. Simply put, it does a
great job. Perfectly textured milk
and microfoam are only moments
away, if your hand is practiced

The Solis SL-70 is a champ. It has

the perfect balance of speed and
steaming pressure of (I’m going out
on a limb here) any home machine
I have tried. I prefer it to some of
those fancy, schmancy prosumer
machines with all their show and
no go steamwand positioning and
lame steamtips. (machines - you
know who you are!)

The position of the steamwand on

the Solis is great. It comes straight
out and allows for a 12-20oz
pitcher to fit in there no problem. It
is also nice and stable, offers easy
access and doesn’t flap around like
multi-directional wands can
sometimes. Let's do a walk
through, followed by a visual.
So you’ve pulled your
shots. Remember we’re
featuring the milk here.
Normally shots sitting in a
cup going cold should make
you scream. Under these
circumstances take a deep
breath and know that you’re
doing the best you can.
Hit the steam button to kick
the element in the boiler on
and create our steam. Bleed
out some of the boiler water
while it's heating up.
The light will come on
when things are ready to go
Blow out the steamwand
into an empty cup or pitcher
to get rid of the remaining
moisture that has condensed
in the wand.
Open up our steamwand.
The Solis has a unique
feature in that opening up
the steamwand activates a
switch that kicks the boiler
element on again. With the
element on we’ll have a
steady flow of steam
without having to worry
about things tapering off
towards that end of the
steaming process-sweet.
This explains partially why
the SL-70 is great at
steaming, and to be frank,
more machines should
feature this kind of
microswitch action.
On any other machine after
the ready light has come
on/off you want to open up
the wand and blow off just
enough steam to have the
element kick on again.
Knowing the element is on
we’ll jump into steaming
out milk sure of the fact that
we’ll have a nice steady
production of steam for the
entire steaming process.
Start with the tip deep in the
milk
Open the wand up all the
way. Equals a half turn on
the Solis.
Bring the milk pitcher down
so that the tip is just below
the surface of the milk. You
should hear a steady ch-ch-
ch sound. This is called the
sweet spot. If you hear no
sound you’re not creating
foam. If you see big
bubbles and a higher
pitched sound your tip is
too high above the surface
of the milk.
The tip is in the perfect
position and foam is being
created. Keep the tip
towards the edge of the
pitcher so that the milk
swirls around in a whirlpool
motion. This helps create
the texture of the foam
we’re looking for. It also
helps to reduce/remove any
of the big bubbles we may
have formed looking for the
sweet spot.
Note: the SL 70 is very
likely the first and only
machine at this price point
level that can create a
whirlpool action with the
milk in both 12 and 20oz
pitcher sizes-sweet. Thank
the microswitch that
activates the boiler any time
you steam. However, if you
have a machine that doesn’t
create a whirlpool with the
milk don’t despair. Carry
on, following the
instructions to the letter.
As the milk is heating and
being foamed you will need
to be gradually but steadily
lowering the pitcher to keep
the tip of the steamwand
 just below the surface of the
milk.
Rest the edge of the pitcher
on the edge of the
steamwand for support.
This will help keep the
pitcher steady while
steaming and allow you to
make intentional and
gradual movements of the
pitcher downward.
Sometimes it can be
challenging to hold the
pitcher steady without the
steamwand to rest the
pitcher against.
We also have this visual walk
through, including pictures of
(gasp) spooning action, for your
visual enjoyment pleasure.

Milk, Meet Wand Find the level

With very cold milk Sink the tip as you
and a cold picture, gearbegin, then quickly
it up to go. bring it to the surface
of the milk as you
continue
Hitting 100 Whirlpool
As we hit 100F, sink Even in this still, you
the wand, and start the can see the Solis
turbulating. machine does a great
job whirlpooling the
milk.

Getting Ready to Finished

We're going to build
We're getting close to cappuccinos, so we
the "coasting" point of want our microfoamed
this machine - time to milk to be as full as
shut it off. possible.

Dose it out. A Few Dollops

Yes, w'ere about to Spoon out ot the
spoon. That shot came middle of the cup,
 from the SL-70 as well going about half way
- looking good! up.

Hold It! Bellisimo

The spoon holds back A cappuccino worthy
the froth as we pour in of the grumpiest old
the steamed, aerated Italian sitting on the
milk to finish the cup. Piazza at 9am.

How Much Foam?

First you want to be foaming right
from the gun. Find that sweet spot,
the point at which the milk is being
foamed right away. In an effort to
create the proper quantity and
quality of foam you want to give
yourself the most flexibility

Milk foams up best at low

temperatures. The cooler the milk
and your pitcher are to start the
more receptive the milk will be to
taking on air and being foamed.
Also the more time you will have
to play with and create the quantity
of foam desired before the
temperature of the milk reaches the
point at which you will have to shut
off the steamwand.

With that said, for a latte you want

to approximately increase the
volume of milk by one-third to
one-half. This should be
accomplished by a temperature of
100-120F after which you will sink
the tip of the wand deep into the
milk and continue heating the milk
up to the desired temperature of
150-155F. This should give you
enough foam that there is
approximately 1cm worth once the
milk is poured into the cup and the
foam has settled out.

For a cappuccino we need a bit

more foam enough to fill one-third
of the cup with foam. We’ll go
after things a little more
aggressively and for a bit longer.

Draw the pitcher down just a little

quicker than you would for a latte.
Really pushing things although this
is quite subtle.

Also keep the position of the

steamwand just below the surface
of the milk for longer, up into the
140F plus range. Done right, the
volume of milk in your pitcher will
have doubled and you’ll be ready
to create cappuccini and have to
ask the question.

The Big Leagues: Steaming

with Prosumer Machines

Ok, so you’ve spent the money.

You have in your possession a
machine like the ECM Giotto or an
Isomac Millennium. Don’t forget to
breath some of the rarified air that
leaks out when you open the box.
You are in very special company.

These machines are little brothers

of the commercial level machines
out there, only they’re better. They
have all the benefits of a
commercial machine (professional
portafilter, aquacalda tap, brew and
steam at the same time) but are
generally quieter and with a smaller
footprint. So, can they match a
commercial machines milk
steaming ability?

This level of machine will heat

your milk faster than any other
home machine. These machines
have steam capacity to spare and if
you frequently entertain and need
to create more than 2 drinks back to
back you will be thankful to have
the Giotto at your beckon call.

You cannot however, step up to

one of these machines and create
the beautifully textured milk we all
desire and have talked about at
length all throughout this (yes, very
long) how-to segment. An odd
comment I know, but hear me out.

I believe that the steam tip is an

integral part of your ability in
creating beautiful foam. In fact
your ability to create beautiful
foam hinges on the steam tip. You
can have lots of steam capacity,
you can have the perfect pitcher
and flawless form but without a
decent tip you will be SOL in
creating velvety foam. You will be
able to foam the milk yes but the
texture will be lacking. I found it a
challenge to create quality foam on
this level of machine. This is
exacerbated by the fact that you
have almost as much steam power
as a commercial machine at your
disposal and things happen FAST.
The windows of opportunity to
create foam etc. become extremely
small and you need to be on top of
your game! That said, with a little
practice a machine at this level will
reward you with professional level
performance. You’ll be thinking
that all you need is a cash register
and you could open you kitchen for

Steaming Milk, Prosumer Style

Steaming milk is a fairly
straightforward affair, which we
will speak to assuming an ideal
situation, which means a proper tip,
adequate steam pressure etc.
There's very few "froth aider" tips
found on machines in this class.
Instead, you have a machine
capable of doing the holy grail
work: Latte art.

For many people this is getting

foam worthy of pouring latte art
and that shall be the end goal we
have in mind. Latte art foam not
only has the ability to create
mouthwatering designs on the
surface of your drinks but also
indicates that the quality of the
foam is of the desired, texture and
density for a world-class taste.

Let's get into the art of foaming

milk with a high end machine.
There'll be a quiz at the end, so pay

The Step By Step Serious Stuff.

First up, gather all the equipment.
A carton of milk, the thermometer,
the steaming pitcher and last but
not least a clean damp cloth to wipe
the steam wand. Oh, and the
machine, of course.

We always want to start with a

clean cold pitcher and cold fresh
milk. You never want to try and re-
steam already steamed milk. You
can but that’s for amateurs. You
also want a cold steam pitcher
either frosting over just out of the
fridge or rinsed under some cold
tap water. The cooler everything is
to start the longer you’ll have to
play with and foam the milk. If you
start with already warm milk or
warm steam pitcher the
temperature of the milk is elevated
and the time with which you have
to foam the milk will be cut down
considerably. Don’t make it any
tougher than it already is. Clean
cold pitcher and cold fresh milk.

Use only as much milk as you’re

going to need for the drink. Cracker
Jack Baristi pride themselves on
the meticulousness with which they
attend to the details, and one such
detail is finishing with as little milk
in the pitcher as possible.

I find it helpful to pre-measure the

milk filling the cup you will be
using with approximately 75%
milk, knowing that you will be
adding a shot (or two) of espresso
and that as the milk is heating and
being foamed it will be expanding.
This works well for a latte. For
cappuccino things are a little
tougher, expect to have some left

I generally use the same quantity of

milk for two reasons. One is that to
create foam you need proteins (if
you read our Hi Milk section, you'll
see why). The more milk being
steamed the more protein is
available to create foam. To use
less milk you have less of these key
components to create the volume of
foam you will need for a
cappuccino.

The other catch is that if you go too

small on the quantity of milk the
milk will heat up too quickly for
you to have time to create the
quantity and quality of foam you
need. This depends on the machine
of course with smaller, slower
steaming machines being able to
steam and foam smaller quantities
of milk without a problem. It is
definitely a concern at the
commercial or prosumer level of
machines where too small a
quantity of milk will almost flash
heat on you before you can create
any foam. It can of course be done
but to start here would only add to
the difficulty of learning to steam
milk. The end result is that you will
have extra milk left over when you
steam for a cappuccino. Toss it,
rinse the pitcher for the next drink

Next up, you blow out your steam

wand to get rid of any of the water
that has condensed up inside the
wand. We don’t want that going
into our milk. Most likely, your
prosumer machine will have a heat
exchanger system or a dual boiler,
which means your machine is ready
to produce steam as soon as it's
turned on and heated up.

If you machine is a single boiler /

dual use boiler, you have to warm
up the machine to steam production
by pressing / flipping the steam
switch. One machine that both fits
the prosumer category and the
single boiler category is the very
capable Isomac Zaffiro - a great
espresso machine, and a great
steamer as well, but you have to
wait a few minutes for the heat up

Machine ready to go, wand dried of

all moisture build up? Good! Sink
the tip of the steamwand deep into
the milk and open up the wand all

A word about “all the way.” On

most home machines you get to
this point pretty quickly with a half
turn of the dial. The same happens
on most prosumer and commercial
machines BUT I often see two
things that you want to avoid. One
is that the valve does not get open
all the way and nervous first timers
are trying to steam milk with just a
little gurgle of steam coming out of
the wand. You won’t create foam
this way. The second thing is that
on most setups a half turn is
enough to open the valve all the
way. Four more turns to the left
make no difference in the amount
of steam coming out of the wand.

But if you crank it four or five

turns, you run the risk of getting to
the end of the steaming process and
not being able to shut the wand off
in time and the milk gets
overheated. Find the point at which
you’re getting maximum steam
pressure out of the wand with the
minimum number of turns of the

Steamin' steamin', steamin! You're

on the way. Bring the tip quickly
and expertly up to just below the
surface of the milk so that you hear
a ch-ch-ch sound. This is the point
at which the milk is being foamed;
we’ll call it the sweet spot. If you
don’t hear any sound, you are not
foaming the milk, you are only
heating it. If you start to get big,
big bubbles the tip is too high and
needs to be lowered deeper into the
This is one of the trickier aspects of
steaming milk. Milk is most
receptive to taking on air and being
foamed when it is cold. If you’re
putzing around trying to find the
sweet spot the milk will be heating
up and you will be quickly cutting
down the time with which you have
to create the greatest volume of
foam with the milk. Not good. You
want to find the sweet spot pronto,
create as much foam as you will
need and then sink the tip deep into
the milk to continue heating the
milk up to the desired temperature.
How much foam do I need Aaron?
What is the desired temperature?
Read on comrade.

The type of foam we are trying to

create is the kind that minstrels
sing songs about. It is a
homogenous mix of steamed milk
and foam throughout the entire
pitcher of milk. To pour latte art
you actually need a smaller volume
of foam than many people realize.
Once finding their foaming legs
many Baristi like to create as much
foam as the can with the logic that
foaming is a tough thing to learn,
they’ve learned it and they are now
going to show you just how good

The fact is, too much foam and you

will not be able to pour latte art.
Starting to create foam right from
the gun you should be able to
create as much foam as you will
need for a latte by about 100-120F
after which you will sink the
steamwand and finish heating up
the milk to the desired temperature.
For a cappuccino you will be
creating more foam and need to
foam the milk for longer and a little
bit more aggressively. I find that
I’m foaming milk well up to 140F
to create the desired volume of
foam for a cappuccino.

Foaming the milk late in the game

is a bit risky. If you accidentally
break the surface there will be an
instant creation of big bubble foam.
Ooops. The worse part is that it
will be at a point that it will be
difficult to get it reincorporated
into the rest of the milk. Ideally
when you are steaming milk you
position the steamwand so that it is
at the edge of the steaming pitcher
such that the milk is spinning in a
whirlpool motion really quickly.
This helps to create the texture of
foam we are looking for but it also
helps to reincorporate any big
bubbles we may have created when
initially finding the sweet spot.
And you're looking for a whirlpool
effect while steaming. Most, if not
all prosumer machines should be
capable of this.

Here's a special Aaron-Tip™. I

really like to rest the edge of the
pitcher on the steamwand. It gives
me stability and control to make
the very small, almost
imperceptible changes to the
pitcher that are necessary for
fabulous foam.

Now for a visual how to - a perfect

macchiato being made, from start
to finish. This one uses a 12oz
pitcher, which requires a lot of deft
handling on a powerful espresso
A proper tamp... Technique - twist
Don't let anyone tell Straight arm, level,
you that tamping is not tamp, knock, tamp, and
part of the process of a twist will do it.
turning out great
espresso.

Intensity Swirl whirlpool

Get right into it - hold This is a 12oz pitcher -
that pitcher tight, use very small for a pro
your hands to gauge machine - but it can be
temps (this requires lots done.
of practice with a
thermometer).

Hun' percent foam Apple forming

This is all foam - As you can see, the
microfoam - coming apple is forming with
out. Controlling the the stem. At this point,
pour determines how the decision was made
much or how little foam to include a heart -
stays on top of the watch for it.
 crema.

The apple heart It looks so good...

This is about as perfect that we were hesitant to
a macchiato as you can drink it. It was every bit
get - rich, luxurious as tasty and rich as it
espresso, perfect pour. looked!

Temperature Concerns
How hot do we want to take the
milk? Depends a lot on the
application and how the coffee is
being served. The ceiling for me is
160F. This is the maximum I ever
take milk, unless you’ve got
someone partial to the taste of
scalded milk and then take it into
the 170-180 range.

160F is ideal if the drink might be

in a cup to go or if there is whipped
cream being added etc. Not typical
for home application.

The ideal temperature for you

steaming milk is between 150-
155F. This is when the milk is
being poured into pre-heated cups
and being served and consumed
immediately...like all coffee should
by the way.

And while I'm at it, allow me a

small aside: The idea that if you
don’t have 10 minutes for a coffee,
guess what? Don’t bother. Take the
time to make, serve and enjoy a
coffee. I mean for all the effort that
goes into selecting, roasting,
brewing, steaming etc. Take a
moment. Nothing in life can’t be
put on hold for 10 minutes without
the world coming to an end. Except
of course if you have small
children, then you are excused.

Ok back to our regular

programming. Steaming milk up to
150-155F requires that you actually
shut the steamwand off
approximately 5-10F before the
desired temperature. There is
always a bit of a lag to the
thermometer. Shutting the
steamwand off at 145F will
actually see the needle continue to
coast upwards and generally settle
at 155F, 10F higher than the
temperature you shut that wand off

This will vary from machine to

machine: the more entry level
home machines will see less
coasting of the temperature after
the wand is shut off. The higher
end prosumer and commercial
machines exhibit more of a
coasting effect, with a temperature
of 10F higher than the temperature
the wand was shut off at being

Let’s have a look at our foam. How

have we done? If milk is steamed
to perfection the surface of the milk
with be completely smooth with
uniform, tight, small bubble foam.
Achieve perfection and you can
write an article on how to steam
milk next time. :)
The next step up is a mix of the
small bubble foam mixed in with
some deceptive medium bubble
stuff that looks sort of ok but is a
sign that we’ve missed the mark a
bit. Of course, if you’ve got
dishwater foam, that big, big
bubble stuff well you probably
know that you’ve missed the mark
and that you dramatically broke the
surface of the milk while steaming
to achieve (almost instantaneously)
those big, bad bubbles.

If any big bubbles are visible we

can try to save the day by knocking
our pitcher on the counter,
pounding it as it were. You should
see the bigger bubbles break up and
the settle in. Not all hope is lost. If
you have those deceptive medium
bubbles that are not so much on the
surface but mixed in and more
towards the outside of your pitcher
of steamed milk with the inner
portion of milk showing some nice
tight foam… well those medium
bubbles are a bitch. They are big
enough to ruin attempts at latte art
and yet are small enough not to
really be affected by the knocking
of the pitcher. You need more

So you’ve knocked the pitcher a

half dozen times and things have
settled out a bit, the biggest bubbles
are gone and things are looking
pretty good. At this point you want
to forcefully spin the milk. I like to
keep the pitcher resting on a
counter and spin it around making
tighter and tighter circles as it were.

It's much like whipping an egg in a

bowl, you can really spin things
without fear of the milk coming
over the edge of the pitcher. What
you want to notice is how the
surface of the milk changes and
goes from a dull luster to a
beautiful luminescent sheen.

Oooooh, very cool.

The milk foam has a wet

gloppiness to it if you were to
spoon some out and is just begging
to be poured in a cup and introduce
itself it Mr. Espresso. You are
standing on the precipice of
pouring some latte art at this point.

How much foam did you create?

Did your volume double? Perfect
for a cappuccino or two but waaaay
too much for latte art. If done right
there should be a 33% to 50% max
increase in the volume of milk. Too
much foam, even perfect foam will
tend to lump into your cup when
you pour. If you suspect you have
too much foam but dare to go for
the Rosetta pour anyway, spoon a
little foam out first, then you’re off.

Ideally I’m shooting for prepping

my drinks in a way that looks like
the following:
Get the milk measured and
ready to steam.
Grind, dose and tamp your
espresso, lock it in and
brew away.
At the same time that the
shot is pouring start
steaming the milk.
Both should finish at the
same time et voila milk
goes on top of the coffee
and the drink is served.
This is ideal but only works on
prosumer or commercial machines.
Depending on your particular set
up you may want to steam the milk
first or pour the shots first and then
steam the milk...If you find that
you are waiting for your espresso
to finish pouring, keep that milk
spinning in your pitcher. If you let
the milk sit, the foam will settle out
and there will be no hope of a free
pour anything let alone an attempt
at some latte art. Keep the milk
spinning and the foam will tend to
stay all mixed up and in solution so
to speak. When the shots are ready
you’ll be able to pour the milk in
achieving the mixing of the
espresso with the foam and
everything will be right with the

Latte Art

You waited for it, now you got it.

On top of my words, you're also
going to see a lot of examples of
some really first rate latte art done
by some of CoffeeGeek's members.
I'm just completely amazed,
excited and impressed by what the
cronies around here are capable of -
serve me a drink anytime folks!
You rock, and you show the rest of
us that latte art is achievable.

So let's get into it. The Holy Grail

is here - Latte Art.
The Variables are Right
Ok, you read this guide, you know
how to pull a killer shot of
espresso, and you've done things:
espresso perfection awaits at the
bottom of your cup. You’d take a
picture if you didn’t have a pitcher
of pristinely foamed milk, with
nanometer-sized bubbles and a
quicksilver sheen in your hand. The
proportion of foam is perfect. You
want to pour latte art....

Much like rubbing your tummy and

tapping your head, pouring latte art
requires that you do two things at
the same time. Pour the milk at a
consistent and even rate AND
shake the pitcher side to side with
the even tempo of a metronome.

Use a wide mouth cup. Ideally I

like a smaller size (6oz) but some
might find a larger 12oz size to
work better. The trick is with the
wide mouth you will more easily
see the design develop and if
anything the wide mouth can assist
in its development.

Here's something you might not

want to do, but should: Practice
with water first. It doesn’t have the
same viscosity of milk but it can
give you a chance to get a feel for
pouring and then shaking at the
same time. You will also need to be
gradually but steadily raising the
pitcher so that the milk continues to
pour at a steady rate. Later in the
pour there is less milk in the pitcher
and to keep the milk flowing you
will need to tilt the bottom of the

To give you a further sense of

what's going on - any fly fishers
out there? David Schomer, that
maestro of the latte art, likes to
compare the art of pouring to
casting a line while fly fishing.
Dave's an avid fly fisher, you see,
and he says there's a similar rhythm
in casting a fly line and pouring
You need to have
patience when casting the line,
letting the line drift back, waiting
until it loads the rod before
accelerating the line again with the
snap of your wrist. When pouring
latte art there is a mimicking of this
process swinging the pitcher side to
side, waiting for the milk to "load"
up in the side of the pitcher before
changing direction and swinging it
to the other side. Typically new
people oscillate the pitcher back
and forth too quickly, trying to rush
the process. The side to side
motion needs to be more
rhythmical, almost lazy, much like
the casting of a fly line. Be patient
and let the milk set the timing of
the oscillations.

I'm assuming if you're a fly fisher,

this makes perfect sense. If you're
not go rent "A River Runs Through
It" and you'll get a bit of a better
idea of what David is talking about.

Getting back to the practical, you're

ready to pour, and you need to
position. Hold the cup on a slight
angle, with the back of the cup
being raised up and the edge of the
cup closest to you sitting slightly
lower. This fans the coffee out in
the cup and helps in the
development of the leaves for our

Pour starting in the center of the

coffee, especially for small cups.
Just start pouring straight into the
middle of the coffee. I like to keep
the edge of the pitcher resting on
the edge of the cup at this point.

With the cup about halfway to 3/4

full give the pitcher a little side to
side shake and you should start to
see the leaves of the penumbra
begin to form. Your wrist has also
managed to do the "throw" that
Schomer describes in his latte art

Continue the shake, continuing to

pour in the center of the coffee.
The leaves should move away from
you on the surface of the espresso.
After about 4-6 shakes you will
need to begin moving the pitcher
back towards you, continuing to
shake side to side with a little bit of
a tighter oscillation.

This movement is slower than what

many people attempt initially.
Don’t get nervous and try to rush
things. It won’t work. Slow, steady,
almost "natural" slow beat
metronome movements are your

As you near the edge of the cup

having created lots of leaves or
delineations in the surface of the
espresso you want to then draw
through those leaves with the pour
of the milk. Do this slowly, and
also elevate your pour just a bit to
keep the center stem slim and
complimentary to the leaves.

Do it too quickly and it will pull

the leaves up tight making your
Rosetta look like a Christmas tree
that hasn’t had its branches come

Last bit of advice: Practice,

practice, practice. Pro Baristi pour
hundreds of drinks a day, and that's
their practice time. You have the
luxury of no lineups to deal with.

Latte Art Examples by

CoffeeGeeks
At CoffeeGeek, many of our
regular members and forum
participants are regular maestros at
the whole latte art thing. We put
out a notice some months back
asking for these latte art virtuosos
to post their best examples of their

As you can see below, the skill

levels are high. Some of the
machines used are some of the
cheapest espresso machines on the
market today; others are full
prosumer machines.

Enjoy this pictorial of some of our

CG members' best work
Jim Schulman (CoffeeGeek
Forums Moderator)
Jim has his hot and cold days when
banging out latte art (as he says
himself), but lately, he's been on a

Rosetta Rosetta
A very delicate, full Jim seems to have a
leaf rosetta. knack for doing very
slender leaf designs.

Bobby Ellis
Bobby recently got the hang of
latte art, but he's been showing off
some great examples of etching as
 Etching, part 2 Rosetta
Etching can also be Wow - great, delicate,
done with chocolate and beautifully formed.
syrup, giving some
interesting contrasts.

Avi is another newcomer to latte

art, but he sure is making up for

Heart
Avi pounds out the All of these were done
on a budget consumer
machine - not bad!

Robert Hall, MD
CoffeeGeek's resident "amateur"
latte art super expert and Forums
Doctor, Rob has been setting the
standard on our website for what is
possible in latte art. Maybe it's the
steady hands...

Rosetta Rosetta
Rob has some of the Is this one smiling at
most unique leaf me?
patterns I've seen.
Steve Wang
Steve, a stockbroker in Chicago, is
definitely catching up to our latteart
champeen Rob - he went from
nowhere to these amazing designs
in a few short weeks.
 Rosetta Vesuvius Rosetta
A very well formed Beauty, with a cloud
rosetta with intricate top.
weaving.

Rosetta Rosetta
Happy rosetta, nicely A very nice, bottom
balanced rosetta, more
like a rose.

Chris Thompson
Chris is another amazing latte art
technician who participates
regularly in our forums. Here's
some of his art.

Rosetta Rosetta
Another well defined Another great rosetta.
rosetta build by Chris Darker flecks in crema
come from chocolate
powder.
Simon James
Simon cheats a little in this list -
he's a cafe manager in Australia -
but his work is awesome.
Rosetta Rosetta
Nice and tight rosetta Middle of the cup, using
pattern. the crema as a big
frame.