Frothing milk is an art. Anyone can take some milk and run it under the steam wand on their espresso maker, but doing it properly can yield some rewarding results. Properly frothed milk will have a nice airy and sweet taste to it, whereas improperly frothed milk can end up tasting like cardboard and “deflate” very quickly.

Here are some tips and tricks that can help you on your journey to creating the perfect foam.

First off there are generally 2 different types of foam that are produced for coffee drinks these days. The first one is micro-foam where the milk being frothed will increase about 1/3 in volume. This foam will have smaller bubbles than what you would see in a cappuccino and would be used to serve the perfect latte or cafe au lait. Then there is frothed milk for a cappuccino where the volume of the milk will more or less double. This foam will have larger bubbles and a much lighter consistency, however, this lighter foam will “deflate” more rapidly than the thicker micro-foam.

Using the Steam Wand.

The most important part of using the steam wand is positioning it so that it sits in the most ideal location of the pitcher of milk. Having the wand sit close to the bottom of the pitcher is ideal for heating up the milk but not ideal for creating foam. While having the wand sit too close to the top part of the pitcher will make it easier for the milk to become aerated to create foam, but not ideally heat up the milk.
For best results we find that having the wand sit in the middle is ideal for creating the perfect foam while also getting the milk to the right temperature.

Also one more thing needs to be noted about the steaming wand. Some espresso makers will have a wand that has multiple holes in the tip which are angled whereas others will have a single hole tip. If the machine you are using has a single hole tip we suggest that the milk pitcher is angled for the frothing process for the best results. For machines that have a multi-holed tip no angling of the pitcher is needed.

Duration.

The best way to know when your frothed milk is ready to be served on your coffee is by volume and by temperature. From our own experience we have found that the volume of the milk should increase by 50-75% for a good solid foam that is not too heavy and not too light. Should you want a more soap suds like airy foam keep frothing the milk till the milks volume has roughly doubled. Should want to experiment with the latte art, a good consistency will be had when the milk has increased about 50% in volume.

Temperature.

For ideal results cold milk fresh from the refrigerator should be used and the temperature should not exceed 70C or 160F after the frothing process. This is the temperature where the milk’s proteins start to break down and in turn will change the taste of the milk and also the consistency of the foam.
We recommend using a thermometer to check the milks temperature and if the temperature is not warm enough, remember that moving the steam wand to the bottom of the pitcher will increase the temperature without influencing the volume of foam all that much.