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Textured Milk Preparation |
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Monday, 11 July 2005 |
Textured Milk Preparation: Courtesy Gimme! Coffee, Ithaca NY
www.gimmecoffee.com
Textured milk represents a departure from classic
espresso drink preparation: it is the process that makes “latte art”
possible. A classic cappuccino consists of a shot in a 6 to 8 ounce
cup, topped with half steamed milk, which is poured, and half foam,
which is generally spooned on top. Milk texturing involves both the
method of steaming the milk, and style of pouring it into
the espresso to create a design out of milk and crema. Here’s a quick
overview: STEAMING THE MILK Begin with a clean, cool, empty pitcher.
Use a blend of skim and whole milk. Steam only as much milk as the
current drink will require.
The goal is have an empty pitcher when you have finished pouring the
drink. Bring pitcher to a position such that the steam wand is
submerged roughly 1/2” below the surface of the milk. Power on the
steam wand full-throttle, taking care to keep the tip submerged to
prevent the wholesale influx of air into the contents of the pitcher.
Control your use of the steam wand and introduce the tiniest bubbles
possible into the milk. If you are aerating properly, you’ll hear it
hiss softly, or make a sound like you are tearing a sheet of newsprint.
If the pitcher is “screaming,” you probably haven’t put enough air into
it. If it sounds like steam is violently blasting into the milk
pitcher, you’re probably putting too much air into it. Big bubbles are
bad. Finish aeration within ten seconds from the start of steaming. But
keep steaming! Read further... POLISHING THE MILK Lift your pitcher to
submerge the steam wand, and then tilt your pitcher a bit to create a
clockwise whirlpool or vortex inside.
This causes the bigger bubbles to burst and puts the micro-bubbles in
suspension in the milk. Power off the steam wand when the pitcher is up
to temperature, between 140 and 150 degrees. If you go above 150
degrees, then the milk will scald and lose its natural sweetness. Try
to finish texturing milk at the same time the shot ends. Set down the
pitcher and purge the steam wand, wiping it with a dedicated wet bar
cloth. Replace bar cloth to dedicated spot.
Pick up pitcher again and tap it gently a few times on the counter to
break any remaining larger bubbles, and then swirl the liquid to
“polish” the milk just before your pour. The surface of perfectly
textured milk will have a matte bright white finish. If it looks
granular, something went a little wrong. POURING THE MILK Pour the
textured milk over the shot slowly. The sweet espresso crema will be
lifted to the top, floating on the milk top.
Pour a bit faster when the pour is two-thirds finished, and “will” the
artwork out of the pitcher using a wrist-driven, side-to-side motion.
This technique, when practiced to perfection, will result in the
appearance of a wonderful “rosetta” on the top of the beverage. “Latte
art” always wins a smile from its recipient and the fact is, drinks
made with textured milk taste so much better!
Put leftover milk in the refrigerator. Add fresh milk before steaming
again, or pour off into mocha pitcher. TIPS Try not to get frustrated,
as these techniques will take months and years to perfect. Reward the
baristi who demonstrate a personal commitment to their drink
preparation. A consistently marvelous shot is much more difficult to
achieve than perfectly textured milk.|
yeah!!
Written by brandy on 2006-02-21 11:58:37
thank you so much for this article , this is just what i have been looking for to make textured milk the right way i soooo appreciate it!!  | Thanks!
Written by rockstar9971 on 2006-03-06 09:15:44
Great article! I've been looking for an article like this for a while, so thanks!!!!!  | Written by squilo on 2006-03-06 18:50:13
i have not heard it put better. | Wow Great Article !
Written by Loren@DaMojo on 2007-09-05 10:32:45
Im forwarding this to someone I know who's been struggling with that !
Only, I've never heard of that blending skim and whole milk trick . Has anyone else? | YAY!
Written by fireflycoffee on 2008-01-17 14:08:11
This is simply fabulous! This will help me with those couple of steps that I knew I was missing! |
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