Adding steamed milk to espresso can make or break a drink, but by understanding the basics of milk steaming, you’ll learn to balance temperature, texture, and consistency to ensure you’re adding the best milk possible to your espresso.
How do you make delicious, foamy milk at home? The experts at La Marzocco tell us how. It's all about warming up the milk, adding air to the milk and developing a consistent texture throughout the milk.
1. Fill the pitcher half full with cold milk (about a finger-width below the spout)
2. Give your steam wand a quick purge
3. Position the steam wand at a 15 degree angle
4. Place the steam wand slightly off center—not touching the side of the pitcher (3 o’ clock position)
6. Turn on the steam wand/engage the steam boiler
7. Add air to milk—listen for slight hisses
8. Once milk reaches ~100 degrees, submerge steam tip and begin spinning milk, creating a whirlpool
9. Stop right around 140 degrees (just before its too hot to hold)
When you’re finished, well-steamed milk should look like wet paint.
What are ways you can improve your coffee drinking experience at home?
Drinking coffee at home means something a little different to everyone. The ritual and tradition of making and drinking a coffee often go far beyond simply consuming a drink—to many, it’s closely tied to memories, nostalgia, and meaningful routines.
So, whatever you do, make sure you enjoy doing it! Some simple ways to improve the espresso-making experience?
1. Use a scale
2. Have a target brew ratio and recipe in mind
3. Think about your workflow and how to set things up to make things easier throughout the drink-making process
Now that you have your steamed milk, you need the perfect espresso base. Click here to find out how to get started.