23
Once you have the milk texture
correct, lower the steam wand into
the milk and complete the heating
process.
If you can hold your fingers against
the bottom of the jug for around 3
to 4 seconds, the milk temperature
will be around 70°C.That’s the milk
texture taken care of. Now let’s talk
espresso temperature and why
it’s important. The espresso when
it is extracted into your cup has a
temperature of approximately 90°C.
When you heat your milk it will be
about 70°C - any hotter and it will
scorch, ruining the taste.
So how do you now add the milk
to the espresso without making
the resulting latte or flat white
stone cold? You MUST heat the
cups. If your espresso machine
has a facility to heat cups, great,
if not heat them with hot water
prior to use.
Once you have heated and textured
the milk, you’re ready to pour it into
your espresso base.
With a spoon, gently groom the
surface of the milk, skimming off any
overly frothy milk. The milk surface
should now be glossy and have a
nice fine bead of bubbles.
Gently bang the bottom of the jug on
the bench top to settle the milk. Very
slowly, with the jug close to the top
of the cup, allow the milk to slowly
roll off the lip of the jug and into the
cup. Continue the pour in a gentle
continuous motion.
Remember to watch what’s
happening at the lip of the jug, as
this determines the quality of the
milk going into your espresso.
If the milk becomes too thin or thick,
stop the pour, gently bang the jug on
the counter top, groom the surface
again with your spoon until it’s shiny
and resume the pour. This all sounds
more difficult than it actually is. Try
it. You will throw out a few coffees to
begin with, but once you’ve mastered
the craft of making lattes and flat
whites, you’ll enjoy some of the most
luxurious coffees to be had.
THE POUR.
HEATING.
TROUBLE SHOOTING.
Overly bubbly and frothy milk is
caused by allowing too much air
into the milk as you heat it. Thin flat
milk is the result of not introducing
any air into the milk as you heat it,
or using milk that has previously
been heated. If you are still having
problems bring in a pint of milk and
we will be happy to show you how
it’s done.
