Which Milk Makes Foam That Lasts in Latte Art?

Chilled whole milk froths more easily and holds foam longer than the alternatives. Milk is sorted by storage into shelf-stable and chilled, and by fat content into whole and skim. Shelf-stable milk is sterilized at high temperature and keeps for about six months unrefrigerated, but taste and nutrition suffer. Chilled milk is pasteurized, lasts roughly seven to twelve days refrigerated, and keeps better flavor.

Fat content matters as much as storage. Whole milk forms fine, dense foam and tastes fuller, while skim milk, with the fat removed, is harder to work with and turns out watery. Foam durability also depends on the ratio of milk to foam, the barista's skill, and how long the pitcher sits before pouring. Front Street steams Vitasoy whole milk for practice.

When beginners practice latte art, milk foam is often difficult to froth or dissipates quickly. In fact, the choice of milk and the frothing technique both directly affect the quality of the milk foam. Front Street Coffee, drawing on practical experience, has sorted out the differences between shelf-stable milk and chilled milk, whole milk and skim milk, and explained in detail the temperature control, operational details, and common problems of steaming milk foam. The article also analyzes how the ratio of milk to milk foam, personal skill, and standing time affect the durability of the milk foam, helping coffee lovers systematically master the key points for producing fine, dense milk foam.

Many friends, when they first start exploring latte art and practicing milk frothing, always feel that the milk foam just won't turn out ideal no matter what. In fact, the quality of the milk itself also affects how easy it is to froth. This time, Front Street is recommending a few types of milk that are relatively suitable for frothing milk foam.

From a barista's perspective, milk can be divided by storage method into shelf-stable milk and chilled milk, or by fat content into whole milk and skim milk. For latte art, chilled whole milk is the ideal choice, as it has the advantage in both flavor performance and frothing difficulty.

Shelf-stable milk: It undergoes high-temperature sterilization, reaching an almost fully sterilized state, so it can be stored at room temperature for a long time, with a shelf life of usually 6 months, though its taste and nutrition are somewhat compromised.

Chilled milk: It is sterilized using pasteurization, which kills most bacteria, but it must be kept refrigerated, with a shelf life of about 7 to 12 days. Although its storage time is short, its nutrition and flavor are better preserved.

Whole milk: The fat content of milk is an important criterion for judging frothing difficulty. Whole milk is relatively easy to froth and more readily forms fine, dense milk foam.

Skim milk: Skim milk is made by processing to remove the fat, and is suitable for some people with allergic conditions or high blood pressure. But Front Street must emphasize again that skim milk is comprehensively inferior to whole milk in flavor—it tastes watery and the milky flavor is noticeably lacking.

How to froth milk foam Front Street uses Vitasoy whole milk. Before steaming, you must let the machine preheat fully and confirm that what comes out is steam, so that the pressure is sufficient; if you are using a professional commercial machine, this won't be a problem.

Many lower-priced espresso machines on the market lack sufficient pressure and emit only water and a little steam. The steam nozzles of such machines often have a plastic head, and one end of the plastic head draws in air—be careful not to let it go below the milk surface

When steaming, it's usually important to control the temperature and not steam for too long—generally, you can stop at around 60°C. You can judge by touching the bottom of the milk pitcher with your hand: when it feels hot to the touch and you can smell the milky aroma, it's time to stop.

The final step is crucial. Once the milk foam has been created, place a thick cloth on the table and gently tap the pitcher containing the milk foam on the table a few times to shake out the air bubbles trapped in the foam. This makes the foam denser, so even if you don't drink it right away, it won't dissipate quickly.

For steaming milk foam, it's best to use milk freshly taken out of the refrigerator for optimal results.

After inserting the steam wand into the pitcher, it should be positioned about one centimeter below the center of the milk's surface. If the sound is too loud, it means the angle needs adjustment.

You can practice with a thermometer first. Turn off the steam before the temperature reaches the target, because the temperature rises very quickly in the later stage.

Properly steamed milk should have a semi-thick, slightly viscous consistency—basically, you don't want to steam it fully, but you need to control the temperature properly.

After turning off the steam, tap the pitcher on the table once. You'll see the foam on the surface become fine and soft.

If the foam is coarse and has bubbles, it means the milk temperature is too high. This is usually caused by poor temperature control or turning off the steam too late.

Many factors affect how long milk foam can be maintained.

The temperature to which milk is heated There are two main ways to create milk foam: one is by steaming, and the other is by using a French press to pump the milk.

Let's start with steamed milk foam. The temperature shouldn't be too low, or the foam structure won't be dense enough and won't last long. Too high a temperature is even worse, because once the milk boils, the foam is no longer dense—instead, it becomes large bubbles formed by boiling and bursts easily.

So what temperature is most suitable for milk foam? Roughly around 75°C. However, a very stylish barista told me that he never uses a thermometer when steaming milk—instead, he uses the thinnest part of his palm, the thick pad of flesh next to his thumb, to sense the temperature. That area is most sensitive to heat, and he steams until it feels hot to the touch.

A good cup of coffee often requires trying many different whole milk brands before determining which one is more suitable. It's also worth mentioning that different coffee beans pair best with different milks. Sometimes a milk that's too rich can actually overpower the coffee's own depth, so even if a certain milk produces excellent foam, it may not be the optimal pairing for that particular bean. As for milk foam made with a French press, basically any cold milk can be used. The faster and more frequently you pump, the better the quality of the bubbles. This type of foam is usually used for cold drinks.

Milk-to-foam ratio Simply put, from 500ml of milk, you can produce 1000ml of milk-and-foam mixture, or just 600ml. It entirely depends on what coffee you're making—for example, what latte art you're doing, or whether you're making a latte or cappuccino. Relatively speaking, the higher the proportion of milk to foam, the denser the foam. Of course, this is closely related to personal skill.

Personal skill This is even more complex to discuss. How you operate the steam wand, when to turn up the steam and when to turn it down, how deep to insert the steam wand into the milk, and the force of stirring—all affect the result. The lower the initial temperature of the milk, the more time you have for steaming, and the more room you have to adjust the foam quality. The steam wand works by using steam to rapidly mix air with the milk, so how you form bubbles on the milk's surface and then whip them into the densest possible state matters greatly. This also requires years of practice. To save costs, Front Street Coffee often practices with water instead of milk.

After steaming, you still need to handle the milk in your pitcher. Front Street Coffee generally taps the pitcher firmly on the table a few times. "Firmly" isn't actually very hard—the force is quite particular: too light, and the large bubbles in the milk won't be shaken out; too hard, and you'll knock new large bubbles in. Of course, this is just a personal habit—some people don't use this technique.

Resting time Generally, steamed milk should be used to make coffee as soon as possible. Otherwise, the longer it sits, the fewer bubbles remain, and the foam loses its fineness.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.