A delicious latte or cappuccino starts with a good espresso machine (List of best espresso machines of 2020). But what sets the incredible apart from the ordinary is the quality of the milk froth.

Milk Frothing Guide for Beginners

Prerequisites

First, the prerequisites. Make sure your machine is clean and ready to steam. For auto frothing, milk residue can clog internal components or block air intake holes, a very common cause of poor frothing performance. So take your wand apart, clean it up and pay special attention to the air intake holes. Moreover, when you reassemble, make sure all of the components are put together properly and fully seated. Next, know how your machine indicates that it’s ready to steam. On low-cost entry-level machines with a single boiler, you typically flip a switch and wait while the machine gets up to steaming temperature. The light will come on, indicating it’s ready. On higher-end machines with heat exchanger or dual boiler steam, it is usually always available after the machine warmed up. We suggest starting with a 12-ounce pitcher filled with cold milk to just below the start of the spout. Cold milk takes air better and makes frothing easier. Before steaming, open the valve to purge any residual water. You don’t want that extra water in your milk. After purging, shut off the steam.

Tip 1: Position

Now let’s talk about that first tip which is tip position. For both auto frothing and manual wands, with the steam off, position a tip of the wand slightly below the surface of the milk and turn the steam back on. If using an auto-frothing wand, leave the tip in this position. On most wands of this type, more air injection occurs the closer the tip gets to the surface of the milk.

On the other hand, for manual wands, the idea is to lower the pitcher so the wand gets very close to the surface of the milk, finding the position that causes small amounts of air to get sucked in. You should hear an occasional rip as a venturi effect sucks air into the milk. Then as the milk expands, continue lowering the pitcher to keep the wand tip and a position close to the surface of the milk. This keeps small amounts of air ripping in.

Tip 2: Temperature

The second tip is temperature while finding a tip position that rolls the milk. A common way of getting the role is to angle the wand using the pitcher’s spout as a guide. That role is important as it works to break up larger bubbles and mix them to a uniform consistency. We like a final milk temperature of about 140 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. In that range, the apparent sweetness of the milk due to heating is at its highest. If you go any hotter, that sweetness quickly fades. You can use a frothing thermometer to get to that temperature range or just use your hands to feel the pitcher. That 140 to 155 range is where the pitcher is just starting to get a little uncomfortable to hold. Once you’ve reached the final temperature, with the tip still in the milk, shut off the steam, remove the pitcher and wipe down the wand and purge it again to expel any residual milk.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to comment below.