Milk Frothing Tips and Troubleshooting

Everything You Want to Know about Milk Frothing

Here we have some tips on milk frothing for beginner home baristas. In this article we cover types of milk for frothing, what makes milk froth better as well as common issues with frothing and how to troubleshoot them. 

Let’s start with why we actually froth milk. 

Why do we froth milk for coffee?

We froth milk because of the following: 

  • Frothed milk increases the taste of coffee. As aromas are more easily transported to your taste buds in higher temperatures, warmed up milk increases the taste. Apart from that, frothed milk creates a similar effect as slurping does – you get more air into your drink, which increases sensations.
  • Milk becomes more creamy and delicate
  • It stays longer on your taste buds

 

Frothed milk poured into a coffee cup with latte art

What does milk frothing do?

Milk frothing aerates milk creating tiny bubbles. The tiny bubbles of air in milk create a microfoam giving the milk a creamy texture and increasing the milk volume. Different milk frothing techniques produce different kinds of foam from smooth creamy textures for lattes to fluffy foams for cappuccinos with lots of air bubbles.

You may also like:

15 types of milk for frothing

 
Why is the milk used in latte steamed and not boiled?

A question that beginner baristas often ask is: Does it make a big difference in the flavor of my latte if I boil the milk, versus steaming it? 

Yes, if you boil the milk, it will change the flavor. That’s one of the reasons why we steam milk for lattes and don’t boil it. Apart from that, boiling milk doesn’t create froth, while steaming does both: heats the milk up and creates the froth. 

We use steamed and not boiled milk for latte for these two reasons:

  • To get air bubbles into the milk
    Steaming milk creates a stable, velvety foam and brings out the sweetness in milk.
  • Not to overheat the milk
    Stemmed milk has a lower temperature than boiled milk. The maximum temperature for a latte should be 152°F (67°C), above this temperature milk changes its flavor. As the milk boiling point is at around 203°F (95°C), it means that your coffee with boiled milk won’t taste good! 
What milk should you use for steaming?

Full-fat cow’s milk is best for steaming as it creates rich creamy foam enhancing the taste of coffee. Having said that, you can use almost any type of milk or milk substitute for steaming, no fat or full-fat milk can be used. Apart from that, what really matters is your taste and personal preferences. 

Milk frothing temperature

What‘s the right milk frothing temperature? For hot milky coffee, heat the milk up to 140 – 152 °F (60 – 67 °C). For cold or iced coffee drinks you can use cold milk. 

One of the most common mistakes in milk frothing is overheating the milk. Milk begins to change its taste and structure at around 154 – 156 °F (68 – 69 °C), so you should avoid reaching this temperature. Apart from the burned flavor, it would be difficult to draw latte art above this temperature. 

How to know the milk temperature during frothing? If you want to do it by hand, the time to stop heating the milk is when the frothing jug begins to burn your hands. But you can also use a milk frothing thermometer. 

Milk frothing thermometer

More common questions about milk frothing answered

Is cold or warm milk better for frothing?

What happens if you froth cold milk? Can cold milk froth? 

Cold milk is better for frothing than warm milk. The colder the milk, the better it also steams. If possible keep your steaming jug chilled. Warm, hot, or old milk doesn’t froth very well, it will produce a lot of large bubbles. 

What is the best milk to froth cold?

The best milk to froth it cold is 2% fat milk or low-fat milk

Milk frothing – too much foam

When you get too much foam or too large air bubbles in your milk, this means that you have too much air in your milk. 

To troubleshoot this, try the following:

  • Introduce the air to the milk before it heats up too much
  • Start frothing with cold milk
  • If you use a steam wand, lower the end when you have enough air in the milk to stop adding air to it. 
  • When using the wand, keep its end just below the surface and listen for the slight ‘kissing’ sound. Too much noise means too much air. 
  • Get the milk to spin if you are using a steam wand 
Why does milk not froth?

The potential reasons why milk doesn’t foam include:

  • Milk is too old
  • Too high-fat content in milk
  • Too short frothing time
  • It has a reduced protein content 
  • Milk was heated or burned before (always start with fresh, cold milk) 
  • It’s too hot (the colder, the better it froths) 
Frothing milk and sugar

Can you froth milk with sugar?

Yes, you can froth milk with sugar, however, it will be more difficult to clean your milk frother or steam wand when you do that. Sugar in milk makes it stick to the surface, that’s why it’s more difficult to clean. If you want to know more about what happens when you froth milk with sugar, what milk you can froth with sugar etc, check out this article:

What makes milk froth better?

There are two main things that make milk froth better: temperature and fat. Heating milk to 140oF (60oC) or above helps produce a more dense and stable foam. It’s because in higher temperatures we get smaller air bubbles which are distributed more evenly throughout the foam. When it comes to fat, it plays a vital role in stabilizing these bubbles.

Do you froth milk hot or cold?

Depending on the coffee drink you’re making, you can froth milk either hot or cold. However, cold milk is easier to foam, and the warmer the milk the less able it is to hold the foam. 

Does warm milk froth better? 

No, warm milk doesn’t froth very well. Cold milk is better for frothing. 

How to froth milk with a stem wand?

If you want to know how to steam milk with a steam wand, here is our guide:

Leave a Comment