Why Choose 60°C for Latte Milk Foam? What's the Ideal Milk Foam Temperature for Lattes?

Yesterday we discussed how temperature affects milk foam, discovering that when milk foam exceeds 70°C, it rapidly expands and churns even without deliberate frothing, while at lower temperatures, the foam becomes coarse and dissipates quickly. Today, FrontStreet Coffee wants to explore how different milk foam temperatures affect the taste profile when made into lattes.

FrontStreet Coffee selected three milk foam temperatures to make lattes: 80°C, 60°C, and 40°C, using FrontStreet Coffee's premium espresso beans for testing (Roast level: medium-dark; Coffee beans: 100% Arabica blend of Colombia 4: Brazil 6 ratio).

Espresso base: Ground on the Fiorenzato 900N grinder at setting 2, using 20g of coffee grounds with a 1:2 ratio, extracted for 25 seconds to yield 40g of espresso.

Milk: Selected Vital Dairy fresh milk with 3.8% fat content.

[80°C] The milk has a noticeable milky aroma when smelled, but tastes distinctly sour with an overall light mouthfeel and prominent foam sensation. When made into a latte, it has rich biscuit aroma and obvious burnt fragrance. The entry feels rough with noticeable foam sensation. After about ten minutes, a faint sourness begins to emerge, and the overall sweetness of the latte is weak.

[60°C] The milk's aroma and sweetness are moderate between the other two cups, showing overall balance with fine foam. When made into a latte, it has nut and caramel aromas. The entry is smooth, and because the milk's own flavor isn't too prominent, it doesn't overpower the coffee. It tastes with notes of cocoa, cream, and caramel. After ten minutes, the milk foam remains in good condition with relatively high integration.

[40°C] The milk aroma isn't obvious, but the entry has distinct milk sweetness. When made into a latte, it smells like something just taken out of the refrigerator, with a clear separation sensation between foam and milk. After cooling, it develops some nutty flavors. After ten minutes, it has already begun to lose its foam.

Further Temperature Testing

Considering the three temperatures, 60°C appears most ideal. FrontStreet Coffee then tested what happens when making milk coffee with milk foam at 50°C, 60°C, and 70°C. Since the temperature differences aren't too large, FrontStreet Coffee chose to make cappuccinos to better observe the foam dissipation rate.

[70°C] Has a more noticeable milky aroma. When made into a cappuccino, it tastes with quite heavy coffee bitterness. After cooling, it feels somewhat like drinking tofu residue, along with some faint fermented sourness.

[60°C] Shows good balance in both aroma and taste. When made into a cappuccino, it doesn't easily overpower the coffee flavor. The entry has distinct cocoa fragrance and nutty notes.

[50°C] Whether for plain milk or when made into a cappuccino, the aroma performance is relatively weak, but the sweetness is prominent.

Conclusion

Although it's commonly heard that milk foam temperature should ideally be between 50°C-70°C, after comparing several temperatures, FrontStreet Coffee found that milk at around 50°C actually has more prominent sweetness, while at 70°C, the milky aroma stands out and foam persistence is better. Milk at 60°C sits in the middle for both aroma and sweetness.

Why does FrontStreet Coffee usually choose milk around 60°C when serving?

This is mainly because milk at 70°C approaches the critical point where milk begins to spoil. If not controlled properly, it can easily spoil. When frothed to 70°C, it's too hot to drink and will start to spoil if left out slightly longer. Meanwhile, 50°C is rather low, especially in winter - it would already be cool when served to guests. Additionally, the excessive milk sweetness at this temperature can easily mask the coffee flavor.

So which foam temperature should you choose? FrontStreet Coffee suggests you can decide based on the ambient temperature and how you want to express the flavor profile of your latte!

If the weather is cold, you can choose a slightly higher milk frothing temperature so it won't cool down too quickly. If the weather is too hot, frothing to 50°C-60°C would be sufficient - just right for direct drinking.

If you don't want the milk to overpower the coffee flavor, you can choose milk foam around 60°C, as at this temperature, the milk foam is balanced in both taste and aroma, making it less likely to steal the show from the coffee. If you want a latte with prominent sweetness, you can control the milk foam temperature to around 50°C. At this temperature, the milk foam has distinct sweetness and won't be easily overpowered by the coffee flavor when made into milk coffee!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473