How Long to Foam Milk for Latte Art: The Perfect Milk Foam Thickness for Making Latte Coffee Art

Regarding the knowledge of frothing milk, FrontStreet Coffee has previously shared it in great detail. However, recently some friends have sent videos of milk frothing and asked FrontStreet Coffee for some suggestions. Coincidentally, these problems are common issues that beginners encounter when frothing milk, so let's specifically discuss several points to pay attention to when frothing milk.

Category 1: No foam after frothing

The most important reason for this is that the steam wand was initially buried too deep in the milk. First, let's briefly understand how the steam wand creates foam. The steam wand releases high-temperature water vapor, which when directly injected into milk only serves to heat the milk.

However, if this water vapor passes through air before entering the milk, it will create foam. When air is beaten into the milk, there will be a tearing sound of air, which makes a "sizzling" sound. Therefore, to know whether foam has been created, just listen for whether there's a "sizzling" sound. Foam is essentially air wrapped in protein.

Therefore, to create foam, the steam holes must not be submerged in milk. However, if all steam holes are exposed, it creates uncontrollable risks, such as rapidly creating thick and coarse foam, or the steam being too strong and directly spraying milk outside the pitcher.

Therefore, the safest way to froth milk is to have the steam wand half-buried in the milk. If it's a multi-hole design, you only need to ensure that one hole is not submerged in milk.

Category 2: The frothed foam is very coarse

As long as the steam wand is not buried too deep, foam can be created, but making the foam fine after creating it requires many techniques. FrontStreet Coffee previously taught everyone to first create foam and then refine it. In fact, the creation and refinement of foam can be done simultaneously, which reduces the pressure for subsequent refinement.

The most crucial point in refining foam is creating a vortex. The water vapor released from the steam holes not only can beat air into the milk but also continuously cut the air wrapped in protein. We know that when protein wraps more air, the foam becomes larger and more likely to break. The released water vapor can thus break those unstable large bubbles, dividing them into countless small bubbles. Small bubbles have high stability and are not easily broken. When many small bubbles come together, they form a layer of fine foam. Creating a vortex is to control the water vapor from wandering around and focus on eliminating large foam bubbles.

There are two main points to pay attention to when creating a vortex. The first point is the position and angle of the steam wand during frothing. When the steam wand touches the milk surface, it should be at the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock direction. The steam wand and the liquid surface should preferably form a 60-degree angle because creating a vortex requires horizontal force.

As long as you master the angle and position to create a vortex, you can create fine foam even without using your hands.

The second point is to create as large a liquid surface as possible. The larger the liquid surface, the thinner the foam layer will be for a given amount of foam, which is easy to understand. Another advantage is that a larger liquid surface makes it easier to form a vortex. That's why you'll see some baristas tilt the milk pitcher when frothing milk - to better form a vortex. However, this is not necessary. If you have the conditions, you can practice creating vortices with water first, trying different angles to find the position that creates a vortex. Once you find that position, you're basically not far from achieving fine foam.

After learning to create a vortex, let's move to the next step. FrontStreet Coffee has noticed that some friends can create vortices, but the foam they produce is still coarse. The reason is that the vortex they're creating is below the foam layer, which means there's an undercurrent. When we're refining foam, we need to move the steam holes to the foam layer to achieve the refining effect. Some friends might say, "If I move it up a bit, it makes a sizzling sound again, and the foam increases." This indicates that your steam wand angle is too small; generally, it's not recommended to be less than 45 degrees.

Simultaneous creation and refinement of foam

The principle is actually very simple: start with all steam holes buried, then create a vortex and gradually lower the milk pitcher. When the milk pitcher is lowered, the milk surface relative to the steam holes also drops. When the steam holes are exposed to the liquid surface, foam will be created. The essence lies in moving bit by bit, which allows good control over the amount of foam created. Additionally, because the steam is continuously creating a vortex in the foam layer, the foam is in a relatively fine state from the beginning. After creating the right amount of foam, simply hold the pitcher still, and it will continue to refine.

To consistently achieve this, you need to master using the milk pitcher to hold the steam wand, forming a stable structure that can move up and down. FrontStreet Coffee generally recommends using the pitcher's spout to hold the steam wand. When frothing milk, you only need to use the spout to slowly move down along the steam wand. Everyone can practice with clear water, and after just a few practices, you'll get the feel for it.

Important Notice :

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