What's the difference between oat milk and regular milk? Why is it so difficult to create latte art with it?

Perhaps concerned about potential digestive discomfort from milk, many customers have been asking FrontStreet Coffee whether oat milk lattes are available, or leaving messages inquiring: "How do you create fine foam with oat milk?" Although FrontStreet Coffee's various milk-based coffees are made using whole fresh milk, out of curiosity, today let's explore the characteristics of oat milk lattes and the techniques for frothing oat milk and creating latte art.

(Fresh milk on the left, oat milk on the right)

What Exactly Is Oat Milk?

Speaking of oat milk, we must first clarify a concept: despite its name containing "milk," it actually has little relation to fresh milk. Specifically, oat milk contains no milk components at all. Instead, it's a plant-based beverage made from an oat slurry (oats ground with water), with added proportions of fats, thickeners, and stabilizers to adjust flavor, mouthfeel, and texture, finally undergoing high-temperature pasteurization. Due to its lactose-free nature, it's more suitable for those with lactose intolerance.

Compared to regular fresh milk, oat milk has a lighter texture, yet compared to other plant-based milks like almond milk and soy milk, it offers a richer mouthfeel and more complex layers. There are many oat milk options available today, and FrontStreet Coffee uses OATLY. When tasted directly, this oat milk delivers both the grainy aroma of oats and a creamy, thick smoothness. (Oat milk may separate and settle when left standing for long periods, so it's best to shake well before pouring.)

(You can shake it like this before opening!)

How Do Oat Milk Lattes and Fresh Milk Lattes Differ in Flavor?

Whole fresh milk is a dairy product rich in lactose, fat, and protein. Due to its abundant lactose, whole fresh milk naturally tastes sweet, especially when heated above 30°C. Under the action of lactase, lactose breaks down into galactose, glucose, and other components, including sugars sweeter than lactose itself, which explains why heated fresh milk tastes noticeably sweeter. When combined with espresso, heated fresh milk not only dilutes but also, supported by its milky aroma and sweetness, helps the coffee present a balanced and full-bodied profile.

In terms of flavor, oat milk's interaction with coffee is similar to milk coffee - it can balance the bitterness of espresso while bringing the gentle sweetness of grains, and create complex flavor combinations with certain aromatic compounds in coffee beans. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's "Sunflower Warm Sunshine" espresso blend as an example, when combined with heated oat milk, the coffee overall presents maltose sweetness and whiskey-like aromatics, with a smooth and delicate mouthfeel and a slightly fibery aftertaste.

Of course, some oat milk brands use higher oil proportions in their formulations, emphasizing heavy nutty notes that can mask the delicate flavors in coffee. When making your selection, you might want to compare which oat milk works better with your home espresso blend.

What Techniques Are Needed for Oat Milk Latte Art?

Those with homemade experience should know that if you follow the same procedure for frothing plant-based milks as you would for milk lattes, you'll encounter common issues: foam that isn't fine, difficulty creating patterns, and quick dissipation. The key reason lies in protein.

Due to its relatively low protein content and different protein types compared to whole fresh milk, these plant-based milks often need thickeners and stabilizers to help trap air and form structures similar to those in milk foam. Therefore, when frothing, you need to incorporate as much air as possible at the beginning. In practice, you can observe the changes in the pitcher's liquid level - fresh milk typically creates foam of 1-2cm, while oat milk foam can be made thicker to 2-2.5cm.

Relatively speaking, oat milk's requirements for frothing temperature aren't as strict as milk's - it can still perform well even at temperatures as high as 65°C. To achieve a smoother foam texture and stable structure for clear pattern definition and stable latte art forms, we need to utilize vortexes, appropriately extending the heating and texturing process until completely hot to the touch.

During fusion, FrontStreet Coffee recommends first pouring a small amount of oat milk into the coffee cup and gently swirling. This allows for thorough mixing while avoiding separation and maintaining a cleaner surface for latte art. When creating patterns, we should keep the pour stream as small as possible with gentler movements, because too large a flow not only makes even fusion with the crema difficult but might also create an "upward current" from rolling that breaks through the surface layer, destroying the pattern initially pushed through.

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FrontStreet Coffee

No. 10, Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473