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What is the purpose of spraying steam before milking? Lattes need to pay attention to important details before drawing flowers!

Published: 2026-06-06 Author:

Last Updated: 2026/06/06, Every time we pass by the cafe, we can not only smell the strong smell of coffee, but also hear the "squeak" milk beat from time to time. Looking at the hot barista inside, I wonder if you have observed such an action: before and after using the steam bar, the barista will let him breathe for a few seconds.

Every time we passed the cafe, in addition to smelling the strong coffee fragrance, we could hear the "squeaking ~" of milk from time to time. Looking at the hot barista inside, I don't know if you have observed such an action: every time before and after using the steam stick, the barista will let him empty for a few seconds, then wipe it with a cloth, and some will cover it with a cloth.

Why do you have to let go before and after using it? Some baristas cover it with a cloth, but some don't?

Why do you spray steam sticks before and after milking?

The idea of spraying steam for a few seconds before whipping the milk is to warm up the steam wand and drain the condensate from it. This is because after a minute or two after stopping using the steam wand, the steam remaining in the pipe will gradually cool down and condense back from the gas. If this part of the cold water is not discharged before use, it will be diluted if it is directly put into the milk tank to beat milk, and it may turn up a large bubble when it is serious.

When we have finished frothing, we need to turn off the steam and then remove the milk tank. There will be some milk left on the surface of the steam stick and the pores. If not cleaned in time, they will gradually dry at high temperatures and stick to them, even coking, and over time they will easily deteriorate and produce odors. At the same time, the frozen milk will also block the steam hole, which will make the steam stick's air output smaller for a long time.

Therefore, after each milk foam preparation, it is necessary to wipe off these residual milk bubbles with a clean and moist cloth immediately, and turn on the steam air spray again for a few seconds to empty the residual milk in the spray rod as much as possible.

Affirmative Debate: You have to cover it with a cloth!

1. Prevent steam spraying everywhere and scald accidents

Be aware that some coffee shops with large cups will use commercial coffee machines with two/three boilers, and the steam output of these coffee machines is very strong. There was a switch on the front street that could spray steam a meter or two away and fill the bar. This will not only block the line of sight, affect the extraction of Espresso, but also very easy to burn accidents. Therefore, a special milk cloth will be used to cover it to prevent steam emission.

2. After milking, cover the residual milk sprayed from the stick.

As mentioned above, there is a residual amount of milk in the steam wand that cannot be wiped away. If you spray it directly, it will cause the milk to splash on the water filter (or bar) below. In the long run, the whole filter network will become sticky. Electronic scales, shot cups and other frequently used objects will get stuck, and then get sticky everywhere on the bar. So there will be baristas who will cover them with a cloth and steam them after frothing.

3. Save time, wipe milk and deflate synchronously

Italian coffee production, pay attention to how to achieve rapid and stable production. When the amount of cups to be produced is large and the production intensity is high, the difference of one or two seconds between one more action and one less action will become extremely valuable. Therefore, many baristas in order to save time, wipe off the surface of the steam stick milk at the same time will also spray steam, two actions together; rather than wipe and then turn the switch to deflate.

4. Habits formed at the beginning of learning

Many new users of espresso machines for the first time, may be tried in a friend's shop, may be reported to the course to learn... Inevitably, some people will contact the steam wand for the first time, see it when the gas looks like, be scared and dare not touch, or directly touch the metal surface of the stick and burn the hand, so it will be recommended to cover with a special rag and then spray air; some training institutions encounter this situation more, simply require the steam wand to be covered with a cloth. Over time, everyone has developed this habit.

Opposite debater: Don't cover it, it's not necessary

1. The milk cloth will become more and more moist

Although steam is a gas, it condenses into water when it cools. If every empty spray is covered with a cloth, without a few cylinders of milk (one cylinder of milk is released twice), the whole towel will become wet and very difficult to use. And a little careless, a long time will become smelly, especially in the hot summer, this time is shorter, need to constantly change milk cloth.

2, air spray with a little attention

Some coffee shops with low sunrise cups are only equipped with commercial coffee machines with single boiler and single nozzle because of demand. The steam will not be too large. As long as you pay attention not to twist so much steam and spray it at people, there is nothing to worry about. So it doesn't have to be covered with a cloth when it's empty.

3. Afraid of being hot? Just don't touch the metal surface of the steam wand ~

Most steam wands are equipped with a plastic sleeve for easy access. If not, it doesn't matter. You can buy a shrink tube online and put it on yourself. It's five or six meters for a few dollars. It's cheap and easy to use. Of course, some baristas said they had already practiced "iron sand palm," so there was no need to worry at all.

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FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou China, selling freshly roasted beans from its own farm in Yunnan as well as dozens of carefully selected single-origin beans from around the world for both pour-over and espresso. The products deliver consistently excellent quality and great value, with shipping within 24 hours. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers, and the beans are now available online at the Tmall 。