How to make perfect foam in boutique coffee technology

One: the requirement for steam

The use of steam to get rid of foam combined with the rapid production of ESPRESSO, it is precisely because of these two points that espresso coffee can be popular all over the world in a short time.

So what kind of requirements do we usually have for foam steam?

1. Stability

A stable amount of steam is the most important point, and the sudden increase and decrease of steam is often the main culprit that you can't beat the foam to a delicate point.

2. Moderate size

The larger the steam, the better. Too much steam will cause the milk to heat up so fast that it is too late to foam; the rotation is so large that it is easy to overflow the milk tank.

Problems such as thicker foam. Too small amount of steam will cause problems such as difficult foaming and inefficiency of milk. So a moderate amount of steam is very important, and remember to overdo it.

3. Persistence

The durability of the steam has something to do with the boiler capacity, water level and power of the coffee machine. The longer the steam you want, the more expensive the machine may be.

4. Drying

Whether the steam is dry or not will have a great impact on the taste of the final product. The so-called dry steam means that you open the steam pipe and put your hand about 10 centimeters away from the steam pipe mouth without feeling the water droplets in the steam. If the steam is not dry enough, it is like mixing milk with water while dispensing foam

Imagine that the coffee made from milk mixed with a lot of water will taste good? The dryness of steam is mainly related to boiler water level, pipeline design and so on.

Second: the choice of milk tank

The choice of the milk tank is mainly the capacity and the shape of the cup mouth, which determines your use and the amount of coffee you produce, while the shape of the cup mouth determines whether you need to pull flowers or make a traditional cappuccino. Choosing a milk tank that is easy to use can not only improve the quality of the foam and the appearance of the coffee, but also effectively reduce the loss and waste of milk.

1. Material

The milk tank is generally made of stainless steel, not only because it is strong and durable, it is not easy to deform, but more importantly, the thermal conductivity of stainless steel is better, so we can know the milk temperature in real time through touch. This is very important for baristas, so we rarely choose milk cans made of plastic, glass and so on.

2. Capacity

The capacity of the milk tank is mainly 150ml, 600ml, 1000 ml, 2500 ml and other mainstream specifications, of which the most commonly used is 600ml milk tank. The milk tank is too large or too small is actually not good for foam, and 600 ml is an ideal tank capacity. But for some coffee shops with a lot of busy business, a 1-liter or even 2.5-liter milk tank is also a way to improve efficiency.

3. Shape of cup mouth

The shape of the cup mouth is generally divided into three types: short mouth, long mouth and round mouth, among which the short mouth is the most versatile, suitable for making most of the coffee and flower-pulling coffee, and is the most commonly used shape; long-mouth individuals think it is more suitable for making cappuccino, and flower-pulling also has a good performance, but the premise is that you must be able to get used to that cup mouth shape; round mouth is the rarest, it is said that more levels can be pulled out when pulling flowers.

Choosing a suitable milk tank will sometimes make you get twice the result with half the effort, and sometimes the size of the milk tank even has a lot to do with the size of your palm, so there is no best, only the most suitable.

Three: the choice of milk

In order to make a delicate and lasting foam on the semi-automatic coffee machine, the selection and storage of milk is very important. A skillful wife cannot make bricks without rice. No matter how good the foaming technique is, if the milk is not good, it is all empty talk.

First of all, we have to choose the right brand of milk. at present, the fat content of stable foaming milk is about 3.5%. The domestic brands commonly used in food and beverage channels mainly include: Nestle milk, Yili catering milk, hair milk and other brands, so not all the milk on the market can foam, but most imported milk does not have any problem. From this we can also see the gap between the quality of the domestic dairy industry and that of foreign countries. If you can not buy the above brands of milk, then you can go to the supermarket to buy relatively high-end pure milk, daily cheaper milk is almost always blended milk, so it is difficult to say whether it can send out very good foam.

After choosing the right milk, remember to refrigerate it before using it. Keep it in a refrigerated environment of 3 to 5 degrees for more than 4 hours to make the foam more lasting and delicate. Finally, do not pour out the remaining milk in the foam tank every time, you can keep it in the freezer and continue to use it, but it should be noted that the temperature must first be fully cooled down, and secondly, you can not all use the milk used for the second time. As the milk that has been sent will contain a lot of water, the milk flavor will fade, so it should be mixed with at least more than half of the fresh milk.

Four: cost-saving practice methods

For baristas and coffee players who have just entered the industry to learn coffee, it will be a very important problem how to have unlimited milk to practice getting rid of foam. After all, milk is not water. It is impossible to drink or sell all of it. But it is difficult to beat the foam well without taking advantage of hand heat and more practice, so I will teach you a few money-saving exercises here. It can also be regarded as a contribution to the cause of environmental protection.

1. Money-saving killer: detergent

Yes, you read it right. Detergent can also practice foaming with milk on the spot, and you only need to add 2 to 3 drops in a 600 ml milk tank.

To a very good effect, the foam sent out in addition to the taste, and the real foam is almost exactly the same, but also due to technical problems hit very rough or can not foam, the degree of simulation is very high, highly recommended.

2. The first choice for flower drawing: milk + ice + water

In fact, the biggest waste of milk is not the practice of beating milk foam, but the practice of flower drawing, and when drawing flowers, the foam sent by using detergent or other substitutes is obviously very difficult to blend with coffee and achieve the desired effect, so milk has become essential, but we can mix it in milk according to the ratio of milk: ice: water = 1: 0.5: 0.5, instead of pure milk. Turning one can of milk into two cans can save a lot of money.

3. Milk powder and soy milk powder

Whole milk powder and some brands of soy milk powder can also make good foam, which costs only a few cents a jar for practice, which is much lower than milk, but the effect is actually not as good as that of detergent.

4. Old smoking and detergent

The amount of 2-3ml each time, add a little detergent and stir evenly in it, can produce the same effect as Espresso. Then use the dishwashing essence to pull flowers!

If you have any creative ways to save money, you are also welcome to communicate with each other, save money together and make progress together.

Five: the way to get rid of milk foam

How to turn a jar of milk into delicate and lasting foam is a skill that every barista and coffee player loyal to LATTE ART must master. Here's a brief introduction to the basic process of getting rid of foam:

1. Repeatedly switch the steam pipe several times to empty the water and stolen goods in the steam pipe and clean the steam pipe

2. The milk in the jar should not be less than 1x3, otherwise it cannot be foamed, and it should not be more than 2gam3, because the volume of milk will be doubled after beating into foam.

3. Extend the steam pipe to the bottom of the milk cylinder.

4. if you turn on the steam, it will not be adjusted to the maximum, but the specific situation can be determined by the amount of milk in the tank.

5. Move the milk jar down slowly until you hear the crisp and rhythmic "bawling" sound inside the milk tank.

6. When the milk is heated to about 65-75 ℃, that is, when the hand holding the milk tank feels that the milk is hot, turn off the steam while lifting the milk tank up, and then move the milk tank away from the steam pipe.

7. Clean the steam pipe immediately to prevent milk fat from clotting. When we foam for the first time, we can try drinking water a few times and then try it with milk.

Finally, we must always bear in mind that foaming is a process of exercise, and we must rely on our hearing to send out the most delicate foam by constantly moving the milk tank.

Six: learn to recognize sound

We already know that dispelling milk foam is actually a dynamic process of lifting and pulling up and down the milk tank, so how can we know when the milk tank should be lifted up and when it should be pulled down? In fact, we usually judge by the sound made when we foam.

1. Silent

If there is no sound, it generally means that the liquid surface of the milk is too deep when the steam pipe is inserted. At this time, the milk is usually heated but not foaming. You should slowly pull the milk jar down until you hear the wonderful "bared" sound. In this case, steam can be used to heat a variety of liquids, and even steam pipes can be used to make scrambled eggs.

2. Noisy "spitting" sound

Such a sound generally means that your foam is relatively rough, so you will find that you will soon get a large vat of foam, but obviously that kind of foam is not the delicate and lasting foam we need, they are more similar to soap bubbles. It will soon burst, and the taste is very rough. If you use this foam to make a cappuccino, then I would advise you to let others finish the cup of coffee as soon as possible, otherwise it will soon become half a cup of coffee due to the dissipation of the foam. When you hear such a sound, you should lift the milk jar slowly until you hear the sound of "bawling".

3. The "bared" sound with a sense of rhythm

When you are full of rhythmic "bared" sound, then you say to make a delicate and lasting foam, the point at this time is that you must follow the rise of the foam, slowly pull the milk tank in order to achieve balance in the dynamic. It takes a certain amount of practice to get rid of the foam, especially the right amount, delicate and lasting foam.

Seven: observe the liquid level of milk

When passing away the foam, the liquid surface of the milk will naturally move along a certain track, which is generally divided into two kinds: round rotation and tumbling up and down. What kind of track will make it easier for the milk to send out the foam?

For most beginners, when we foam in the steam pipe on the left-hand side, a clockwise circle rotation is the best track. when on the left-hand side, you can choose to remain clockwise or use a counterclockwise circle according to your habit.

In any case, a round rotation is easier to send out delicate foam than rolling up and down. The reason is that the key point when dispelling foam is the relative position of the outlet of the steam pipe and the milk surface. When the milk is rotating, the degree of the liquid surface is relatively stable, while tumbling, the height of the liquid level is always changing, it is difficult to find a more stable point.

In order to make the liquid level rotate, the key point is the angle when the steam pipe is inserted into the milk tank. Insert the milk tank from the center of the milk tank close to the steam pipe, and then let the steam pipe form an angle of about 75 degrees with the milk level. It can help you get used to it easily and make the liquid level rotate. In fact, when you have really mastered the skill of foaming, you can make good foam no matter it is spinning or rolling. All we have to do is to find a way that is easier to use, and then practice hard.

Eight: how to deal with the foam after getting rid of it

After getting rid of the foam, we can generally do some post-processing to make the foam more delicate. Generally speaking, we will adopt the following three methods:

1. Shake

When the foam is just finished, we can first shake the milk jar clockwise, which feels like shaking a wine glass. In general, if your foam is used for flower drawing, then the shaken milk surface should be reflective, while if it is used to make traditional espresso such as cappuccino, it can be matte. Reflective foam generally represents the fusion of milk foam and milk is better, and relatively thin, Matt represents the milk and milk foam is relatively separated, and the milk foam is thicker.

2. Knock

Gently tapping the table with a milk jar can effectively break the thicker bubbles in the foam, thus making the foam more delicate. In most cases, a qualified foam can meet the requirements for use.

3. Scoop

Scoop has two purposes, the first is that the foam is too thick, have to scrape off the surface and use a more delicate lower layer, and the second is to avoid excessive foam when pulling flowers, so you need to scoop off the surface and use the foam with better integration at the bottom. So no matter what the purpose, scooping foam is only a way to remedy it afterwards. Through the above three steps, you can make your foam more delicate and meet the requirements of use.

Nine: cleaning and maintenance

Due to the composition characteristics of milk, if the steam pipe is not cleaned timely and regularly, it will be easy to scale. Light makes people look very unhygienic and may cause milk to deteriorate easily; seriously, it clogs the air outlet and reduces the amount of steam. Therefore, it is necessary for us to develop good cleaning and maintenance habits.

1. It must be wiped every time

After each use of the steam pipe, be sure to clean the outside of the steam pipe to avoid scaling, although this is only the surface of the cleaning work, but it is still very important to keep it clean. Remember to tap the steam twice after wiping it clean in order to discharge the residual milk and other liquids from the steam pipe.

2. Soak every day

Soaking, especially special powder soaking steam pipe is undoubtedly the most effective way to remove milk dirt from the inner wall of steam pipe, especially for people who do not know how to disassemble coffee. We can generally add 500ml cold water to a 600 ml milk tank, then put in 3 grams of powder, heat the cold water with a steam pipe and soak it to the next day. Of course, you don't have to use the powder every day, you can usually soak the powder once a week, but soaking in water can be done every day, or at least a few jars of cold water before turning off the coffee machine will keep the steam pipe clean.

By forming the above habit of cleaning and soaking every day, you can certainly help your love machine to stay at its best.