The ratio of espresso to milk foam

The ratio of espresso to milk foam

Milk: the fat content of milk used in latte drinks is basically about 3%. The less fat, the harder the foam. What you want is smooth foam (so forget about fat-free cappuccinos).

About foam: the main thing to keep in mind when making foam is to stop when the temperature reaches the right point. The appropriate temperature refers to 55-65 °C, depending on your taste. Foaming for too long will condense the milk and change its taste (and cappuccino will be too hot). Overheated milk can also make the foam too hard. How different will the foam be? Here are some typical examples:

Blistering: if you are distracted or inattentive when you are milking, it is easy to cause the steam pipe to be above the surface of the milk rather than just below it. The result is milk spatter and larger milk bubbles. Of course you can still get a lot of foam in the flower cup, but it will taste bad.

Too hard: the hard foam looks stiff, and it doesn't mix with the coffee when you pour it into the coffee, but accumulates on top of your coffee like fluffy beaten cream. If you play a little longer, it will be layered, 90% of which is flowing milk, and a thick hard foam lid floating on it. When you pour it into the coffee, the milk will flow out of the flower cup first. You must scoop the foam into the coffee cup with a spoon.

Smooth: if you do everything right, when you pour out the foam, the milk looks smooth and creamy, a bit like pouring yogurt. The milk and your espresso will mix perfectly, and the crema will color the surface of the milk to form a typical brown edge of the cappuccino.

Milk that has been beaten again often makes hard foam. The trick is to make the right quantity and quality of milk foam in the flower cup at the right temperature. To foam well, you need to know how fast your machine heats up the amount of milk you want.