Category: Tips & Tricks

“For steaming, frothing and foaming the milk”

• Fill the cold steam pitcher a little more than 1/3 full with cold milk. ( Hint: non-fat, 1% and 2% foam the best.
• Bleed the steam wand of any moisture before inserting it into the milk.
• Now insert the tip of the steam nozzle into the milk. Open the steam valve completely to start the steaming action.
• Tilt and lower the pitcher until the tip of the steam wand is barely under the surface of the milk. There will be a whirlpool effect, but without big bubbles, and a smooth hissing sound is heard. If the nozzle is too deep, there will be a dull rumple, and you will only be heating the milk, not creating foam.
• Let the foam build. Keeping the tip of the nozzle just barely under the surface until this foaming action has expanded the quantity of milk that you started with to fill the pitcher to about 3/4 full.
• Now drop the tip of the steam nozzle down into the center to finish heating the milk.
• Let the pitcher of steamed/foamed milk set while you make your shots of espresso. This will give the foam time to settle.

Does your shot taste balanced; are the sweetness, acidity, and roasty flavors in proportion?

• If the balance of the shot is good, but the flavors are not to your liking, you need to change coffee.
• If the flavors are to your liking, but their balance is wrong, you can fix it by changing dose and grind. This can fix the shot tasting too bland, too in your face, too sour, or too bitter, etc.