How To Steam Milk For Lattes And Latte Art

                                     How To Steam Milk For Lattes And Latte Art

If you ever thought that you need a professional or commercial espresso machine to get that silky frothy milk that’s key for making latte art, then I’m glad you’re reading this! It is definitely possible to do latte art using a home espresso machine and we’ll tell (and show) you exactly how to do so. For this we’ll be using a Breville Barista Express which is the most popular home espresso machine currently on the market. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know; from the type of milk we recommend to wand position and temperature. 

First, let’s talk about milk. Although you could get silky microfoam with many different types of milk and milk alternatives, we recommend using whole milk, especially if you’re just starting out. Whole milk tends to be forgiving when steaming and since it has a higher fat content, it’s going to give you that nice silky texture with great microfoam (if of course you steam it properly which we’ll talk about). 

What is microfoam? Microfoam is that thin layer of foam that rests on top of the milk with many tiny bubbles (hence the micro part in microfoam). If your milk has too many big bubbles, not only will you not be able to get any kind of latte art from it, but it’ll also end up looking unappetizing. Also, if you have too much microfoam, it may be difficult to make latte art and will be more of a cappuccino instead of a latte. Nothing wrong with that if you prefer cappuccinos and having more foam.

Let’s move on to steaming our milk. If you have a Breville Barista Express machine, then you know it comes with a pitcher for steaming milk. What you’ll want to do is fill it up with milk up to where the spout begins (see the photo below for reference). You don’t want to go any higher than this because you’ll want room for the microfoam that will be added from steaming (about 2 ounces). By the way, if you fill your pitcher up to where the spout begins, that’ll be equal to about 8 ounces of milk. This will end up becoming a 12 ounce latte if you’re pulling a double shot espresso; 8 ounces of milk plus the additional 2 ounces of microfoam plus the 2 ounces of espresso.

Once your milk is in the pitcher, turn the knob on the right side of the espresso machine to the steam option. After you see steam coming out and the machine is making a knocking sound, quickly turn off the steam to insert the milk, then quickly turn it back on. The reason for doing this is so that you don’t get splashed with milk from the force of the wand. Also, if you don’t first let your wand warm up and directly put the pitcher in, too much water will be added to your milk, watering it down. 

Next, make sure the milk is just barely in the water. You want to hear a sound that closely resembles that of ripping paper. If you don’t hear this, try exposing the wand just a little more. This is adding air into your milk and therefore creating that silky microfoam.  It’s also important that the wand is facing either slightly upward or downward. This will create a whirlpool effect, also helping to create great microfoam with a silky texture. 

Also, make sure your pitcher is slanted slightly, like so (using a glass cup here for reference):

So, how long do you steam your milk for? The ideal temperature is about 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a candy thermometer, you can check the temperature that way. Another way to check if your milk is ready (also our preferred method) is simply by touch. Since the pitcher is stainless steel, it conducts heat really well. So if you touch the pitcher with your hand, and it’s too warm to touch it, then you know your milk is done steaming. 

At this point you could turn off the steam. Don’t forget to immediately clean the wand and purge it. Dried milk isn’t as easy to clean off the wand.

And that is basically it! The last thing we would recommend doing is to tap the pitcher on the countertop a couple times to get rid of any bigger air bubbles. You could also swirl it around to make sure the microfoam hasn’t separated from the milk and is fully incorporated. 

Remember, steaming milk and making latte art takes a lot of practice! Or at least it did for us! Be patient and just practice. If you don’t want to use a ton of milk just for practicing, then use water with a drop of dish soap. This is a very common practice for baristas and has a similar effect to milk. Lastly, if you want to watch the full video explaining all this, click here. Enjoy!