Cappuccino Secrets: Creating the Perfect Foam

Here is an article that tells the secret to creating the perfect foam with steamed milk to make a wonderful cappuccino. As you will see, creating the perfect foam is not as easy as it seems…

Most places that serve cappuccinos in the United States have not trained their baristas in the art of frothing milk correctly. The foam they create is usually a collection of large, tasteless, dry bubbles that sit on top of the espresso like a meringue.

With a little care, you can create steamed milk that is velvety like wet shaving cream in texture. The bubbles will be so small that you will barely be able to see them! This is how it’s supposed to be, because this way it will blend with the espresso, creating a harmony of flavors instead of a dry, tasteless cap floating on top. Let’s start.

First of all, it is important to start with cold milk fresh from the fridge. Pour the milk into the steaming pitcher until it is almost 1/3 full. The milk will double or triple in volume after the frothing process. A stainless steel pitcher works best. It will dissipate some of the heat, allowing more time to infuse air into the milk before the milk gets too hot.

For a homemade cappuccino, you will have to learn the art of creating a perfect foam.

Also use a thermometer to bring the milk to the correct temperature of 145 degrees. There are many thermometers made for this purpose that clip onto the side of the jar for convenience.

The technique:

Purge the steam wand onto a damp towel by releasing the valve for a few seconds. Be very careful not to burn yourself, the steam will be extremely hot. This purge will get all the water out so it doesn’t get into the milk.

Then, dip the wand into the milk and quickly turn the steam on to full power. Keep the tip of the wand from sticking out of the milk. This will cause spattering and create large, tasteless bubbles.

Adjust the wand to point off-center so the milk flows in a quick, circular motion. Maintaining this fast circulating vortex is vital.

Then slowly lower the pitcher until the tip of the dipstick is just below the surface of the milk (maintaining circulation). When you hear a hiss, similar to bacon frying, you have reached the perfect position for the wand to inject air into the milk.

Try to keep this hissing up while keeping the milk swirling. You will need to slowly lower the pitcher as the volume of milk increases to keep the tip of the dipstick just below the surface.

By keeping the milk flowing in a fast circle, any large bubbles accidentally created will roll up in the milk and be removed. Continue steaming until the milk reaches 145 degrees. Be careful not to overheat the milk, it will burn and taste bad.

That’s pretty much it! If you have some large bubbles, you can try to get rid of them by gently tapping the bottom of the jar against the counter. Serve immediately and enjoy the silkiest frothed milk you’ve ever tasted!

One more thing, now that you know how to properly steam milk, notice how few coffee shops have baristas to handle this process. Very few use thermometers and end up scalding the milk, or leaving it too cold.

Most will simply leave the pitcher there while the wand blows into the milk. Some will use an up and down motion, but this does absolutely nothing to create tiny, velvety bubbles. It is the rolling action of the milk that is needed.

If you find a barista who exhibits this milk frothing skill, stick with them! He has been trained and probably takes pride in what he does.