Every great cup of coffee begins with great coffee beans, but it’s the milk that makes it really special. If you’re a café or restaurant owner in Australia, you know how important it is to serve up a consistently smooth flat white or beautifully crafted latte art rosette to keep the locals coming back. To do it right, you need to know how to evaluate the milk you use to create the perfect micro-foam.
Let’s take a look at how the fat and protein content of milk affect the micro-foam you create when you steam it, and how you can use that information to create the perfect cup of coffee in your café or restaurant.
How Fat and Protein Affect Micro-Foam
Steaming milk is, in essence, adding air to a combination of fat and protein. The proteins in milk provide the foundation of the froth. The more you heat the milk, the more the proteins unwind and bind to the air. The fat in milk provides the creamy texture and sheen. However, too much fat can cause the foam to settle too quickly. The right combination of fat and protein is the secret to a great cup of coffee, be it a velvety smooth flat white or a beautifully crafted piece of latte art.
Evaluating Dairy Options
For café and restaurant owners in Australia, full-cream milk is the standard. It has the perfect combination of fat and protein, giving you a rich, creamy texture in a cup of coffee. Skim milk, on the other hand, has a very different composition. The lack of fat means the proteins in the milk create a very stiff bubble, which results in a dry foam. Latte art is not easy when using skim milk. Low-fat milk is a combination of the two. It has a bit more flexibility than skim milk, but it doesn’t have the luscious texture you’d want in a premium coffee drink.
Mastering Plant-Based Alternatives
Dairy-free alternatives to traditional milk have seen explosive growth in the hospitality sector. Among these alternatives, oat milk has proven to be a clear winner among baristas. This is owing to the creamy texture and mild taste that oat milk presents. Barista oat milks have been specifically designed to contain added stabilisers to ensure that they contain the same fat content as traditional dairy milk. This makes oat milk ideal for creating artistic designs on top of coffee.
Soy milk also produces a decent micro-foam owing to the high protein content. However, it should be noted that soy milk also has a high probability of curdling when used with coffee blends that contain high levels of acidity. Almond milk has proven to be the most difficult to work with. This is owing to the low levels of fat and protein content in almond milk. This results in a thin micro-foam that tends to disappear almost immediately. So, this requires a highly skilled barista to steam the almond milk to perfection.
The Impact of Freshness and Temperature
High-quality coffee cannot be achieved if the milk is not stored correctly. The best dairy milk for cafés should always be stored at the advised temperature. This allows the barista to steam the milk to perfection by giving him/her ample time to break down the micro-bubbles in the coffee. This ensures that the coffee is at the optimal temperature when it is to be served. Milk should also be stored in such a way that it is consumed within a reasonable time. This ensures that the proteins in the milk are at their best to produce a high-quality micro-foam.
Pouring a Signature Experience
The selection of the finest milk type for your espresso equipment is an important step in building your business. By grasping the interaction of proteins and fats, and balancing both your dairy and plant-based offerings, you are able to allow your baristas to create visually pleasing latte art. By keeping your product selection fresh and refrigerated, you are able to provide a signature texture to your customers that differentiates your shop from others in the industry!
