How To Texture Your Milk Right To Create Cafe Style Drinks

For specialty drinks, milk is always foamed regardless of whether the foam is used in the coffee. This is because introducing air into the milk drastically improves the taste and texture. Texturing milk by foaming, frothing and steaming gives the milk a rich, sweet, luxuriously creamy silky smooth finish. Every delicious latte, cappuccino and flat white that you have enjoyed at coffee shops is a result of quality espresso and deliciously textured milk in the right proportion. Here’s how you can recreate it at home:


Featured: FELLOW Eddy Milk Pitcher. Shop milk pitchers here.

Texturing Milk In 5 Easy Steps

1. Fill your pitcher with cold milk - a minimum of one third of the pitcher and a maximum of half the pitcher as milk needs room to expand while texturing. Before placing the steam wand in the pitcher, run the steam for a few seconds to get rid of any water left in the wand and to build the pressure. 

2. Hold the pitcher with a tilt so the wand goes in diagonally to the lower right side of the pitcher. Place the tip of the wand 1-2 cm below the surface of the milk.

3. Once you start seeing a whirlpool effect in the milk, lower the wand a little more into the milk but not so much that it hits the bottom of the pitcher

4. Texture the milk until you get the desired volume. The milk is at the right temperature when the pitcher is hot to touch.

5. Tap the pitcher on a flat surface to break any surface bubbles and swirl the milk in it a little to even the texture. The consistency should look like a silky smooth wet paint. 


Featured: Barista Space Milk Pitcher. Shop milk pitchers here.

5 Tips & Tricks For Better Milk Texturing

1. Only use cold milk, the colder the better but not frozen. You may even chill your pitcher for a better result.

2. The holes around the steam tip should always be clear. Even partially blocked holes may affect the ability of the steam wand to produce sufficient foam

3. Always wipe the wand and tip with a clean damp cloth before and after use to get rid of milk residues easier while purging.

4. The key is to work quickly, before the milk begins to separate. Pour the milk into the espresso immediately after texturing.

5. Use full fat whole milk for the best results. If you want to use non-dairy milk, macadamia milk and almond milk give the best results among other non-dairy milks. 

Did you know at BeanBurds, you can shop from a variety of non-dairy milks to create dairy free milk based coffees at home? Shop here.