Milk temperature

[Blend43]

I love having a coffee on weekends, overlooking the beach and doing the puzzles in the paper (Different cafe's).

No one boils the milk any more. Why?

In the 80's when I made Cappa's, in the pub, I was taught to boil the milk. If it was not boiled customers would complain.

Thanks in advance,
Robert.

 

[John P]

Remind me to kick whoever taught you, and all the horrifically, mind-numbing idiots who drank boiled milk, squarely in their miniscule groins if I ever encounter them.

Proper milk should be textured microfoam at 150 to 155 degrees max, cappa are better a little cooler, actually, maybe 140-ish.

At about 155 the sugars come out in the milk and add a natural sweetness as well as contribute to the airy silkiness of perfect microfoam. At higher temp, the milk burns, scalds, or worse, and it's just like f*cking hot milk in what should have been a killer drink.

Note, they've been microfoaming milk for cappas at proper temp in Italy for years, and years, and years.
Sad to say, you had morons teaching you.

 

[Redswing]

Welcome to the forum, Blend43! As you can see, we are all very welcoming here and firmly believe there is no such thing as a dumb question. (easy Mr. P!) Don't write this forum off yet, not everybody will respond like John. He's probably right, but everybody needs to find there own path.

If you stick around, you'll discover that the observant coffee enthusiast sees the ever changing trends in the industry. Roast style changes. Brewing ratios change. Temperatures change. The "right" gear changes. All of these shifts supported by scientific evidence blah blah blah. From my perspective, there is a tricky balance between trends and solid brewing technique.

So, best of luck. Hope you stick around!

 

[PinkRose]

In the 80's when I made Cappa's, in the pub, I was taught to boil the milk. If it was not boiled customers would complain.

Hi Robert,

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website.

Did you use to boil the milk in a sauce pan until it was bubbly, or did you heat it until it was steamy? Were you using a steam wand back then?

If you actually had to boil the milk in a sauce pan, I'm surprised you didn't accidently scald it every so often and get the white film or the brown floating pieces that happen when you do that.

 

[John P]

I thought I was gentle. :coffee1:

The OP was "taught" they were not the one teaching. Much different.

 

[Blend43]

Moderators, you may want to remove this thread as I think I may be about to cause WW3. Or leave it up so I can face the feedback.

Back in the 80s in country Australia, I think we had the only coffee machine in a 200km radius. It was the pub that sold that "Trendy frothy coffee". No formal training, just the rep who visited every 2 or 3 months to service the machine.

The machine had a steam stick and the milk was hot when it rose quickly in the jug, as milk does. When boiled it is much richer, and, you can sit for much longer with you hands around the cup on a cold morning.

I guess this is what I am trying to find out, why have we changed our culture to accept luke warm coffee. From the coffee industry's point of view it makes sense; a higher turnover of customers (quicker to drink a warm cup of coffee and get the next one in to spend their money) equals more dollars for everyone in the industry, from the growers to the cafe staff.

Is it the industry that has convinced us, now a self sustaining attitude, that luke warm is best for the flavour?

When in milk coffee history did it become standard practice to limit the temperature of the milk?

 

[hedning]

That kind of explains it all, Australia in the 80's
No, but seriously. Milk should be microfoam'd, not boiled.

 

[Blend43]

Hedning - Australia in the 80's...true : )

Love the micro foam. This is where my basic technical knowledge starts to drift. Once the foam has been formed with the steam stick, is it not possible to lower the steam stick into the milk to boil it without degrading the micro foam.

 

[peterjschmidt]

Hedning - Australia in the 80's...true : )

Love the micro foam. This is where my basic technical knowledge starts to drift. Once the foam has been formed with the steam stick, is it not possible to lower the steam stick into the milk to boil it without degrading the micro foam.

Boiling will always degrade the flavor of the milk, and the texture of the microfoam is temp-dependent too. Rats, hey?

 

[John P]

When it comes to heating milk, especially textured or microfoamed milk, for drinks or for certain cooking applications, it's a matter of milk science, and not a matter of opinion.

Perhaps the milk was just "very hot". Had it been much above 160 F (71 C) the milk sugars begin to burn, the surfactants that hold the microfoam texture together disappear, and it goes from unpalatable to worse in seconds. Although most experts will tell you that proper cappa temp is lower than latte temp, and should be closer to 55 C, and some might say 45, but that's a matter of preference, either way, it's definitely lower than the 150-155 (65-68 C) of a standard latte.

Even when you are making hot chocolate on the stove, you don't boil the milk.

It certainly is a comfort to hold a warm cup in one's hands, but a cappuccino is a specific drink, it's not a type of drink like a latte. It has a very specific size, and a proper serving temperature as well. At 150-180ml, a cappuccino is not a drink one lingers over for a long time. It should be ready to drink the moment it is poured.

 

[Blend43]

Thanks John.

 

[JR88]

Milk/cream does not belong anywhere near coffee as far as I am concerned , That is strictly in small amounts for Tea only haha