Milk Based Coffee Drinks – Everything You Need to Know

Whether you’re traveling through South India or across Latin America, the
majority of coffee options call for an added dairy or alternative milk
addition. Many years ago, dairy was added to coffees to up people’s calorie
intake compared to today where people just like it for the flavor and
aesthetic.

So, what’s the story surrounding milk coffee drinks that make them so
appealing?

Milk has three essential components that add smoothness. Those components
are fat, sugar (from lactose) and proteins. Combined, those components enhance
the flavour and produce a different type of aroma too.  The lactose in milk
breaks down into a sweet flavour when it’s heated up, and the protein in milk
binds together with the fat to give it a silky looking texture.

The fats in the coffee are said to enrich a coffee ‘mouth feel’. As soon as
you add milk to coffee, you change its texture and smoothness. Flavor itself
is said to be constructed of volatile components in which fat affects how
these react with your tongue. This is where we get our coffee notes and
flavors from as the fat is said to draw out nutty or chocolaty flavors in
coffee.  

The proteins are said to ‘soften’ the coffee’s bitterness by attaching to
tannins, polyphenolic compounds, that give coffee a harsh taste. Milk coffees
lessen the acidity and enhancement the body and flavor of coffee.  

Dry vs. wet milk

Coffee orders can be confusing, and that’s even before you are asked how you’d
like your coffee made. When it comes to milk based coffees, you will either
want your coffee to be ‘wet’ or ‘dry’. For example, you may hear people ask,
‘Please may I have a dry cappuccino?’ or ‘I’d love a wet flat white please’.  

Wet milk is creamier as it has been steamed with little aeration. This makes
it ideal for a flat white, cortado or latte milk based coffee. Dry milk
however has been frothed and aerated for longer. Not only will there be more
froth but the coffee will stay warmer for longer as the froth insulates the
drink and brings out the bitterness more in the espresso shot. Each coffee
shop will make their milk coffees differently so some people will like to tell
you how they specifically like their coffee.

The art of perfect milk foam for milk based coffee drinks

There is an art to perfectly heating milk to get the right flavour and texture
in coffee and people all over the world argue over what temperature really is
right when it comes to milk based coffee. Some believe that 70 degrees Celsius
is best, others swearing by 65 degrees Celsius. A quality industrial milk
steamer with a “frothing function” will steam and froth milk in two stages.
First is the process of aerating or ‘stretching’, introducing air to the milk.
This produces micro-foam and increases the milks volume. The second stage is
emulsifying, which mixes in the microfoam and creates a rich, thick and smooth
milk.  

Discover the 10 most popular coffee drinks with milk.

Iced coffee drinks with cold milk foam

Then there are cold coffee drinks with frothy cold milk. These modern milky
coffee drinks cannot be prepared by hand-frothing (manually with a steam
wand). This milk preparation is known as “cold foam” and requires a commercial
milk frother. Are you in the market for milk frother? Then skip to the bottom
paragraph to find out more about
Latte Art Factory.  Cold foam is used in iced coffee drinks – such as an Iced Latte.  

How to froth milk alternatives

There are plenty of people who are lactose intolerant or vegan. Luckily there
are numerous non-dairy barista milk alternatives available today. While a
quality coffee machine is essential, an experienced barista will know how to
froth alternative milks to stop them curdling, as they may react differently
to dairy milk. Alternative milks include nut milks (almond, cashew, coconut),
soy milk or oat milk. These types of drinks need high quality professional
milk foamers that can cope with different temperatures and textures. Having
the right milk frothing machine for coffee shops is really important, especially during busy periods.  

Best cafe equipment for speeding up your milk steaming process

If you are looking for a milk frothing machine that will improve your
workflow, efficiency and speed of delivery, without compromising the quality
of coffee you produce, then we have the machine for you. Allow us to introduce
the Latte Art Factory’s milk frother. It is the
leading milk foaming machine
on the market, that allows you to make any milk foam texture from any milk
type.

With this machine, you will be able to serve perfect foam at the optimum
temperature, optimize workflows without leaving customers waiting for ages,
reduce your wastage and save money. It also has full HACCP compliance, with an
automated water flush of the system after every order. Furthermore, this
assures that no non-dairy alternative milk-based coffee is contaminated with
dairy milk and vice versa.  

Read more about
Latte Art Factory
or
contact us
today to purchase this award-winning machine for your café!