Key takeaways

• Milk temperature immediately impacts sweetness, texture, and flavour steadiness in espresso drinks.
• Totally different milks require particular temperature ranges to keep away from impeding flavour and mouthfeel.
• Small temperature modifications of some levels considerably alter sensory notion.
• Measuring milk temperature improves consistency, reduces waste, and helps coaching.

Temperature performs an enormous position in making ready espresso, and milk-based drinks are not any exception. Baristas spend weeks studying to steam milk correctly to reinforce its pure sweetness, create clean microfoam, and warmth it to a temperature that accentuates a espresso’s nuanced flavours.

Even small variations can have a major impression. “I’ll use the instance of scrambled eggs. ‘Excellent’ scrambled eggs, irrespective of the model, are correctly set but nonetheless wealthy and creamy. Cooking them an excessive amount of can yield curdly, rubbery eggs in runny water,” explains Charles Temkey, the top of analysis and improvement, product and manufacturing administration, and occasional integration at Aptitude Espresso, which not too long ago launched the Wizard stovetop milk steamer.

“The identical idea applies to the combination of water, lipids, and proteins in milks,” he provides. “Should you over-steam them, the protein strings curl up and collectively act like a sponge, squeezing out the water. This impairs the notion of flavour and texture within the milk.

“Milk heated correctly (as much as 60-65°C/140-149°F for 3% dairy milk, for instance) stays a wealthy and creamy emulsion. The result’s velvety in mouthfeel, and candy but wealthy flavour.”

Espresso outlets worldwide have lengthy perfected these practices. However in recent times, consideration to exploit temperature has grow to be extra prevalent, significantly at competitions such because the World Barista Championships (WBC).

As rivals have used a wider vary of milks – together with plant-dairy blends and freeze-distilled (or cryodessicated) milks – they’ve begun to clarify the rationale for particular steaming temperatures in larger element.

You might also like our article on how espresso outlets handle a number of plant milk choices.

Experimenting with completely different milks

Competitions are synonymous with innovation in specialty espresso: from “rediscovered” varieties to the newest brewing devices. Following the 2023 WBC rule change, which allowed business plant milks for use for the primary time, extra rivals have begun to experiment within the milk beverage spherical – typically with scientific precision.

On the 2025 WBC, Malaysian competitor Jason Bathroom, for instance, used a mix of three completely different milks. He mixed 70% cow’s milk (freeze-distilled to a 30% discount, eradicating most of its water content material), 20% coconut milk, and 10% oat milk. Bathroom then steamed the milk to 58°C (136.4°F), which he mentioned enhanced sweetness. He then quickly chilled the milk over a frozen sphere, claiming that this helped spotlight flavour readability.

“Opponents have realised that even a couple of levels make an enormous distinction in how we understand the sweetness and texture of milk,” says Nefeli Bouti, the advertising supervisor at Latte Artwork Manufacturing facility. “Temperature has at all times been extensively mentioned with regard to espresso extraction. However with most prospects ordering milk-based drinks, it’s vital to incorporate milk within the dialog as effectively.”

Freeze-distilled milk, particularly, has grow to be commonplace on the WBC. Its rising recognition has prompted extra espresso outlets to make their very own or use commercially accessible manufacturers like MILBOK to duplicate competition-level outcomes. 

Espresso outlets similar to Paris’ Substance Café, Nostos in London, Randburg’s Thando Espresso Firm, and March Espresso Studio in Perth use cryodessicated milk in signature drinks, amongst quite a few others worldwide.

Why milk temperature issues

Whether or not steaming freeze-distilled cow’s milk, full-fat dairy, or plant milks, temperature has a big impact on flavour and texture.

“With dairy particularly, warmth makes lactose extra soluble and breaks it down, making milk style sweeter,” Nefeli explains. “This solely occurs between 55-65°C (131°F to 149°F), although. Going above 70°C (158°F) can caramelise or burn the lactose, making the flavour extra disagreeable.

“That is one thing we’ve considered when constructing the Latte Artwork Manufacturing facility: our software program limits the utmost temperature to 70°C,” she provides. “The perfect temperature is that which permits for a steadiness between sweetness, texture, and preserving the espresso’s character.”

Plant milks, compared, are naturally lactose-free and include completely different elements than cow’s milk, which inevitably influences steaming temperatures.

“Temperature completely must differ by milk kind,” Nefeli explains. “Soy and almond usually want much less warmth, round 55°C/131°F max, to stop curdling and splitting, whereas oat performs finest round 60°C/140°F.”

How baristas can monitor milk temperature

As espresso outlets proceed so as to add new milks to their menus, baristas should refine current strategies and be taught new ones to serve drinks at optimum temperatures.

“For most individuals, milk drinks are their favorite technique to take pleasure in espresso,” Charles says. “The truth is that any café will let you know that 90-95% of their gross sales are milk-based drinks, which is why extra espresso outlets and residential baristas alike are specializing in temperature.”

There are sensible points to contemplate, nonetheless. With out standardised procedures, baristas will steam milk otherwise: some use thermometers, whereas others depend on sensory cues, for example.

“Sensory cues can work while you’re skilled, however they’re by no means excellent,” Nefeli says.  “We’ve carried out experiments with barista trainers, and the temperature variations are stunning.

“Thermometers are essentially the most correct, however not simple to include into every day routines,” she provides. “Milk foaming methods just like the Latte Artwork Manufacturing facility can take away the guesswork.”

Milk waste can be a value issue. Small drinks similar to macchiatos and cortados typically require steaming extra milk than wanted to supply appropriate microfoam. Automated gear that controls quantity and temperature can subsequently assist scale back waste.

Consistency issues

In the end, whether or not milk is steamed manually or by means of a shelling out system, correct temperature measurement is more and more vital.

“One individual’s ‘steam till your hand feels uncomfortable on the underside of the milk pitcher’ is completely different from the following individual’s, so instruments like thermometers may be enormously beneficial,” Charles explains. “Moreover, in high-volume cafés, the usage of these measuring instruments can guarantee consistency throughout the board.”

Milk temperature has moved from a technical element to a defining think about drink high quality. As cafés broaden their vary of dairy and plant-based choices, every milk requires its personal preparation methodology to protect sweetness, construction, and readability.

“Merely put, monitoring milk temperatures makes higher drinks, which ought to at all times be our primary objective in specialty espresso,” Charles concludes. “Whether or not we try this with an infrared thermometer sensor on a steam wand, a conventional probe thermometer, or a well-trained palm on the underside of a milk pitcher is as much as every café, however consistency is vital, and can win prospects over.”

Loved this? Then learn our article on the best way to make latte artwork at dwelling with out an espresso machine.

Photograph credit: Specialty Espresso Affiliation, Aptitude Espresso, Latte Artwork Manufacturing facility

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