Accidental Hedonist - The one where Kate is stumped

The one where Kate is stumped

03/09/07 @ 07:18:27 am, by Kate Hopkins

1214 views • Categories: Coffee

In talking with my favorite barista this morning, she let me in on a bit of a secret that has caught me a bit off guard. Namely that milk with lower fat content provide thicker, more velvety foam.

This sounds suspicious to me, but I am not a trained coffee professional and will generally respect the perspectives of folks who have more experience than I. However, instinct tells me that higher fat content in milk should provide better foam.

To you coffee fanatics out there: Who's right and why?

Permalink • 19 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: sam [Visitor]

she's right.

milk foams through the proteins, not the fats. the fats actually hinder it.

as a barista, this is one of the many reasons why i will give you a dirty look if you order a cappuccino made with half and half.

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 07:27

Comment from: Lauren [Visitor]

As a former barista, I have to agree with yours... It is much easier to get lower fat milk to foam, and the foam itself tends to be more thick and "durable". Ditto to the commenter who mentioned dirty looks for the half and half cappuccino! What a nightmare that would be.

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 07:52

Comment from: David L [Visitor] · http://www.davidlebovitz.com

It's because low-fat milk is made from non-fat milk, which milk solids are added back to.

Those solids (as someone previous mentioned) provide a more stable foam than fat alone.

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 08:18

Comment from: jeremy [Visitor]

i couldn't tell you why, but in my experience the lower fat milk gets you the frothiest froth!

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 08:30

Comment from: J [Visitor]

Well, yes and no.

I was a barista for a while, and as I recall low-fat and non-fat milk yielded a stiffer, denser, almost souffle-like foam that a lot of people liked. Whole milk yielded a much wetter, silkier foam that I preferred, but it did take more finesse to produce it. So as for which type of milk produces "better" foam I couldn't tell you; that seems like it would rely on personal taste and preference. As for which milk is easier to get a tall head of foam from, it would definitely be milks with lower fat contents.

Also, to the baristas above: I used to have a regular who ordered nothing but double cappuchinos with half and half. He was really nice and tipped me well, but whenever he came through the doors on a busy Saturday morning I died a little inside.

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 08:38

Comment from: Laurie [Visitor] · http://lreinmann.wordpress.com

I am not a barista by any means, but I have always used skim milk for my frothing purposes, it always works for me.

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 08:52

Comment from: Jim [Visitor] · http://www.prophetsplace.com/blog

You're barista is right on this one--lower fat milk froths better.....

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 09:02

Comment from: Rebecca [Visitor] · http://reebeckisupergirl.blogspot.com

This is true! It has to do with the level of fat and proteins found in whole milk versus nonfat milk. The ones with lower fat froth better. I know there is a more specific scientific reason behind this but I just can't remember right now. I like that nonfat milk froths better because then I get my frothy goodness without the calories!

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 09:32

Comment from: Nicky [Visitor] · http://www.deglazing.com

I thought this was a really interesting question, so I went to the source for food science answers Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking. One of the posts above hit the nail on the head mentioning the proteins involved. Here's an excerpt for McGee (pg. 26, for those of you who have a copy), "Some milks are better suited to foaming than others. Because the whey proteins are the critical stabilizers, milks that are fortified with added protein - usually reduced-fat and skim milks - are most easily foamed."

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 10:37

Comment from: Aaron [Visitor] · http://www.checkered-rooster.blogspot.com

It's the same reason you can't use fat in angel food cake--the foam is an emulsion of milk (bubble walls) and air. The protein holds the bubbles together; the little goblets of fat fly around like bullets, popping the bubbles.

Permalink 03/09/07 @ 18:47

Comment from: Jason Truesdell [Visitor] · http://blog.jagaimo.com/

I think that it's easier to foam lower-fat milk. That shouldn't be a surprise. However, without the richness of the fat, the whole latte experience loses its charm. And what's 30 calories between friends, anyway.

Many years ago, Seattle Weekly or the Stranger (I can't remember anymore) ran a column that offered a few ways to really irritate your barista. One was to request a "nonfat, no-foam latte," explaining that this was well near impossible.

Permalink 03/11/07 @ 16:57

Comment from: Jim [Visitor]

I'm no barista (I don't even play one on TV) but Kate is entirely correct. Living in the Netherlands we get plenty of choice for dairy products and 0% non-fat is the one to go with. It produces stiffer, more pleasing foam (I have a FrancisFrancis machine and we have to surf it a bit) and fatter milk just seems to suffer by comparison. I've even tried to foam soy milk for a veggie ex-girlfriend (shows how well it worked) and really, very cold 0% milk is the way to go.

YMMVBIR (your milage may vary, but I'm right)
;)

Permalink 03/12/07 @ 07:40

Comment from: Kate [Visitor] · http://www.kateadelle.com

Though non-fat milk produces more fluffy foam (because of the proteins as stated above) this is not generally considered a good thing among well-trained baristas. As someone above said, the more desirable milk is silkier, smoother, more well mixed. What you actually want is called microfoam. This is the stuff that allows you to make latte art.

Permalink 03/12/07 @ 18:35

Comment from: turkiyaki [Visitor]

There's a cafe-specific product called PURA Cafe which is higher-protein than the standard milk. Each 250mL serving of PURA Cafe has 10.5g protein and 8.3g fat, compared to the standard PURA milk with 8.0g protein and 8.5g fat.

They're soon to be released in 1L packs in supermarkets.

I find that high-protein, no-fat milk aerates easily, but it's hard to get good, smooth microfoam out of it.

Permalink 03/12/07 @ 21:54

Comment from: Gary [Visitor]

A lot of the flavor is in the fat!

Permalink 03/13/07 @ 13:46

Comment from: Amy [Visitor]

Low/Nonfat milk will give you a stiffer, lighter, meringue like foam that separates from the milk and will sit at the top of your drink. Whole milk properly frothed will give you rich, silky microfoam that gives the drink more texture; good microfoam is decadent. Whole milk it totally worth it!

Here's more info than you probaby wanted:
http://www.coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide/

Permalink 03/15/07 @ 09:38

Comment from: KARL [Visitor]

· http://WWW.KARLTONWINT.COM

IT PROBABLY IS A BIT EASIER TO "FOAM" NONFAT OR LOW FAT COW'S MILK. MY WIFE AND I BOTH TAKE 2 1/2 TO 3 SHOTS IN OUR SUNDAY MORNING BOWLS AND HAVE FOUND THAT LOW FAT EQUALS LOW PLEASURE. I HAVE BECOME QUITE ADEPT AT STEAMING AND FROTHING HALF AND HALF TO THE CONSISTENCY AND SHEEN OF LATEX PAINT--MICROFOAM, IN OTHER WORDS. WHILE THE PROFESSIONAL BARISTAS MAY NOT HAVE THE TIME OR INCLINATION TO WORK WITH A HIGHER FAT CONTENT, MY WIFE'S PURR OF CONTENTMENT EVERY SUNDAY MORNING TELLS ME IT'S WORTH THE EXTRA EFFORT.

Permalink 03/19/07 @ 15:22

Comment from: Kailuacats [Visitor]

I'm with Karl. I've been taught to use low fat milk to get a good "head" on a latte, but I like a bit of fat. I don't use a "machine." I use an espresso pot and a milk frother (a small pot with a frothing net that moves up and down to make the froth). I have the espresso part down (finally) and the froth with 2% milk. Karl has given me hope that I can acheive better results with 1/2 & 1/2.

Permalink 04/06/07 @ 02:18

Comment from: James [Visitor]

Pura cafe is not a product for those wanting a professional result. The higher protein content means larger bubbles, no chance of mirofoam without intense working of milk. Hence problems for people praticing latte art. Compared to the results with whole milk, cafe milk bubbles break down faster, meaning that unless your waitstaff are quick, the coffee will look substandard after around 30 seconds of sitting on a counter. Avoid using the product unless you want to appear amature.

Permalink 08/10/07 @ 05:15

Users

Poll

Archives

Whiskey Book

The one where Kate is stumped

Comments, Pingbacks:

Leave a comment:

AH Food Journals

AH Guest Writers

AH Alumni

Blogroll