Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!
This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.
It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:
- Something interesting that happened to you
- Something humourous that happened to you
- Something frustrating that happened to you
- A quick question
- A request for recommendations
- Pictures of your pet
- A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
- Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)
So how’s it going?
OK so I think I’ve got black coffee going alright with my espresso machine. The grind, tamping, extraction time and volume of espresso seem right.
But I am seriously struggling with a milky coffee. I can froth up the milk with the steam wand fine, and heat it until the jug feels quite hot, but when I put it into the mug the coffee just isn’t that warm. I have tried heating it like crazy and it doesn’t seem to keep the heat. I always end up having to microwave it for 20 seconds.
Anyone got any tips on how to make a hot milky coffee? Should I be heating the mug?
Heat the cup first.
How would I do that. The steam wand?
At home I typically just warm it with (our very) hot water from the tap. Fill it and leave it for a minute.
At work I do the same with the fancy boiling water tap thing.
Your machine probably has a hot water thing, for long black/Americano, you can use that.
Ok thanks, I’ll give that a go 🙂
My mum always insisted on a warm cup and us kids would make fun of her. But now I’m drinking coffee I appreciate how it makes the coffee stay hot that little bit longer!
Are you fully submerging the steam wand into the milk to heat it through or just keeping it near the surface for bubbles. That would make a difference in the overall milk temp. And because metal conducts heat really well, it’s probably getting hot before the milk. I think for properly warm milk it’s supposed to be almost to hot to touch (although my old memories from working in a cafe may be lying to me)?
I’m heating the milk by fully submerging the steam wand after creating the foam.
I have tried heating the jug until it’s so hot I can’t touch the bottom, and the end result is still a not-hot-enough coffee. My theory is the cup absorbs the heat. Did you pre-heat the cup when you were working in a cafe?