Although overall coffee consumption remains flat, patrons are flocking to gourmet coffee bars in record numbers to treat themselves to steamers, mochas, espressos and lattes. Calif. Cappuccinos, steamers and lattes rely on frothed milk to create a light, foamy head. After studying dozens of different properties in the milk itself, such as seasonality, chemical composition, structure after adding to a heated liquid and other aspects, McGregor found the most critical factors affecting milk performance in coffee establishments are proper storage and handling. Operators can optimize milk frothing by storing milk at the correct temperature, maintaining product freshness and using proper frothing techniques. At this temperature, milk will deteriorate rapidly, losing its frothing capacity.
Fresh product is vitally important.
The best practice is to use fresh milk every time and start with milk that is cold. This produces the light, foamy head that discriminating customers look for in that style of hot beverage. An alliance with Community Coffee Co., a privately held, regional coffee company headquartered in Louisiana, proved to be extremely valuable. Our partners in the coffee industry have a wealth of knowledge about their product. We recognized we had very little expertise in understanding how to put milk ingredients in coffee.