Milk in Mexico won't foam

[troller]

Hey. Does anyone on this board live in Mexico? I brought my machine down to Puerto Vallarta, looking forward to trying some of the local beans, but I am totally frustrated by the milk here. The machine is not the best for making micro bubbles, but that is not the problem. I can get a half decent pitcher of foam going but when I pour the foam it turns to large bubbles that collapse and leave me with just milk. Any Ideas?

Jose

[barry]

are you sure you haven't overheated the milk?

[roblumba]

Also try getting whole milk. Perhaps that milk is just too watery, not enough protein and fat content? I find that skim nonfat milk is harder to get foam compared to 2 percent or whole milk.

The following is just a guess, but if it's not homogenized, then it might contribute to the problem because the fat would not be evenly distributed throughout the milk. But I have had plenty of success with Straus Whole Milk non homogenized.

[DavidMLewis]

It sometimes also happens that producers will use silicone-based anti-foaming agents in the processing plant. The idea is to keep the milk from foaming in their machines. Try a different milk and see if it makes any difference.

Best,
David

[hbuchtel]

I was having very mixed results with milk here (where most people drink UHT milk) and realized it was a freshness issue. It is especially obvious in the summer.

If you think that might be the problem I would suggest-> small portions, check the date, and use all the milk within 2 days of opening it.

Regards, Henry

[troller]

Thanks to those who replied.
I think DavidMLewis probably has the answer. Freshness is not an issue most of the time. I don't see anything on the container about homogenizing so that could be an issue, but Davids suggestion makes the most sense to me because of the way the milk acts after it is foamed. It looks good till you pour it into the coffee, then it almost instantly turns to large bubbles then collapses.

One very frustrated coffee drinker, reconsidering his idea of moving to Mexico.

Jose

PS. Henry, are you in China? How is it there for finding good beans? Mexico has lots of growers but have not found any exceptional roasters here.

[nixter]

I'm going to guess freshness. I've found that when my 2% starts to near the "Best Before" date I'm unable to properly foam the milk similar to your experiences. Try putting the jug plus milk in the freezer for 5-10 minutes first.

n

[hbuchtel]

How is it there for finding good beans? Mexico has lots of growers but have not found any exceptional roasters here.

I know of two good roasters in the country , Stuart Eunson's Arabica Coffee Roasters in Beijing and Paul Pratt's Just-Java in Hong Kong. Good imported beans are hard to get, but the ones grown in the Simao area of Yunnan province are cheap and fairly well processed. They taste funny as espresso though... a bit like drinking perfume

Regards, Henry

[troller]

I know of two good roasters in the country , Stuart Eunson's Arabica Coffee Roasters in Beijing and Paul Pratt's Just-Java in Hong Kong. Good imported beans are hard to get, but the ones grown in the Simao area of Yunnan province are cheap and fairly well processed. They taste funny as espresso though... a bit like drinking perfume

There are probably some good roasters in Mexico City or Guadalajara, but here in Puerto Vallarta the local roasters only use the local beans which are ok but need some help..

Jose