Mixing your milk with cream for better micro-froth...?

[alsterlingcafe]

In a search for a creamier micro-frothed steamed milk, have any of you ever tried taking whole milk and adding a cream product. From my earlier searches and tries with various types and brands of milks, I ended up right back at Ralph's Market for their whole milk. I tried the Alta Dena brand of organic whole, amongst other milks, but couldn't find a consistently "better result."

Any tricks out there for "blending your own milk".....or does it just get back to technique with your basic whole milk?

Thanks, Al

[cannonfodder]

I prefer light roasts and their delicate flavors. When I use whole milk, the high fat content overpowers the delicate flavors of the coffee. I usually use plain old 2% milk. If I have a bean that has powerful flavors and stands up to milk with authority, I will pick up a pint of heavy cream and add just a splash to my pitcher of 2% before steaming. If I had to guess, I would say 4 ounces of 2% with one ounce of heavy cream.

Higher fat content produces a finer bubble, or rather produces a finer bubble easier than skim milk. If I was in a latte art competition, I would use whole milk.

[DavidMLewis]

If you want a creamier effect, you can take non-instant powdered milk and blend two tablespoons into a quart of whole milk. The extra protein makes it easier to froth and taste creamier. Note that the product you want is the consistency of talc. The more commonly available instant non-fat milk will result in a granular texture. If you don't have someplace where you can buy it, it's available online. This is a typical product to look for.

Best,
David

[alsterlingcafe]

Hey Dave and David.....

When it rains, it pours, right? I've added your comments to my database and will do some experimenting with both of your additives. While my frothing and steamed milk is at a good retail level, I'm still looking for something to put it over the edge. I'm still appreciating the drinks I had in SFrancisco at Blue Bottle and also at Intelligensia in L.A. They both exhibited a creamy texture. Both were essentially true cap's at 1/3 per. Blue Bottle is using a local quality dairy called Clover, and I'll have to call over to the Silverlake store and see if they'll share their milk choice.

Ironically, we went over to friends for lunch, and the wife gave me a belated Xmas gift; she gave me one of those battery operated bar-whisks that kicks *ss on milk frothing! I would have Poo-pooed it if only described to me. But when I got home I made myself a short cap and steam-frothed a very small amount of milk for my version of a macchiatto. At the very low end of the heat range, I shut off the steam and used the little whisk.

I'm afraid, for fear of being banished, to tell you that it made some interesting merangue out of the milk. I was able to control it to where I still had my steamed milk, micro froth and then this merangue foam. It was interesting........is all I'm sayin'.

I'm going to play with it a bit more. For straight milk steamers for the kids, I'd have to say it has possibilities. The merangue froth is stiff and supports everything from chocolate ants to small bits of plywood.......(only joking about the ply.)

The experimenting will begin tomorrow with the additives. I'll hit up Trader Joe's and then Henry's for the powdered like talc non-fat milk mix.

Best, Al

[quiltmaster]

Hi. I'm sure you noted the sugar content in that dry milk....

[alsterlingcafe]

Hi. I'm sure you noted the sugar content in that dry milk....

I was smiling a bit when I read your comment about the sugar. I mentioned steamers for the kids and then thought about the near direct effect a candy confection has on our 5 year old grandson! Jumping over tall buildings in a single leap like Superman also applies to some children after they hit the sugar! However, with steamers, by the time I add the chocolate and caramel sauce, chocolate ants and colored sprinkles..........12 grams of various sugars per serving from the dry milk may be a moot point..........?!

Best, Al

[TRH]

I have tried both heavy cream and Half and Half creamer added to 2% milk. We usually have half and half at home, so I use about 40% half and half added to the 2% for my wife's cappuccino.

[RegulatorJohnson]

id like a double 1/2 caff capp with 1/2, 1/2 and 1/2, and 1/2 whole milk, and 1/2 soy milk with 1/2 of a chocolate ant.

you still coming out al?

later.

jon

[alsterlingcafe]

id like a double 1/2 caff capp with 1/2, 1/2 and 1/2, and 1/2 whole milk, and 1/2 soy milk with 1/2 of a chocolate ant. you still coming out al? later. jon

My prospective kiosk operator got through the "first 1/2" of your order, broke out crying, and ran from my office! Darn........I'll have to call her probation officer and see if there are any other candidates that want the job!?

And yes......SLC is either 2nd or 3rd on my list of trips within the next few weeks. But first, AZ. (Lucky me!)

Al

[alsterlingcafe]

id like a double 1/2 caff capp with 1/2, 1/2 and 1/2, and 1/2 whole milk, and 1/2 soy milk with 1/2 of a chocolate ant. you still coming out al? later. jon

So....I thought about a new topic, but figured.........why re-invent the "question wheel?"

It's been about 3 months, and somewhere along the line I actually came up with my own milk recipe that yields a creamy texture, similar to the milk drinks I've had when I visit the San Francisco Bay area where they're using Clover Brand milks. BTW, I bought some Trader Joe's "cream on top" milk, thinking it would be the answer, but it stayed soooo permanently separated, that I ended up with a crust of butter-cream that couldn't homogenize itself back into the rest of the solution.

My "find" basically reflects what some of you have been using and had suggested......

I now mix a half gallon of Horizon Organic Whole Milk with one quart of Trader Joe's Half and Half. That's just the "accidental mix of brands" I had around the house when this epiphany hit me! I'm going to use the store Half and Half for the next batch. I'm getting the really sweet drinks that had eluded me for awhile, and the micro-froth better incorporates itself into the drink for a smooth texture from start to finish; less milk/coffee-froth separation. This seems to work for almost all my drinks.

Thanks everyone for the input, Al (And yes Regulator.....I'm going to leave for SLC within the next 3 wks or less!....Please put a Cappuccino on the Bar'by for me!)

[another_jim]

I like a little bit more fat than the whole milk. 5% to 6% seems to create the most sweetness and the best mouthfeel. To get there, I either use a pint of 2% with a pint of half and half, or a quart of whole milk with a pint of half and half.

There is an issue of the extra fat interfering with the taste of the coffee. My feel on this is that there is absolutely no relation between a good espresso blend and a good cappa or milk blend. For milk blends, it's best to use the coffees one finds at Viennese cafes for coffee with whipped cream or for breakfast cafe au lait. Mostly, these are medium-dark roasts using Bourbons or Kenyan SL28s. If you want higher end flavors, you'll need a melange of dark and very light roasts. The best shot for the high end is coffees with pit fruit, rather than citrus or berry, flavors.

This advice applies only to shorter milk drinks like machiatos, cortados, or 5 ounce cappas. For coffee flavored milkshakes, all bets are off.

[alsterlingcafe]

Jim, again, thanks for your input. As a point of interest, here's the reply that I got from Horizon Brand after emailing them; asking for any information related to milk products and the specialty coffee industry. Alta Dena Dairy, here in SoCal, never returned my voice message to their marketing manager. I suppose if I had pushed it, I could have found an upper management marketing type who would have had knowledge of this market. This response looks like it suffered from "...stuck in customer service with no interest in passing it on!" Never accept the happy cow icons on milk packaging as an indication of caring on the part of the corporate dairy machine!

Thank you for your recent e-mail to Horizon Organic. We appreciate your interest in our products.
Here at WhiteWave, our specialty is high quality foods. Unfortunately, this knowledge does not extend to the foaming function involving coffee making. We recommend contacting someone who specializes in this field. Thanks again for contacting the Consumer Affairs Department.

Sincerely, Evangelina Vargas
Consumer Response Representative
Ref: N775636

In retrospect, I had better luck from two water treatment and filter manufacturers on the same type of request, and I'd venture to say that there are much higher gross dollars being spent on milk than water filters! Maybe I just didn't find the right marketing and sales contact? I've been polling the shops I visit here on the Coast, and Clover in the Bay Area, Alta Dena down South and Horizon (the corporate cow people) have come up more than once. For the best response, I think the trick is to get to the field sales person who services these accounts. "Follow the money."

Al

[RegulatorJohnson]

(And yes Regulator.....I'm going to leave for SLC within the next 3 wks or less!....Please put a Cappuccino on the Bar'by for me!)

i will be here.

the biggass grill may still be in the basement.

jon