Ever since my cholesterol was noted to be sky-high, I switched from regular milk to low-fat no-cholesterol soy milk. However, this last week when I went to the store, they were all out of soy milk. There on the refrigerated shelf was some goat milk. Hmmmmmm.... Okay, I know it's not low-cholesterol, but I figure a week's worth of goat milk won't kill me. Plus I was curious as to the effect on milk steaming for lattes.

Now it turns out that goat's milk has been mentioned as an aside a few times here, here, and here, but there is no dedicated thread for goat milk.

Until now.


Anyway, what I found was this:
pre-steaming aroma: light, sweet, cake-like
pre-steaming flavor: mildly pungent and astringent (think goat cheese, duh!)
pre-steaming texture: thin

post-steaming aroma: dry
post-steaming flavor: dry, transparent, lacking sweetness
post-steaming texture: thin and silky

steaming technique notes: Goat's milk seems to naturally want to form a microfoam and does not seem to develop medium sized bubbles or volume as readily as cow's milk. Care must be taken not to over-steam since many of the usual endpoints seen with cow's milk (in terms of volumetric increase and alterations in foam density) are slightly blunted. However, the end result is a truly amazing microfoam that can make delicate satiny latte art and, to me, seems easily to manipulate than cow's milk.

flavor notes: Because it does not add sweetness to cappuccinos like cow's milk or soy milk, the flavors of the coffee come through with greater transparency in the cup. I would consider using goat's milk to blunt excessively sweet or rich espresso blends. I would avoid its use with darker roasts which might rely on the sweetness of the milk to balance the flavor palate.

I look forward to hearing other people's thoughts and experiences!

Exactly, the goat milk was surprisingly like opening the window and suddenly being able to smell the aroma of the coffee in the kitchen. Of course it still has its own dry character, but it will help to balance sweetness out -- like making a good cheesecake.

For example, I am drinking some Basaltic Bourbon (Sweet Maria's Espresso Workshop Blend #3) and I was shocked at how the flavor of the espresso came through. My girlfriend (who loves a sweet latte) complained that she didn't like the blend today because it was too "flat" and she could "taste the coffee too much."

I like that phrase. I like coffee but only when I cannot taste it.

Interesting tasting notes, not sure I will ever try it but it sounds like it was an interesting experience.

I find this very interesting.

that being said, Im not a milk espresso person.

soy tastes like soy to me, and goat tastes like goat. if you ever can find goat < 1 year old and are a student of true BBQ (low and slow) you must try this.

that being said Goat older than a year is an taste that takes some time to get used to:

think Jamaican Curried Goat. the best but that curry has a lot to do with this.

now days, if your lipid profile is not what you want, consider the statins.

not in your coffee!

simvastatin is off patent and very affordable.

as a physician I can tell you this:

No current Cardiologist is not on them no matter what their lipid profile is.

cheers