Agreed. .. With good technique you aren't influenced by the slight temperature variables introduced when handling milk and pitchers. So long as the milk is not warm it can be frothed quite easily with sufficient steam from a proper steam nozzle.

Though point to keeping milk as cold as possible is beneficial in that it extend working time for beginners or machines with particularly weak/slow steam performance. Microfoam can only be produced after introducing enough air into the milk. It's crucial to introduce air quickly otherwise you lose time for texturing if the milk gets too warm. As the milk temp rises the steam begins to produce bubbles instead of just texture the milk so you end up with overly thick texture or worse--foam.

Keep in mind steaming isn't the only way to produce perfect microfoam. You can froth milk that has already been heated with an electric frothing wand with a whisk tip. I find this method much more forgiving, partly because it takes twice as long..

The steam performance on commercial machines such as La Marzocco are so good they are nearly fool proof, as I've seen many pro baristas don't even pay attention and simply dunk the steam wand into the pitcher and wait a mere 7 seconds only to produce perfect microfoam. Of course such performance comes at a very high cost! (Although I'm sure there is probably more to this than meets the eye--perhaps the specific quantity of milk used or a particular steam tip with more holes than the average home espresso machine).

weebit_nutty wrote:The steam performance on commercial machines such as La Marzocco are so good they are nearly fool proof... I'm sure there is probably more to this than meets the eye--perhaps the specific quantity of milk used or a particular steam tip with more holes than the average home espresso machine.

Naah. Just get a tattoo and sacrifice a geek virgin is all. If you think about it that explains why tattoos are so prevalent among baristas, and why geeks who go to cafes are so desperate to lose their cherries.

BDL

+1

While some machines have better steam performance, differences in tips will make a difference, shape of the pitcher, % of fat in the milk, temperature of the milk, phase of the moon etc... will all have an effect on microfoamm but the person holding the pitcher is the biggest variable. Practice, that is the key to better steamed milk.