Fat separating from oat milk after steaming

#1: Post by **cgibsong002** » October 1st, 2021, 7:34 pm

So this has been really bugging me for weeks now. For the longest time i was getting nearly perfect texture on my milk, using Califia barista blend. Lately it's been getting worse and worse, and i think even worse yet since upgrading from my Breville Infuser to the Synchronika.

What happens is, texture looks pretty good until i stop the steaming process. As soon as i finish i can see what i assume is the fats starting to separate and rise to the surface. For anyone who makes Thai curry it's just like when you separate the fats from the coconut milk. And once I see this separation, it's a guarantee that within seconds after my pour, the microfoam will destabilize into big bubbles.

My best guess is I'm overheating, but it's strange i don't feel like I'm steaming any longer than i used to (based on feel). Maybe I'm just getting more used to the heat? I also typically go by sound as well, and cut it just after i start to hear a pitch change.

My other thought it maybe I'm stretching past a certain temperature as I've heard aerating past 100F or so can cause permanent issues.

Anyone else run into this, or know what causes it?

#2: Post by **BaristaBob** » October 1st, 2021, 8:53 pm

I haven't experienced this problem, but then again I have only used Oatly full fat and their Barista grade. So maybe get a quart of the Oatly Barista grade and see what happens. Also, I'd only stretch to about palm temp (70-80F).

#3: Post by **coffeechan** » October 2nd, 2021, 12:29 am

It's probably the jump in steam power that's causing this. The Infuser is much weaker steamwise and will give you a lot of buffer time for stretch + integration. To try remedy your problem I would inject air and mix quickly then cut the steam earlier to reduce the probability of the separation happening. The milk will continue to heat a bit after the steam is turned off as well. Swirl and pour quickly for latte art. Let us know how it turns out.

October 2nd, 2021, 12:53 am

I did start having the issue on the infuser the last couple weeks of using it as well, but it does seem likely i could be over heating even worse now with more power. The infuser didn't have any residual heat, wherever i stopped it is where it stopped, but i suppose now it's probably heating even after I'm done. I'll have to see if i can get a temp reading while steaming.