Steaming milk with sugar: Clumps! - Page 2

#11: Post by **pizzaman383** » March 23rd, 2017, 7:01 am

I use Sugar In The Raw liquid because it dissolves very easily even in cold liquids.

March 23rd, 2017, 11:12 pm

mlim18 wrote:What if you made a sugar/vanilla simple syrup? Try using a 2:1 sugar to water ratio w/ vanilla to taste.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I think just adding the sugar/vanilla to the milk rather than the other way around got me to where i wanted to be. So that's a success in my book

#13: Post by **ash4889** » March 25th, 2017, 4:38 pm

I'm going to share a little secret I got it from a Vietnamese cafe, now please don't laugh but I add two teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk.
It is my guilty pleasure I truly loved it.

#14: Post by **Bret** » March 25th, 2017, 5:35 pm

I've dropped the irregular shaped raw sugar 'lumps' directly to the milk, but I get the pitcher ready before I grind and pull, so it does have some time to soak and at least partially dissolve. It still mixes well during steaming. So if granulated sugar in the pitcher is not being fully incorporated, maybe it is more about giving it a bit of time in the milk before steaming? Are you putting the milk and sugar in the pitcher and steaming immediately?

March 25th, 2017, 11:29 pm

Ya, pretty much, but now that I've tried putting the sugar in *after* pouring the milk, I haven't had an issue.

Although today I had a really odd one - I use a Thermoworks thermometer when steaming - and I got the temperature up to about 100F and then it started to drop rather than rise. Don't know what's going on, that's never happened in the few years I've been doing this. I don't know how it could - I though the thermometer was losing its marbles, but afterwards I tested and it was fine. *shrug*

March 26th, 2017, 12:08 am

I stir in sugar after adding steamed milk to espresso
based on a theory-- sugar added to milk will interfere with the foaming process???

#17: Post by **Bret** » March 26th, 2017, 4:11 pm

I attempt to do latte art, slowly getting better. But that is why I don't like to add the sugar/stir after the pour.

I did start out putting sweetener in the cup before pulling the shot, but it really didn't dissolve completely. Adding the sugar to the milk before steaming has not, in my experience, affected the foam quality.

#18: Post by **AssafL** » March 27th, 2017, 5:40 am

Clumps? Do you mean curdling of milk?

Are you using alcoholic Vanilla extract (the good kind of extract)?

It is known to happen if you add milk to alcohol it may curdle. It is always best to add the alcohol to the milk to prevent that.

March 27th, 2017, 1:26 pm

No, its not curdling, its almost like static clumping. The clumps aren't obvious once you've poured them into the espresso - but you sure see them coming out of the frothing pitcher! I do use alcohol-based vanilla but I've never had any issues with that curdling - and this only happens sometimes (but has not happened since changing methods to add sugar to milk, rather than the other way around).

#20: Post by **iroast** » March 27th, 2017, 3:20 pm

Trial #1
Use half of the milk you'd normally use and steam it. Add sugar and your flavoring in and stir manually. Pour that content into your cup. Steam the other 1/2 by itself and pour that into your cup.

Trial #2
Heat water until you start hearing bubbles. Pour into heat safe container and then add sugar into it. Glucose water. Add in your flavoring. Steam milk and pour it into your cup. Add glucose flavored water.

Trial #3
Refined sugar. White. No molasses.