A barista carefully pouring milk into a coffee cup

Latte vs Cappuccino: What is the Difference Between Steamed Milk and Milk Foam?.

"I just want a coffee!" - You, before reading this article.

The world of artisanal coffee can be a daunting place for the uninitiated. Gone are the days when you can walk into a café and simply request, “just a coffee please”. Such a dilemma was highlighted in a satirical McCafe advert back in 2017, depicting a montage of bemused average-Joes-and-Does scoffing at inflated prices and lamenting “I just want a coffee!” It seems not all heroes wear capes, some wear McDonald’s uniform, with staff proudly serving “just a coffee” to a visibly relieved customer.

Record scratch. A mere year later, McCafe added the flat white to their menu. Sure, they backed it up with another satirical advert that claims to democratise the flat white, but let’s be honest: Your no-frills coffee sanctuary has been infiltrated. Now, your only hope is to learn the ropes and hope you don’t get roasted – man-buns are optional but may earn you extra credit.

If you believe that a latte is just hot milk with espresso, this article is for you. Read on to discover all the nuances of textured milk and how to make it.

What Is Steamed Milk?

When milk is steamed, two distinct but complementary processes occur simultaneously.

First, the milk is heated to a precise temperature range of 65-71°C – this carefully controlled heating causes the milk proteins to begin denaturing and the milk fats to break down into smaller particles. This molecular transformation is essential because it allows the fats to integrate with the water content in the milk, creating a stable and uniform liquid.

Second, as high-pressure steam is introduced through the steam wand, it creates microscopic air bubbles that become trapped within this newly restructured milk protein matrix. These bubbles, each surrounded by a thin layer of protein, form what baristas call “microfoam” – a velvety smooth texture that feels smooth and luxurious on the tongue.

This process also enhances the milk’s natural sweetness by making the lactose (milk sugar) more pronounced, resulting in sweet creamy milk that perfectly balances a rich acidic espresso.

What Is Foamed Milk?

Foamed milk, sometimes referred to as dry milk foam​, is created through frothing, a more vigorous aeration process than steamed milk, using methods like whisking, battery-powered frothers, or manual shaking of heated milk. During this process, milk proteins unfold and stretch around larger air bubbles. The ideal temperature range is the same as steamed milk at 65-71°C.

The resulting texture is markedly different from steamed milk’s microfoam – instead of the velvety, smooth consistency of steamed milk with its nearly invisible bubbles, frothed milk features a distinct layer of larger, visible bubbles sitting atop the liquid milk. This makes frothed milk particularly suited for traditional cappuccinos where a defined foam layer is desired, though it’s generally less versatile than steamed milk since the larger bubbles don’t integrate as well with coffee and tend to separate more quickly. This structural difference also explains why latte art typically requires steamed milk’s stable microfoam rather than frothed milk’s larger bubbles.

Milk Foam vs Steamed Milk: The Key Differences

  • Steamed milk is dense and velvety, whereas foamed milk is light and fluffy.
  • Foamed milk often sits on top of a coffee and forms that fluffy cappuccino head.
  • Foamed milk creates large bubbles that separate from the milk liquid, whereas steaming creates smaller bubbles that integrate into the liquid.

How to Make Steamed Milk with Steamer Wand

Steamed milk is created using pressurized steam from a wand that attaches to an espresso machine. You’ll see these wands in nearly every establishment with baristas, or if you don’t see them, you will certainly hear their loud hissing!

There’s a real knack to milk steaming, especially if you want to make latte art, but if you follow this process and have a practice, you’ll be an expert in no time.

  1. First, pour your milk of choice into a metal pitcher. Whole milk works best for creating microfoam due to its higher fat content, but you can use any milk or milk alternative that you prefer.
  2. Purge the wand by turning it on to remove any residue. Make sure your wand is facing the drip tray and away from you – the steam will be hot!
  3. Submerge the wand just below the milk line and turn on the steam. Wait until you hear the distinctive hissing sound – it’s more like a scream; you can’t miss it – before tilting the pitcher to create a whirlpool effect. Adjust until you get a “ch-ch-ch” sound.
  4. Maintaining the whirlpool effect, slowly submerge the wand further into the milk to create those essential microbubbles. This stage of steaming is called aerating.
  5. Keep this up until the pitcher becomes too hot to touch – this means you’ve reached the perfect temperature, so quickly turn off the steam to prevent burning the milk.
  6. Finally, tap the pitcher firmly against your worksurface to remove any large bubbles and gently agitate the milk in a swirling motion until the surface is smooth and glossy.
  7. Purge the machine one more time and use a cloth to clean up the outside of the milk wand before any residue can set but be careful – the wand will be hot!

Coffee Milk Foam: How to Make Good Milk Foam for Cappuccino

Frothing milk to create milk foam can be done using the same technique as above with just one more added step. Bring the steam wand back up to just-below the surface of the milk to create those larger bubbles on top of the steamed milk. You’ll find that your finished milk is not glossy but fine and airy – perfect for a cappuccino or espresso macchiato (espresso with foamed milk).

You can also create foam milk using a whisk, a hand-held milk frother, or even by shaking warm milk in a jar with a lid! The goal is to whip as much air as possible into your milk, similarly to how you’d whisk egg whites, to create that light and frothy milk.

How to Make Milk Foam with Coffee Machine

Press the button. Easy peasy🤷

Automatic Coffee Machines – How to Make Milk Foam at Work

So now you know the difference between milk foam and steamed milk and​ how to get frothy milk for your coffees. If it all sounds wonderful but very time consuming, well, there’s a reason making excellent coffee is a barista’s full-time job. Thankfully, coffee technology has progressed in leaps and bounds over the years, and we now have a wide range of coffee machines that can create barista-quality espresso with steamed milk and drinks with milk foam​ at the touch of a button – from lattes to cappuccinos, mochas and, yes, even flat whites – so you can bring excellent coffee into the workplace without having to worry about microbubbles and screaming steam wands.