Pouring milk for your coffee requires some technique and skill. Practice is necessary to achieve the optimal blending of coffee shot and the warm milk.

The home barista has some other hurdles to overcome with milk preparation that a café barista would not experience. Domestic machines have very different frothing capabilities than commercial machines.  The steam pressure and duration time of the steam is somewhat limited by the physical size of the heating system in a domestic machine, so certain techniques should be considered when using home machines. In any case, PeAk Coffee recommends PURA milk for a silky, easy to use milk base. PURA also tends to maintain its consistency of flavour all year round as opposed to many other brands we have tried.

• Use a small stainless steel jug (300ml to 500ml).
• Only half fill the jug with cold milk straight from the refrigerator.
• Do not use a large jug hoping to make enough at one time for your whole dinner party.

Many domestic machines come with a plastic foam enhancer which ultimately creates too much aerated foam.  The aim is to create “stretched” milk, not frothy milk.  Stretched milk has a smooth, silky texture with minute air bubbles which cause the volume of the milk to increase as the milk is heated.
If possible, remove the foam enhancer from your machine.

Steps to Smooth Milk

• Start with a small jug of cold milk.
• Purge the condensed hot water out of the steam wand.
• Place the nozzle of the steam wand in the milk to a depth of 2cm and turn the steam on all the way.
• Immediately lower the jug until the tip of the nozzle is just below the surface of the milk. (If the nozzle is too deep, you will only succeed in heating the milk. If the nozzle is too close to the surface, you will get a few large bubbles and splatter the milk).
• Tilt the jug slightly to allow the steam pressure to shoot against the side of the jug, creating a spinning action.
• As the foam rises in the jug, ensure the nozzle remains below the surface of the milk. This action should form a whirlpool effect as the milk heats up.  Spinning the milk will be the action you are looking for to increase volume. 
• The sound that you hear should be steady, smooth and high pitched. If the cold milk jug screams, raise the steam tip right to the surface of the milk for a second.  This lets a small amount of air penetrate the milk surface.
• For lattes, do not allow any Venturi style air to penetrate the milks surface. 
• For cappuccinos, raise the tip of the milk wand right to the surface of the milk without pulling it all the way out.  What you will create is a Venturi effect which allows air to be sucked through the surface of the milk creating more foam.
• Do not move the jug up and down on the steam wand, as used to be done in the past, as this method burns the milk fats.
• When you have enough foam for your order, sink the nozzle into the milk to heat it to the desired temperature. (This is important; not heating the milk after frothing will result in a tepid cup of coffee.  Most experienced baristas use a touch on the base or side of the jug to gauge the correct temperature – it should be nearly too hot to touch. Milk thermometers are available to clip inside the jug if you need the added reassurance.  The maximum temperature of the steamed milk should never exceed 65 degrees Celsius.  Milk will burn at 72 degrees and this will change the taste of the coffee).
• Turn off the steam valve and draw out the steam wand from the milk.
• Wipe the steam wand with a wet cloth to remove the milk build up.
• Give the steam valve a quick burst to shoot out any excess milk inside the steam wand.
• Bang the jug on the bench to settle the foam and roll the milk until it achieves a consistent density. Sometimes tapping the jug on the bench will help make the foam denser and give the milk time to settle.
• Pouring the milk, use a smooth, consistent flowing action – a high pour for flat whites and a low, rolling pour for lattes and cappuccinos. 
• When the milk is stretched correctly it should resemble thick, pouring cream.
• For a latte, the stretched milk should have a shiny surface and contain no bubbles.
• For a cappuccino, the foam should be aerated and light and contain no large bubbles.

Practice is important with this aspect of coffee making. 

Pouring Milk
The industry now refers to the method of “free pouring”. This is where you control the milk through the pouring action of the jug, without the assistance of a spoon or spatula.  Free pouring is a good habit to learn – using a spoon is a hard one to kick!

When pouring milk, you should generally get the tip of the milk jug as close as possible to the surface of the coffee shot. 

Pouring a flat white however, requires a higher pour, so you can control the thin milk required for this beverage.  This is another reason to use small jugs – they allow for better milk control. 

For lattes and cappuccinos you should pour in a lower, consistently flowing motion to make the milk blend evenly into the coffee. 

Pouring milk needs lots of practice, but you will eventually master this skill.  You will then be ready to learn latte art.