Like I mentioned in one of the previous post, milk plays an important role on how the latte would taste, and how easy it is to steam. I used to drink non-fat milk as a healthier choice with low calories. However, it turned out that the more fat the milk has, the better it is for the taste of your latte and the easier it is for steaming. Why? in a nutshell in my humble opinion, the process of steaming milk makes the milk taste sweeter, and at the perfect temperature (it various depending on the brand, aka where the milk is from and how fresh it is) the latte would taste at its best. A few tips I have learned throughout the years of practicing pouring latte art at home:
- Go with 100% full fat milk – the higher the calories the better. For example, most of the milk in grocery shops has about 150 calories stated on the box. Sometimes, you’d find some with 155 or 160. I’d go for those. But again, it depends on personal preference, so use your judgement and try out a couple brands.
- Best if it’s a local farm – I’m not sure what it is, but local farm typically perhaps carries fresher milk with fuller fat. In essence, I’d go with the local brand whichever city I go if I were to make latte art during traveling.
- Try out at different temperature – ideally, the temperature would be around 150°F – 155°F if you were to make the latte at home. You’d find most cafe serve coffee beverages slightly hotter than this, and that’s probably because those were made for you to taken as to-go.
- Pre-heat your latte cups at home – this way, the steamed milk wouldn’t get shocked by the temperature change when you pour the perfectly steamed milk into a cup.
Home Latte Artist 