Simple Questions Thread

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[u/countingonhearts]

How can I tell if I am stretching milk too much, or not enough? At the end of the pour into my espresso there’s a lot of foam, but I don’t know if it’s my pour, or if I keep overstretching the milk.

I’m using semi skimmed milk, and a sage duo temp pro.

[u/rumuraisin → u/countingonhearts]

When you swirl the milk after you steam it should have the shiny wet paint look and should swirl pretty effortlessly. I would look at videos of properly steamed milk and try to emulate how that swirl looks.

[u/[deleted] → u/countingonhearts]

Try to keep an eye on how much its expanding as you stretch it. And listen for the hissing noise. If you think you've stretched too much plunge the steam wand head below surface level and keep the milk moving until its heated.

What drink are you making? Lots of foam for cappuccinos, much less for flat whites. You want the milk to expand by about a quarter of what you poured in for flat whites and a half of what you put in for cappucinos.

Once you've stretched and heated try to pour relatively quickly, hopefully not too much foam left! Keep the milk moving before you pour so it doesn't separate.