Milk Frothing - Shortcut Guide
We all love espresso bar's cappuccino and lattes with frothy thick milk... Now we can have even better at home or office for a fraction of its price. It cost just few cents per for a fresh cup of cappuccino or Latte if we own an espresso machine or a simple frothxpress automatic milk frother.
If you own a Super Automatic Espresso Machine, the machine can do it for you quiet simply using either 2 stage frothing Pannarello and a Stainless Steel milk pitcher or Jura frothXpress PLUS Panarello system.
For all Semi Automatic espresso machine users, here are some important tips you should try and follow:
 First you need to have a Stainless Steel milk jug and also recommended for beginners is a thermometer that will let you know exactly when to stop frothing your milk.
Fill the milk pitcher at least one third with cold milk (the milk pitcher should be cold as well).
Position the tip of the steam wand just a bit below the surface of the milk because it needs to suck in a little air to produce the froth. This is the tricky part, if its too close to the surface you will start to get large bubbles and there is a risk of spattering the milk. If it is not close enough to the surface you will not draw in any air or any froth... Just a few millimeters can make big difference. The goal is to create a circular motion that let the milk increase in volume.
As the froth starts to build up, the milk rise and you will have to adjust the pitcher movement accordingly. Lower the pitcher as the milk level rises to keep the tip near the surface.
Keep going until you have the desired amount of froth or until the thermometer will show 70 degrees.
If you don't have a thermometer, it's until the pitcher start to be too hot to touch. If you pass the 70-75 degrees, there is a good chance that the milk oils will separate, all the foam will crash creating a thin hot milk, not the one you like...
It is very crucial to stop on time, overheated milk can't be frothed again, so its better to start all over.
After finishing, if you see some large bubbles on the surface, you can gently bang the pitcher down on the countertop. This will break the larger bubbles which are weaker than the smaller ones.
The next step would be to challenge yourself with some Latte Art.
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