Milk Steaming & Latte Art

⁰¹ Fill your pitcher with milk up to the level just below the bottom of the spout. Using the perfect amount of milk helps avoid wasting milk. For drinks 5 oz. or less, we recommend using a 12 oz. Steam Pitcher. For drinks 10 oz. or more such as a latte, we recommend using a 20 oz. Steam Pitcher.

⁰² Purge your steam wand to get rid of any excess milk and condensation. Make sure to use a wet towel to avoid burning your hand.

⁰³ Angle your steam wand in your pitcher aiming for the lower right area of the milk surface while leaning the steam wand against the spout to keep the tip in place.

⁰⁴ Ensure the tip of your wand is approximately a couple centimeters below the milk surface keeping the angle on the lower right area.

⁰⁵ Start your steam wand. This is a quick process. While your steam wand tip is submerged, create a whirlpool in your milk. Once you are able to achieve a whirlpool, bring your pitcher down a couple of centimeters to introduce some air (low enough to get 2-3 tiny bursts) to create the microfoam, then immediately re-submerge your tip, keeping the whirlpool. Touch the side walls of your pitcher to feel for temperature. When it’s hot enough that you cannot tolerate touching the walls anymore, you are done. For a more accurate temperature, you should be at around 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit.

⁰⁶ Purge your steam wand again to clean using a wet towel.

⁰⁷ Tap any excess bubbles, pour out a little bit of milk to about the amount you started with. Swirl the pitcher to texturize, resulting in a consistency of wet paint. Tap again if bubbles surface from texturizing.

⁰⁸ Start with a thin steady stream about 6 inches away from your cup. Once the level reaches about halfway, get your pitcher spout as close as possible to the liquid surface and start to draw your art.