Chapter 02. Milk Foam! Creating velvety milk foam
-You can create velvety milk foam without a machine (French press) -Mastering the basics of steamed milk: machine explanation, terminology explanation, logics of steam air formation
Hello everyone from Unspecialty Edu
I am barista Ji-yu Lee and I'll be leading this latte art class
From today, let's master the latte art skills
and conquer it together with me
Let's begin
Today, we will learn about steaming
Many people tend to doubt themselves
when it comes with milk steaming
So I will explain it step by step and share my 10-plus years of skills with you
Some of you may have a coffee machine at home, and some may not
So I will cover both cases
Even though I'll explain how to steam it with the coffee machine
There are some who would tell me
that they don't have a coffee machine and need to make steamed milk first to start practicing latte arts
So I've prepared a French press so that you can practice at home
I bought this French press recently
I actually made a video about French press on YouTube before
But it's a different one from then, isn't it?
After doing some browsing
There was a newly released one so I tested it out
The body of this one is in plastic
But the one before was made of glass
So I was worried that it could be a little dangerous when we heat up milk
So, I prepared this plastic one for this time
Since it's not too pricey, I think this one will be pretty good
Then is it possible to steam milk with a French press?
Let me explain this method step by step
The basic principle of adding air can be applied to a French press in the same way
I'm not good at drawing, but I'll try
If you look here, it's quite similar, right?
When you open this lid, there's a mesh here, like a strainer
This one breaks air bubbles into very small particles
So if you look here, there's a mesh at the bottom
It plays a role in putting air in
But this one can't heat up milk as the coffee machine does, right?
So we are going to use a microwave to heat up the milk to the desired temperature
Usually, we heat up for 1 minute and 30 seconds, but if you’re a beginner you may need extra seconds
So heat up for 10 more seconds in total of 1 minute and 40 seconds
After heating up for 1 minute and 40 seconds, it gets hot
But the problem is that there is no air inside
I'll use this lid to add air
You might ask, how much?
It's better to start by setting the number
Because the meaning of your skills improving is when
you practice based on consistency
So, having rules like always measuring the amount of milk and heating it for 1 minute and 40 seconds
with x amount of air and how many times it will be mixed
will help maintain consistency
And later, it will become much more natural
If you look here, this is the mug we usually use at home
I'm going to heat a cup of this
And after that, if you pour it in this French press
The milk will probably be right up to this line
If you ask how many milliliters this is, it's 350ml
I'll leave a separate purchase link
So, since the milk is up to here, the rest will be air, correct?
Then from the milk surface, we need to add some of that air into the milk
So, we'll do it 8 times from about 2cm above the surface, going from top to bottom
Doing it 8 times in this rhythm 1, 2, 3, is too slow
And as it contains liquid with specific temperature
we are bound by time constraints
So when you have added the milk turn on this video and try to follow along
This is how you do it, from about 2cm above
You go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 in this rhythm
I will also show you the process from we heat up the milk
One more time 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 in this rhythm
Above here, about 2cm from the top to the bottom
From at this range, you just need to repeat it 8 times
But I want my milk foam to last longer, can't I just add more?
But doing it more it'll cause the milk to become stretchy like powder made of mixed grains
If you question why your milk is thick and stretchy
It's probably because you have exceeded your number to 10
So after moving it 8 times, you'll see some bubbles there
So with these bubbles if you go 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
You'll see a lot of bubbles on top
With that, by pulling the plunger up to the top, and like as if you're pushing all the bubbles down
This will contain liquid and just about half of it
If you look here, this logo represents about half of this beaker
After adding some air, half of the liquid
Why do I emphasize the word 'half'?
If it goes over half, it thinks that I'm adding more air to it
Then, the volume will expand again
So to prevent further air from entering, from here, repeat it again at least 20 times
I do mention repeating it 30 times so minimum, 20 times
But if you hold it like this and do 20 times
If you do it too slowly, pressure won't build up
So when you hold it like this, from about half, 1,2,3,4,5,6
You have do it with a light and lively rhythm
So this for minimum 20 times, and when you see it inside
The surface should be glossy
But instead when yours is all bubbly, don't panic
Just pull the plunder all the way up again and all the way down
And repeat the process again for 10 more times, also do not just pull out the plunger
If you just pull it out all the foam that should be filtered would come out
So smoothly just tap it like this
And slowly just lift the whole plunder
So when you look inside, it should be nice and glossy
Let me show you the actual process
Please check the number of times
Okay let me go heat up the milk
Here is the heated milk
If you put a finger in it, it should be slightly hot
But if you heat it up too hot
I did mention if this was in glass it could get a little dangerous
But this isn't hot at all so you don't need to boil it
So now I'll pour a whole cup of this
You know when you try to be careful and pour it slowly, you still end up getting it everywhere
So you don't have to pour it too slow
Since it's one cup, it's 350ml. You can see the line here, right?
Then, first, from 2cm above the top of the liquid
you go 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 to add air to it
If you look at the lid here, there is something like a strainer here
So slide the lid so the strainer is at the back
Using your thumb, milk may splash out of the spout
So, hold it here to prevent it from lid coming off
Hold it lightly wrapped like this
And when you hold this, it's uncomfortable if you hold it like this
Using the thumb and index finger, like this
Hook your index and middle fingers like this and hold it with your thumb
Can you see it? I held it this way to show you, but I prefer this side
You can see the mesh going down between the arms
So you don't have to look at it like this. In the middle
Let's froth it 8 times. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
And then, after pulling it up like this, push it down like this
After pushing it down, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22
I'll just stop at 22
If you open it and look, see this. There's still a little bit of bubbles, right?
I said 20 times because it might be hard, but I'll change it to 30 times
Okay, let's do it 10 more times
9,10. If you follow this rhythm, it will be much better
Then, if you look here, the bubbles are now a little smooth
I'll pour this into the pitcher to see me if we can make latte art with this
Even without a coffee machine, you need milk foam
Because we need steamed milk in order to practice
When you do this, just prepare a tray and a cup like this
Let's try
Since I'm testing it to see if it works
If you sprinkle a little bit of powder, you can make latte art like this
But with this, let me go through it again
You will need a pitcher, a cup, a tray, and a French press
You will need this powder, a chocolate powder
It's best to use Nesquik for the chocolate powder
I tried practicing it with various things, and this one turned out to be the best
And if you're latte art didn't turn out well
and wonder what to do with it, you can just pour the milk
back to the pitcher and pour it all back into the French press
as the air pressure may not have been sufficient enough
Repeat it three or four times. Then push down the plunger again
5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15
Do this 15 times or more and it will foam again
It's because it's still warm
And the reason I chose this french press is because it's smoother
So when you do this, it doesn't require much power
And now I'm going to use this
to explain how to make a latte art step by step
So I'm going to test it one more time to see if it's suitable
Steaming and floating the milk... What I'm making now is a rosetta
The rosetta came out well. You can do it several times
So during the lesson, we can face each other and practice this together using French press
And I will explain this step by step
Even the 3 stack tulip, it's looking nice
The reason why I'm testing it like this is
to show you even if you practice with a French press, the steamed milk comes out well enough
So even if you have a coffee machine, to master the latte art faster
you should increase the frequency of your practice
That's why this is such good material for it, so practice with this
If you have a coffee machine, you can test it with that too
Even if you don't have a coffee machine now, if you practice enough with this, later on
if you become familiar with how to work with a coffee machine, it'll just be easy
Then, I will heat up the milk again and show you one more time
Okay, I will show you the whole process one more time
Place this video in front of you
and follow along with me as it'll be easier for you to copy the rhythm
If you're wondering why yours aren't turning out right
It's because you were either too slow or too fast compare to me
so copy my movements and rhythm to get the right milk texture
Then I'll heat it up for another 1 minute and 40 seconds
I heated up our second milk
Then I'll do it naturally as usual
This is what you need to follow, okay
Pour the milk that has been heated for 1 minute and 40 seconds
Turn the lid around so the strainer part is in the back, and cover the spout with your thumb
Look at it through the gap between your arms
From 2cm below the top, pump it, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 times
And plunging it all the way down, and to half way where the logo line is
That's right. Tighten that core. Surprisingly, this French press is pretty smooth
It's okay to go a little beyond 30 times
After mixing it like this, stop and pull it out smoothly
I see it still has few bubbles. I have to do it a lot more than I thought
This comes out from manual labor
But once you make it, you can practice your latte art with this
So keep up that good work
Doing it like this, it became very glossy
I pour this almost up to the nose line of the pitcher
Let's pour this and I'll test this one out
Sprinkle the chocolate powder like sprinkling pepper
If you look here, I will test it to see if the milk frothed well enough
Push that milk, and when you see the forming of the milk. Oh, that heart turned out so nice, didn't it?
If you want it to be more defined, you may add more chocolate powder
But that would be too much chocolate so just add appropriate amount to it
After doing this once, if you hold the bottom of the cup and pour like this
You can pour small amounts without spilling anything
Again, if you look at this, sprinkle some chocolate powder
After that, you can repeatedly continue to practice
Pour the milk, push it, and another one, and one more and I can add one more
With these, you will continue to practice all the movements with me
From my experience, when you froth the milk like this once
you can practice for about 20 to 30 time or even more
When you get a little more familiar with the rhythm
You can think that the number of times you can practice increases accordingly
When it's still warm, you can...
As some may say their milk becoming a little flatter with continuous practice
As I mentioned earlier, turn the strainer part of the lid to the back
Hold it and add about 5 more pumps
And then, plunging it down and pump it for at least 10 more times
After that when you see it, you don't have to worry about the overflowing milk
Now that it's frothed again you can go and start drawing again
So when should you add more air till?
Or when should you discard it? Is some of the questions people tend to ask
When the milk starts to get colder the foams tends to break down
Then, you can hear a soda like sound if you take it closer to your ears
When your pour soda, you can hear the sound of gas breaking
I'm sure if you put your finger in it, it'll be cold
In that case, you can discard it since it is no longer usable
Then let me summarize all the movements I just did
Because even if you saw it, you might get confused with the orders
If you want to get used to the order when practicing
Write down it on a small piece of paper
and stick it somewhere you can see when you're practicing
And as you play my video alongside, when I go heat up the milk
Pause the video right there and you can go heat up your milk as well
so we can start together at the same time
If you keep up with me to the end, it will be a little bit easier for you
Then let’s first look at the order
First, heat the milk in the microwave for 1 minute and 40 seconds
And then, from 2cm above the milk, going up and down in that 2cm
I mentioned 2cm because some people plunge it too deeply
Only about 2cm, slapping the surface
It is about adding the air on the surface
Pump air 8 times in the range of 2cm above and 2cm below
Now, from the bottom, just about half of the liquid
Go back and forth about 30 times from the bottom to the middle
It is important to copy and proceed rhythmically without slowing down
And when you lift the plunger off, always pull it nice and slowly
You should not pull it out forcefully. Just a gentle pull
Afterward, if you would like to add a bit more air
You can add second round of air by pumping 5 more times
After that 5 times, pump it in the middle for 15 times
For the third time though we need to increase the pumps
And the reason is because milk is starting to cool down
So, I will add 10 more times when adding air for the third time
And half way pumps should be done at least 15 times as well
And when you start to hear your milk sounding like soda bubbles
that's when we can't use that milk anymore so we discard that
Then you can heat up new milk and repeat this process
Shall we check the materials needed for this? A pitcher, a cup
It’s good to have a tray as it can get a little messy
So a tray, powder shaker
What's inside here is Nesquik chocolate powder
And a French press
The pitcher I am currently using is a 600ml pitcher
You can purchase any 600ml pitcher from online
I'm currently using a remodeled pitcher for myself
What is a remodeled pitcher? People tend to ask
Patterns that have a high level of difficulty, drawing something diverse and detailed
are used with remodeled pitchers that have sharper spout
You can think of it as a brush that is slightly thinner
For now, it's good to use a basic pitcher that's comfortable for you
And the cup I am currently using is from Daiso(dollar store)
You don't have to use this cup
This is an 8-ounce cup
An ounce is equivalent to 30ml
So, it's a 240ml cup
As long as it's not too square, then you’re good
Not too square or too narrow, but more like a little bowl
Even if there is no handle, try pouring water in it
and if it holds 240ml, you can just use that
It needs to hold similar amount as it'll work with the 350ml French press
That's why I'm mentioning it
So, write this down on a small memo and stick it somewhere you can see
And make sure to warm up your milk before you start
Before we use the coffee machine to steam the milk
It’s good to practice your latte art with the French press in advance as a warm-up
So that you can quickly become familiar with it when you use the coffee machine
So I hope you practice this method
Thank you