Keep the cup slightly inclined and remember to keep rotating the jug. Pour the milk slowly at the higher part of the cup, when you reach half of its capacity, using slow movements shake the jug, increasing the quantity of milk and at the same time going toward the lower edge of the cup. A kind of serpentine will form, that cut in half with a thread of milk will be turn into a beautiful leaf.
After having performed the latte art apple you are ready for the second lesson. We always rotate the jug in order to keep the milk and froth compact. We keep the cup slightly inclined and we pour the milk at the center of the cup. When we reach about half of the cup capacity, we return back slightly with a semi rotating movement, increase the quantity of milk and slightly shake the jug at the same time. We have just formed a ball that lengthened with a thread of milk becomes a heart.
When first whipping the milk, since it is the most compact, we will perform the apple. The first throw goes on the lower side of the cup, at the same time move the jug about 2 centimetres forward by pouring less milk, then move immediately the jug back toward the stem that has just formed. To increase the quantity of milk, slightly shake the jug and fill the cup. Easier said than done, but do not worry, If i managed to learn it… anyone will succeed!
Following in detail the above given indications ,we will manage to create a perfect whipping to any kind of milk: half skimmed, high digestibility, biological, soy milk. We recommend a milk with a quantity of fats around the 3.5% mark.
First remember to clear the pipes from the stagnated water. Place the steamer end on the surface of the milk. At this point open the steamer at maximum power use a rotating movement on the surface of the milk. This is the phase in which there is the maximum absorption of air, the milk has to double up. As the milk doubles up the steamer end seems to sink in the milk, the noise of the air disappears little by little. It is important to remember to stand still. Now the job of the steam is to warm up the milk and to remove the little air bubbles that have formed at the beginning. As soon as the above given seconds are running out, we stop the steam. Now the milk should have reached a temperature around 72°C. At this point the milk does not seem whipped, but it will be later after about half minute of immobility. The milk needs this time in order to oxygenate itself and this time is useful for preparing the coffees in the cups.
Since there isn’t a tool that measures the real quantity of exiting steam, a good way to check is by using time as a measurement. For a perfect whipping, we will need 30 seconds for the 1 litre jug, 23 seconds for the 3/4 of a litre one and 15 seconds for the 1/2 a litre one. Because of this, we will need different steamer ends (having 3, 4 or 5 holes, and different sections). Have patience and try several times in order to obtain the exact quantity of steam according to the indications of the times given above.
The ideal milk jug should be made out of stainless steel and should have a slight cone shape. During the whipping of the milk, it’s purpose is to capture and to hold back a good part of the heat produced by the steam and to facilitate the absorption of air. It must have a lip which is essential to perform cappuccinos and create latte art. We will need milk jugs of different capacities: 1 litre capacity milk jug, 3/4 of a litre and 1/2 of a litre. These measurements refer to their full volume. We will use a type of milk jug according to the number of cappuccinos required, please keep in mind that in order to perform the job correctly, the milk jugs need to be filled to half of their capacity. In the 1 litre milk jug we will pour about ½ a litre of milk, in the 3/4 of a litre one we will pour half of this capacity, in the ½ of a litre one we will pour 0.250 of a litre. Using classical cups that generally have a capacity of 180 cc. ,that means 18 cl., we will have 4 cappuccinos with the 1 litre milk jug, 3 cappuccinos with the ¾ of litre one and 2 cappuccinos with the ½ of a litre one. The milk that remains for a long time in the milk jug doesn’t have to be re-used. It would loose the quality of it’s whipping and above all the taste of the cappuccino.
