Coffee prepared with different milk types

Preparing a perfect cup of coffee isn’t a fiddly job. Blending milk and coffee finely together creates a magical cup of Cappuccino.

 I bet you know a lot about coffee, be it about its freshness, processing techniques or the roast profile, name it and you know it all, but what about milk? Do you need to check the label for this one? Let me know regarding this in the comments section.  

In an exquisite cup of cappuccino, 2/3 of your drink is milk. Therefore, it deserves some attention (probably not exactly the same but little) as your espresso enjoys.

Milk is existing in varied forms likewise coffee. There is full-fat, skimmed, soy and almond milk you have hands-on, however, to prepare a refreshing cup of cappuccino we need to look at the milk processing methods such as raw milk, pasteurised & non-homogenized milk, HTST milk and UHT milk. Never read or heard these names before, right? Well, it’s time to get into the technicalities of this.

Raw milk is the freshest and least processed form of milk which one can find in the supermarkets. Neither it’s underwent the procedure of killing bacteria (pasteurization), nor its fat molecules have been broken down to prevent forming a layer of cream at the top (homogenization). Haters of raw milk say it causes food poisoning whereas proponents find it healthy and tasty.

Non-homogenized pasteurized milk is another option available for those who search for an alternative to raw milk.

Pasteurization has several forms and the two most common ones are Ultra High Temperature (UHT) & High Temperature Short Time (HTST). UHT milk doesn’t require refrigeration as it uses aseptic processing. On the contrary, HTST is heated at 72ºC (161ºF) for 15 seconds.

Now, the question is – which is the best milk processing method amongst all the aforementioned?

To be honest, every coffee and milk is different. Mixing milk types with coffee of different profiles can’t produce a general result. The final product will differ in taste, texture and appearance.

Irrespective of which milk type you choose, experimenting will assist you in selecting the best combination, plus if you own a cafe it will give you a variety of drinks to decorate on your menu card.

As I said, adding a coffee of different texture and profile to a different milk processing method will give you a unique experience; therefore, keep experimenting to explore an array of coffee flavours to further share and relish with your loved ones and even customers.