As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Most espresso machines come with a milk pitcher, and it's usually the wrong one for a cortado. It's often a 20 oz jug, built for lattes. A cortado needs about 60 ml of milk. Pour that into a big pitcher and it barely covers the bottom. The steam wand tip can't stay under the surface, and you get loud, bubbly, dry foam … [Read more...] about Milk Pitcher Size for a Cortado: A 12 oz Jug Beats a 20 oz One for Small Drinks
Milk Drinks
Rancilio Silvia Pro X vs Lelit MaraX3: Dual Boiler or Heat Exchanger at Around $2,000
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. At around $2,000, two well-known Italian home machines take different routes to the same goal: good espresso and strong steam at the same time. The Rancilio Silvia Pro X is a dual boiler. The Lelit MaraX3 is a heat exchanger with some clever temperature control. Here's how they compare, built from the makers' specs and US … [Read more...] about Rancilio Silvia Pro X vs Lelit MaraX3: Dual Boiler or Heat Exchanger at Around $2,000
Rancilio Silvia V6: A Single-Boiler Machine With No PID That Still Teaches Home Espresso Best
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Rancilio Silvia looks almost old-fashioned next to newer machines. No screen. No temperature setting. No pre-infusion. It costs about $1,000 in the US, and it's still one of the machines enthusiasts recommend most often to people who want to learn espresso properly. Clive Coffee calls it the best introduction to home … [Read more...] about Rancilio Silvia V6: A Single-Boiler Machine With No PID That Still Teaches Home Espresso Best
Single Boiler, Heat Exchanger or Dual Boiler: Which Espresso Machine Design a Milk Drinker Needs
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Every espresso machine that steams milk has the same problem to solve. Brewing wants water a little under boiling, around 90 to 96°C (195 to 205°F). Steaming milk wants a lot more heat than that. How a machine handles the two jobs decides how fast you can make a milk drink, and a big part of what you pay. There are four … [Read more...] about Single Boiler, Heat Exchanger or Dual Boiler: Which Espresso Machine Design a Milk Drinker Needs
Latte Art Explained: What a Heart or a Rosetta Says About the Milk
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The heart on top of a flat white is decoration, and it's also a report on the milk. To pour one, a barista needs milk steamed into microfoam, a fine, glossy texture that flows like wet paint. Get the milk wrong and there's no heart, however steady the hand that pours it. So when your cup arrives with a crisp white shape … [Read more...] about Latte Art Explained: What a Heart or a Rosetta Says About the Milk
Breville Bambino Plus: Hands-Off Milk Steaming at $500, and the Compromises That Come With It
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Breville Bambino Plus is a small espresso machine with one standout trick: it steams milk for you. Put the jug under the wand, pick a temperature and a texture, and it stops on its own when the milk is done. For anyone who drinks cortados or flat whites every morning and doesn't want to learn milk steaming, that's … [Read more...] about Breville Bambino Plus: Hands-Off Milk Steaming at $500, and the Compromises That Come With It
Cortado Glasses: The 4.5 oz Libbey Gibraltar, the 130 ml Duralex Picardie and Their Rivals
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. A cortado is a double shot and about the same amount of warm milk. That comes to 4 to 4.5 oz, roughly 120 to 135 ml. Put it in a mug and it disappears at the bottom and goes cold. Put it in an espresso cup and it overflows. The drink has its own size, and a few glasses have become its standard. Libbey Gibraltar, 4.5 … [Read more...] about Cortado Glasses: The 4.5 oz Libbey Gibraltar, the 130 ml Duralex Picardie and Their Rivals
Cortado vs Flat White: The Flat White Carries About Twice the Milk
Set a cortado next to a flat white and the family resemblance is obvious. Both start with a double shot, and neither wears the tall hat of foam you get on a cappuccino. The difference is mostly volume, with texture a close second. How Much Milk A cortado runs about 4 to 4.5 ounces in total, roughly 120 to 130 ml: a double shot and about as much milk again. A flat … [Read more...] about Cortado vs Flat White: The Flat White Carries About Twice the Milk
Cortado vs Macchiato: A Dab of Foam Against an Equal Measure of Milk
The two get mixed up because both are small espresso drinks with a little milk, and cafés don't always agree on what either word means. The short version: a macchiato is espresso with a spoonful of foam, and a cortado is espresso with about as much warm milk as coffee. One is marked. The other is cut. What Macchiato Means Macchiato is Italian for stained or marked. A … [Read more...] about Cortado vs Macchiato: A Dab of Foam Against an Equal Measure of Milk
Barista Oat Milk: Added Oil and a Phosphate Buffer Are Why Barista Editions Steam Without Splitting
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Steam a carton of ordinary oat milk and you'll probably get thin, bubbly foam that collapses in a minute. Pour it into hot espresso and it may split into flecks. Barista editions exist to fix both problems, and the fix is on the ingredients list. What's Different in a Barista Edition Two things, mostly. Added oil, … [Read more...] about Barista Oat Milk: Added Oil and a Phosphate Buffer Are Why Barista Editions Steam Without Splitting