Choosing the Perfect Milk for Your Coffee Shop

One of the important issues is the choice of milk for a coffee shop. How to choose the "perfect" milk? What to pay attention to so that cappuccino, latte and flat white please your guests?

In search of an answer to this question, we tested more than a dozen liters of milk. Different factories, farms-producers, suppliers, from the abundance of choice it is easy to get confused. And all, as one, offer the same, "ideal" milk. The first thing to do is to understand milk from the inside. Chemical composition, changes when heated, taste, stability, synergy.

Composition of milk

Milk consists of water, fats, protein particles, minerals and vitamins. They are intricately linked and change structure with temperature changes. All these components affect the taste, stability of milk foam, its elasticity and the quality of whipping.

For a simplified understanding, the structure of milk is divided into three main groups: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Once you understand which group is responsible for what, it will be easier for you to make a decision when choosing. It is from them that we start when choosing milk for a coffee shop.

But you shouldn't blindly believe everything that is written on the packaging. It happens that a dishonest manufacturer indicates inflated numbers in the composition, so you can't do without samples and tests.

Carbohydrates

The main carbohydrate in milk is lactose. Lactose is a disaccharide (two sugars) made up of glucose and galactose. In simple terms, it is the natural sweetness of milk. Compared to sucrose, it is 6.25 times less sweet.

Many people are sure that when heated, milk becomes sweet because of lactose. This is not entirely true. It's all about our receptors located on the tongue. They are more sensitive to sweetness at higher temperatures. What does this mean? The amount of lactose remains the same in both cold and heated milk, but we feel it better in heated milk.

When choosing milk, look at the carbohydrates, the higher the indicator, the more lactose in the milk. A separate item is lactose-free and low-lactose milk. In it, lactose is hydrolyzed, split into glucose and galactose (sweeter components). Such milk is often sweeter than regular milk.

Fats

The perception of coffee, for example cappuccino, in terms of taste characteristics directly depends on fats. They can both enhance and weaken the taste and aroma profile of the drink.

It has been noted that some descriptors are particularly pronounced in fattier milk. At the microscopic level, when cold, fats are solid, heavy fat "balls". When heated, they melt and finally turn into liquid form when they reach a temperature of 40 degrees.

Melted fats create a film and envelop the air bubbles, thus preventing them from joining and destroying the structure of the frothed milk. Milk that is not heated well will be unstable, and partially solid fats will begin to adversely affect and damage the milk foam.

The optimal fat content for milk is considered to be 3.2%. Such milk is well-balanced and stable. When choosing, remember that the lower the fat content, the more watery the milk tastes, and the foam seems "dry" and not elastic.

Squirrels

Shoulder to shoulder with the fat content of milk, stand the barista's best friends - proteins. This is the first thing that is paid attention to. The total protein content of milk can fluctuate from 2.9 to 4.0 grams. 

Among proteins, two groups can be distinguished: casein ( 78-85% ) and whey proteins ( 15-22% ). It is whey proteins that play the main role in creating a stable and elastic texture of milk and foam. When heated, protein molecules surround air bubbles, creating dense chains in milk. The more protein, the stronger the foam and the more stable the texture.

We do not recommend using milk with a protein content of less than 3 grams per 100 grams of milk . There will not be enough protein molecules to create a dense network of air bubbles, they will begin to come closer together, form large bubbles and destroy the foam structure.

Pasteurization

When considering the issue of choosing milk, it is impossible not to mention the types of pasteurization. Basically, coffee shops choose ultra-pasteurized milk. It retains all the useful elements and destroys most pathogens. Such milk can be stored for 6 months or longer, without refrigeration, at room temperature.

Unlike ultra-pasteurized milk, pasteurized milk is stored for about a week, which is a minus for a coffee shop. But due to the less aggressive processing method, the concentration of whey proteins in it is twice as high as in ultra-pasteurized milk. When whipping such milk, you will feel a noticeable difference, the foam will be more stable and elastic.

To summarize, all of the above can be combined into one choice structure.

• Proteins : The more the better
• Carbohydrates : The more, the sweeter
• Fats : Optimal 3.2%

Be sure to test the milk. Try it hot and cold, evaluate the taste and smell. See how it behaves when whipped and how it interacts with coffee . The right choice always depends on taste and tactile sensations.