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Permalink Reply by Phil Roberts on April 27, 2010 at 8:34am

Steaming milk for iced drink is a a bit tricky. If you do it right... it adds a level of sweetness and complexity to the drink that iced drinks served with milk straight out of the jug just don't have. It's a way to distinguish your iced drinks from what all the other coffeehouses are doing, which result in a very mediocre and similar taste. The bad thing is, if you are steaming improperly for iced drinks, you can ruin it and serve a very watered down version. There is very little margin of error for this, but it can result in a very rich tasty drink that very few places are doing well. Of course, until you have one done well, it's easy to discount foaming milk for iced drinks as a terrible idea.

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Permalink Reply by Jacob Casella on April 27, 2010 at 8:39am

Yeah, using the Bodum to make cold froth is very delicious--a little difficult to do for large quantities. I really like a healthy portion of cold foam over some super-rich toddy-stye cold brew coffee. I've found the hand-plunged kind to be more practical than the battery-operated.

That said, 99% of my customers who ask for "iced cappucino" are looking for something Tim Horton's or a mini-mart makes...so I usually point them to a sweet iced latte or a blender drink. If they want a blended sugar-bomb, they're not my target audience for some gourmet coffee drink, so I try to get them what they really want. The few who insist that they "really" want steamed microfoam mixed with ice...are usually not very happy with the result.

rochelle hunter said:

well, we make "iced cappuccinos" all the time... but we have a cold frother made by bodum. it works really well, and theyre delicious

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Permalink Reply by Brady on April 27, 2010 at 9:20am

Phil Roberts said:

Steaming milk for iced drink is a a bit tricky. If you do it right... it adds a level of sweetness and complexity to the drink that iced drinks served with milk straight out of the jug just don't have. It's a way to distinguish your iced drinks from what all the other coffeehouses are doing, which result in a very mediocre and similar taste. The bad thing is, if you are steaming improperly for iced drinks, you can ruin it and serve a very watered down version. There is very little margin of error for this, but it can result in a very rich tasty drink that very few places are doing well. Of course, until you have one done well, it's easy to discount foaming milk for iced drinks as a terrible idea.

OK Phil, mind sharing your method for properly preparing an iced beverage using steamed milk? What do you do differently with your milk than you'd do for a hot drink?

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Permalink Reply by Phil Roberts on April 28, 2010 at 12:42am

The comment does sort of beg the question doesn't it?!? I had thought about whether or not to share, the guy i work with feels like it is some sort of trade secret and if we let it out, then everybody will be making them. On the other hand, it makes me think "what is the point of an online barista community forum if not to share trade secrets?" (note that someone else had previously posted in a similar topic that he his wife had tried one and loved it and he had tried to replicate the product with terrible results, so now he thinks that they are disgusting and should be forgotten altogether. This guy also happens to be across town from me and I really didn't want his shops gaining some ground on our shops, but I don't think I have anything to worry about...)

So here I share...

To foam the milk, first you have to understand what is happening to the milk during the steaming process. I'm not going to get too geeky, just the essentials. Basically when you are steaming milk, there is a chemical breakdown within the first 100 degrees that causes the milk to sweeten. (You can test this simply by steaming milk to 100 degrees, putting it in the fridge to cool back to 32 and tasting it side-by-side with milk straight from the jug) (Note: I don't suggest steaming a bunch of milk to 100 and sticking it in the fridge to cool back down so you have it ready when people order iced drinks.) During this 100 degrees, it is also the best time to introduce air for microfoam. For iced drinks, you aren't really trying to stack a bunch of foam on top to make a traditional cappuccino (think thirds) only iced, you simply want to add some texture to the drink for the overall experience.

Also, it is important that you understand what 100 degrees is. In the other post, the guy mentioned that stopping just shy of the point when it is too hot to touch for 1 second should be between 90-100 degrees. That means that the milk raises from 100 to 160 within a second or two, which explains why all of his ice kept melting as soon as he adds the milk to it... When the jug is no longer cool to the touch, it has reached 100 degrees. Think body temp... you are 98 degrees... when something you touch isn't different than you... it's a similar temp... Another way is to look at the pitcher as you steam. When you have a cld pitcher with cold milk in it, condensation forms... once that has gone away during the steaming process, it has reached roughly 100 degrees. Always err on the low side... if you steam to 80 instead of 100, the drink is still good... but if you steam to 120 instead, all of your ice melts and you have a watery nasty bit..

Fill the cup up completely with ice, add the steamed 100 degree milk, and pour the shot over top and watch it fall down and blend into a delicious beverage. For flavored drinks, steam the milk with a couple squirts of vanilla, caramel, or hazelnut. For iced mochas pull the shot into a little chocolate, stir it up and dump over the 100 degree milk in the glass of ice.

Your ice should not melt away to nothing. The layer of foam on top should only be about 1/4-1/2 inch. drink it without a straw for the textured effect. Do it properly and this will be the best iced drink you will ever have. All others just appear plain with no character. Beware of people that comment about how it isn't as good as the lame counterparts... that usually means they have missed the mark. This isn't easy to do properly, or else everyone would be doing it... kind of similar to latte art. The milk should take only seconds to reach the point... Play around with it and have fun!!! Enjoy it and let me know how it works out for you!

Brady said:

Phil Roberts said:

Steaming milk for iced drink is a a bit tricky. If you do it right... it adds a level of sweetness and complexity to the drink that iced drinks served with milk straight out of the jug just don't have. It's a way to distinguish your iced drinks from what all the other coffeehouses are doing, which result in a very mediocre and similar taste. The bad thing is, if you are steaming improperly for iced drinks, you can ruin it and serve a very watered down version. There is very little margin of error for this, but it can result in a very rich tasty drink that very few places are doing well. Of course, until you have one done well, it's easy to discount foaming milk for iced drinks as a terrible idea.

OK Phil, mind sharing your method for properly preparing an iced beverage using steamed milk? What do you do differently with your milk than you'd do for a hot drink?

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Permalink Reply by Simon Ouderkirk on April 28, 2010 at 12:39pm

Hey Gang,

Just tried Phil's method - admittedly for the first time! I'll try it again when time permits, but I'm not rushing to switch all of our iced drinks over. I steamed to about 80F, and while it didn't melt the ice, the combo of warm milk & hot espresso without a straw or stirring produced a pretty unpleasantly warm drink for the first few sips. I'm about halfway through now, and it tastes OK, though the finish seems a little... off? The texture is definitely more full, more similar to a traditional hot latte, but the cold foam seems to coat my mouth in a weird not-so-great way.

Maybe I missed the mark?

SAO

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Permalink Reply by Brady on April 28, 2010 at 6:08pm

Ok, thanks for sharing. That technique makes lots of sense, I'll give it a try tomorrow.

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Permalink Reply by Phil Roberts on April 29, 2010 at 6:35pm

Glad to see you guys are trying it out. It certainly isn't for everyone, but if you are a fan of the foam on a cappuccino, then you should be a fan of this method! (so long as the foam is micro, that is!)

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Permalink Reply by alyssa on June 15, 2010 at 6:52pm

well, i thank you all for your input. i no longer work at the place that does this haha, but i will surely let them know! i think i am going to introduce the cold frothing to them, as heated milk over ice is against the health code in these parts. i wish you all well in your coffee adventures!

thanks,
alyssa

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