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Permalink Reply by Alex C. McGregor on May 4, 2009 at 11:03pm

I usually run 145 for alpenrose whole milk, but for sunshine I like to run closer to 135. Supa-sweet.

BoogeyClat said:

This topic gives me the chance to ask at what temp do must of you think your milk reaches its optimal sweetness. I have read all different temps up to 160 but I swear by 135-140. I feel anything over 140 doesnt taste sweet. Also I cant use my hand to gauge anything over 140. I can get 140 almost everytime by touch. Have to check now and them however b/c my hand is losing its sensitivity. So to go "extra hot" I just steam a couple extra seconds after I cannot touch the pitcher any longer. Then I ask them why so I can try and explain why we usually steam them at 135-140...

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Permalink Reply by Jesse -D-> on May 5, 2009 at 5:24am

I agree totally BoogeyClat.

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Permalink Reply by Denise Smith on May 17, 2009 at 9:32pm

so are 200 degree brew customers.... I finally gave in only because she comes in every throughout the week as well as Saturday morning and brings several other customers every time. Her daughter makes our biscotti. So I went to the BOH and got a pyrex measuring cup put it in it and boiled it in the microwave... enough for some to boil over, because it will. Then served it. Next time I'm using the oven mitts when I take it too her becasue last time I burned my hand just holding the handle. ~80)

Brendon Parsons said:

I've told customers that it's a safety hazard, since overheated, quickly swirling milk could do some real damage to my hands if it splashed out of the pitcher. 200 degree latte customers are rediculous.

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Permalink Reply by Holly on May 17, 2009 at 9:44pm

That comment about SBUX and the customers obviously not giving a shit was priceless.

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Permalink Reply by Nathan Kosky on May 18, 2009 at 4:45am

I was steaming milk the other day and my steam wand nob fell off when I tried to kill my steam -- several seconds after I rescrewed it on, i dropped a thermometer in my milk to see how hot it had gotten, and it was 195 degrees. I was gonna let it cool a tad and take a sip, but one whiff was all it took for me to dump that crap down the sink... haha

(don't get me started on what kind of shop lets their machines break down so much that I can't even kill my steam.... hahah)



Bryan Wray said:

Brendon Parsons said:

I've told customers that it's a safety hazard, since overheated, quickly swirling milk could do some real damage to my hands if it splashed out of the pitcher. 200 degree latte customers are rediculous.

Wow, 200? Really? Like you've had customers ask for 200, or you're just throwing a number out there...? My idea of extra hot is 175. I've never even attempted to take milk to 200. I wonder what that tastes like... *shivers.*

-bry

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Ratanas on May 18, 2009 at 4:40pm

There's a lady that comes into my current place of work (not worth mentioning) who wants me to put her coffee (which is already brewed way to hot) in the microwave until it's boiling, and let it boil for a while... I could barely carry it out to her it was so hot, and then she just started sipping it. What??? I think old ladies have some sort of ridiculous protective skin in their mouths... I don't understand.

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Permalink Reply by John Berkness on May 23, 2009 at 4:33pm

shit i don't dig customers who require an exact temperature, let alone extra hotters. We get a bunch of Ethiopian guys who come in get pour over cups of harrar then dump half of it in the garbage can then fill the rest up with sugar and cream,and a lot of sugar mind you, (we go through a twenty five pound bag every other week). then the guys will ask you to "Make Hot!" and there is absolutely nothing i can do about it because these guys are super stubborn

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Permalink Reply by Jaimie Rae Weidner on May 23, 2009 at 9:58pm

I was just talking about this a couple hours ago at work. Someone ordered an au lait specifically requesting that the milk be steamed to 20 degrees, i tried to resist but he was said he made it for his wife every morning, so i gave in but I made sure to let him know(in a polite informative way) how ridiculous and burnt it is. Anyway, in response to the original post, yes I hate it!

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Permalink Reply by Tim Flebbe on May 25, 2009 at 7:09am

I have had a few customers request a warmer coffee...At our shop, we are referring to this as a Cafe' Con Leche (coffee with milk). When we get the milk steamed to 100-120F, we began pulling the shot(s) in order to insure the shot(s) are as hot as possible. Generally, they are sitting in the shot cup at appx 190-195. We continue steaming the milk up to 170-175F, then cut the steam. Residual heat will bring the temp up to 180-185F. At 180, the sweetness of the milk has been changed over for a scalded flavor...I like to use a 50oz pitcher, and a long stemmed thermometer. Getting milk to this temp requires a lot of attention to the process. The milk needs to be swirling and the wand needs to be moving up/down & side to side. This helps to insure scalding without burning. The customer should not expect a latte in a Cafe Con Leche drink, foaming milk at this point es imposible. ;)

Scalded milk seems to be the tradition amongst Spaniards, some French folk, and Latin Americans. This is very popular in Tampa and Miami, where there are big concentrations of Cuban folk. I lived in Tampa for a couple of years and tried this coffee drink several times. In the 2 Cuban cafe's I frequented, I observed the process a few times. The preparers would make up for the loss of sweetness by adding a good tablespoon or so of sugar. They would also add a dash or two of salt. I believe salt is to add some flavor points back to the drink, as the scalding process has destroyed all of the enzymes in the milk. The pasteurization process common here in the States generally takes care of destroying enzymes and such, but most Cubans probably got their milk fresh from the animal of choice, so scalding the milk would destroy bacteria and enzymes. In theory, I would imagine that many older folks would ask for the milk to be scalded based on fuddled traditions handed down from "the old world"...

That knowledge bomb, added labor and ingredients, justified an increased price for us :) when preparing the Cafe Con Leche...Hopefully you folks can find some room on your menu boards for a "new" coffee drink. And then put those snooty customers were they should be: on the other side of the counter ordering gourmet coffee drinks from knowledgeable baristas, instead of up our aprons telling us how coffee should be prepared...

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Permalink Reply by lindsaytron on May 29, 2009 at 6:58am

My favourite is I once had a woman request I heat her latte to 190, then add 2 ice cubes. Why I couldn't have just not scalded the milk, I don't know.

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Permalink Reply by Lauren Nicholls on June 17, 2009 at 6:50am

The only complaint I've ever had from a customer about a coffee i have made(yeah i'm a newbie) was this "This coffee is too cold, my daughter is a VITTORIA barista in Australia and her coffees are more than twice as hot as this"
I smiled.

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Permalink Reply by Kristina Ward on June 23, 2009 at 9:46am

I have one customer who insists on her drink being heated to 220 degrees. it is SO disgusting and such a pain to get it that hot because it turns into bubbling exploding lava. i once heated it to 200 degrees and she brought it back complaining that it wasn't hot enough =|

Bryan Wray said:

Brendon Parsons said:

I've told customers that it's a safety hazard, since overheated, quickly swirling milk could do some real damage to my hands if it splashed out of the pitcher. 200 degree latte customers are rediculous.

Wow, 200? Really? Like you've had customers ask for 200, or you're just throwing a number out there...? My idea of extra hot is 175. I've never even attempted to take milk to 200. I wonder what that tastes like... *shivers.*

-bry

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