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Permalink Reply by John Fogleman on January 21, 2009 at 1:52pm

I'm pretty sure re-heating any once heated or steamed milk product is a definite health-hazard. The danger zone for bacteria growth is anywhere between 40-140 degrees. Due to pasteurization during production, proper storage, and proper steaming (155 being perfect), a majority, if not all harmful bacteria would be killed during the process. However, once the latte or cappucino loses temperature, and drops even 15 degrees to 140, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria again, rendering it tainted and unwanted back behind the counter. This is probably why most traditional milk based beverages (lattes, cappucinos, macchiatos, breves, etc.) are served in anywhere from 3 to 12 ounce cups. By using a smaller cup, the customer would hopefully have ample time to drink his or her said beverage in near enough time to not need re-heating or steaming. Thanks to the starbuckized society of today, we now have larger 16-20oz cups, which for me and a majority of other people i know, is way too much latte (a majority of which is milk) for any single person's own good. Try suggesting smaller for here cups to people who plan to stay, and for people that take them to go, well, hopefully they'll leave and the whole microwave problem will no longer be yours. In addition, re-steaming pre-steamed milk is bad because, as Chris said before, all of the fats and proteins in the milk have already been stretched and spent, and all you would get by re-steaming is a nasty tasting, chemically broken down drink.

As for microwaving, it's bad. When you microwave something, it cooks it from the inside out via radiation, and in the case of liquid, microwaving could bring whichever liquid to near boiling temperatures in a matter of seconds, which would ruin milk and leave a nasty taste to anything else. Also, if you microwave something in an unsafe container (mainly plastic, and hopefully not metal...unless you like fireworks) the plastic particles are liable to leech out into whatever product you're heating, and at that point, milk bacteria is the least of the person's worries.

I personally would never microwave anything liquid for anybody, regardless of circumstance. If your shop has proper amenities like a 190+ degree hot water tap, a steam wand, etc., there is no need to heat or boil water for teas or americanos and no need to re-heat something cold by means of a microwave. As other people have said, offer to make the customer a new drink (which cuts into costs) or give them a refill of fresh coffee.

Also, one of the many bacterias found in bad milk is called Listeria bacteria. If someone ingests and is infected by Listeria bacteria, it can severely damage cells and eventually infiltrate the nervous system, causing Menengitis, which can be deadly if not treated immediately. Listeria bacteria also has a high tendency to affect infants, newborns, and fetuses still in the womb and severly damage them. Basically, playing games with the "danger zone" and bacteria is not good, and taking as much precaution as possible and educating baristas and patrons on the risks involved is pretty important.

If I were serving said customer, i would tell them sorry, and offer them a new, smaller beverage at a lower price or refill their coffee for them.

I hope this helps out.
-John

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