Latte is one of the favorite beverages of almost every coffee enthusiast today! The strong and rich taste of coffee with milk makes for a heavenly combination. Yet, have you ever wondered what type of milk is used in a latte? Because I certainly have!
Today, a latte is prepared using both steamed milk and boiled milk. But, does it make any difference in the latte’s flavor? The answer is yes, it does. Steamed milk often brings about a sweeter taste in lattes. Even more so, it can improve the overall texture. On the other hand, boiled milk may taste relatively bland and dull.
In this guide, I will help you understand the various differences between steamed milk and boiled milk. So, if you ever want to make a quick cup of latte, you would know which type of milk to go for!
What Is Steamed Milk?
Typically in coffee shops, steamed milk is made using a steam wand. Now, what is a steam wand and how does it work?
If you have gone to a cafe, you may hear the slight hissing sound when the barista is preparing your latte. So, what happens here is the barista takes a cup of milk, then incorporates some air into it with the help of the steam wand.
When the air is being incorporated, the fats present inside the milk undergo changes. They start expanding which causes the milk to foam slightly. The foam is then converted into bubbles by spinning the milk container slightly.
It simply takes near about five to seven seconds to steam the milk by incorporating air into it!
What Is Boiled Milk?
Boiled milk simply stands for milk that you heat till it reaches its boiling point. Unlike steamed milk, there is no incorporation of air done here using a steam wand.
So, boiled milk doesn’t have any bubbles, rich foam, or even a creamy texture as observed in steamed milk.
Differences Between Using Steamed Milk vs Using Boiled Milk In Latte
Now that you have a basic idea about what steamed milk or boiled milk actually is, let’s understand how they can affect your cup of latte!
1. Method
One of the most obvious differences between steamed milk and boiled milk is the method.
As I have mentioned earlier, steamed milk is made with the help of a steam wand. These steam wands help in incorporating air or steam inside the milk. This further helps in developing foam and bubbles inside the milk.
On the other hand, boiled milk simply means heating the milk on the stove or in the microwave at your convenience. It won’t have any incorporation of air and hence, no bubbles or foam as such.
2. Taste
If you prepare a cup of latte with steamed milk and another with boiled milk, you will surely notice a difference in taste. There are certain reasons why this happens. These include:
When the milk is steamed, the lactose present inside breaks down into glucose and galactose. Now, both glucose and galactose have higher sweetness than lactose. This is the reason why a latte made with steamed milk will have a slightly sweeter taste than boiled milk.
Now, boiled milk also tastes quite different from normal milk or steamed milk. This happens because of the Maillard reaction. If you’re not into science, don’t worry! In this reaction, just the milk sugars react with milk proteins that cause the flavor to alter.
Overall, steamed milk has a sweeter, more subtle, and better taste than boiled milk in lattes.
3. Texture
One of the most noticeable differences that you would find between lattes with steamed milk and others with boiled milk, is the texture.
Steamed milk has a lighter, smoother, and softer texture. Moreover, it is also creamier in nature.
All of this is because the steam in steamed milk contributes to expanding the milk fats. This further causes the production of bubbles and foam in the steamed milk which develops an overall richer texture.
On the other hand, boiled milk lacks air. So, the milk fats don’t expand a lot as seen in steamed milk. Due to this reason, there are rarely any bubbles or foam in the boiled milk.
Which Is Better For Latte – Steamed Milk Or Boiled Milk?
After comparing lattes with both steamed milk and boiled milk, I have realized why baristas and coffee enthusiasts opt for steamed milk. It’s definitely a better choice for lattes due to the following reasons:
Reason 1: Steamed Milk Has A Richer Texture
One of the reasons why you should opt for steamed milk over boiled milk in lattes is texture.
As I have mentioned above, steamed milk has a smoother and richer texture in comparison to boiled milk. This helps in bringing about the foamy nature of lattes as observed in most cafes. If you use boiled milk, the latte would look and taste dull and flat instead of creamy.
Reason 2: Steamed Milk Doesn’t Taste Flat Or Bland
Another reason to go for steamed milk over boiled milk is the taste. Steamed milk has a sweeter and much better taste compared to boiled milk. Due to its foamy and creamy texture, the taste feels rich and more noticeable.
On the other hand, boiled milk may have a distinct taste of boiling and it also tastes somewhat bland or flat.
Reason 3: Steamed Milk Gives A Lovely Appearance
If you have gone to cafes and ordered a latte, you would get a lovely cup of it with the standard latte design. This design occurs due to the richness and creaminess of the steamed milk. Thus, leading to a beautiful-looking cup.
However, it is nearly impossible to do latte art with boiled milk as there is rarely any creaminess or proper thickness for the art.
Related Questions
How To Prepare Steamed Milk At Home?
It’s possible that you won’t have a coffee machine at your place, having a steam wand. But, don’t worry! There are some alternatives that you can use to get steamed milk for your lattes. Given below are some of them:
- Milk Frother
You can always get a milk frother instead of an expensive coffee machine. The milk frother helps in incorporating the air inside the milk while also giving you a lovely foamy texture. It’s also cheap enough for you to buy!
The only drawback here is that you may find some difference in the consistency and texture as frothed milk has more volume and foam than steamed milk.
- Microwave
It is absolutely possible to prepare steamed milk using a microwave. It may take some extra effort but don’t worry as you can do it.
You just need three things here – a mason jar, milk, and microwave.
First, pour some milk into the mason jar as per your requirements. Shake the jar vigorously to ensure that there’s some incorporation of air. You should get some amount of foam.
Heat the mason jar in the microwave for about 30 to 40 seconds. Remove it from the microwave and prepare your latte with it!
- Saucepan and Whisk
You can also steam milk on a stove. For this, you require a saucepan and whisk.
First, pour some milk into the saucepan. Keep the saucepan on low heat on the stove. Take a whisk and keep beating the milk while it’s heating. Make sure you don’t go overboard or else the milk may get ruined.
After you see the foam and bubbles, simply use that milk to prepare your latte!
What Is The Difference Between Frothed Milk And Steamed Milk?
Given below are some of the differences between both steamed milk as well as frothed milk:
- Method
Both frothed milk and steamed milk have different preparation methods. The equipment used for them is quite different too.
First of all, you require a milk frother for frothed milk. It’s quite affordable and comes separately. On the other hand, steamed milk requires a steam wand that comes with an expensive coffee machine only.
- Texture and consistency
Steamed milk contains ‘microfoam’. Hence, the bubbles are tiny in nature. On the other hand, frothed milk contains mainly froth due to which the bubbles and foam are much larger in nature.
Moreover, frothed milk has a creamier texture with more volume. On the other hand, steamed milk has a more delicate and velvety texture due to the microfoam.
- Use
Cappuccinos make use of frothed milk and some amount of steamed milk. Lattes, on the other hand, contain more steamed milk with just a slight amount of frothed milk.
- Temperature
Steamed milk is always hot in nature due to the exposure to steam whereas frothed milk can either be hot or cold depending on your preference and need.
Final Thoughts
The milk that you use in your coffee can have a big difference in its texture, taste, and even appearance. For instance, steamed milk offers a richer texture, with a sweeter taste and creamy appearance.
Boiled milk offers a basic texture without any creaminess. The taste is also slightly dull with a simple appearance.