Found out I was overfrothing milk for a year straight

I always thought loud screeching sounds meant the steam wand was working right until a barista in Portland pulled me aside and showed me the difference. Turns out you want a quiet tss-tss-tss, not a jet engine. Anyone else go that long burning their milk?

3 comments

3 Comments

benc5315d ago

Actually that screeching sound just means you're getting better extraction and more body in the cup.

betty_palmer15d ago

Huh, I've always thought that screeching meant the water was too hot or the beans were too fresh, but I'm willing to reconsider. In my experience, I had a bag of Ethiopian beans last month that did that exact high-pitched thing, and that cup was honestly the best I've had in weeks. Might have to try leaning into it more instead of panicking and pulling a shorter shot.

elliotadams13d ago

So benc53, are you actually saying the screech is independent of temperature or bean freshness then, or just that it's a good sign on top of those factors? Trying to figure out if you think it's always a thing to chase, or only under certain conditions where everything else is already dialed in. Because I've had screeching shots that were sour and thin, and I'm wondering where the line is between good extraction and just channeling.