Too Much Coffee

I've been making iced lattes for my wife all summer. She isn't much of a coffee drinker and she's also somewhat sensitive to caffeine. I used one chilled AeroPress shot, 1 tsp of sweetener, 1 tsp Stirling French Vanilla flavoring, and enough cold milk to top up an 8oz. glass.

Now that winter has arrived, she wants hot lattes. Basically, I follow the same method except I don't chill the AeroPress shot and I heat the milk in a saucepan. However, it doesn't yield the same flavor. The heated milk is rather overpowering. Could I be doing something better than this current method? I'm thinking the only thing to do is add more and more flavoring until the milk is finally overpowered. That, or else add some decaf beans and make a shot-and-a-half or a double shot. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Try buying a bodum Milk fother. You don't boil the milk, which results in a strong taste. I use this alongside the Areopress when camping.

I think Matt is on to something here... you definitely want to avoid over heating the milk. That's the simplest thing to look at first.

Thanks. It's more than likely that I was heating it too much. However, we don't have a microwave, so I'm not sure if the Bodum milk frother would help (other than frothing a bit).

Milk thermometers are pretty cheap, and I would have thought you'd be able to pick one up easily, locally. After that, it's going to be hard to advise as I doubt anybody here has tried any of your local milks. Milk does change seasonally as well, so this may also be an issue.

The milk frother is stove top and can be used on naked flame or on halogen heat. You heat the milk tot he desired temperature and and then froth away. It is a little like a french press in design.

Matt

Gouezeri wrote:Milk thermometers are pretty cheap, and I would have thought you'd be able to pick one up easily, locally.

Every time I go into Starbucks or some sort of kitchen supply store, the thermometers usually all give different readings. I need to find a more reliable one, but I'm not sure I want to pay too much for it.

Matt,

Are you referring to the glass ones, or do they make stainless steel ones?

We use a milk frothing jug alongside an Aerobie a lot. Matt is spot on, once boiled the milk is horrible, however, it is necessary to get the milk just below boiling point in order for the frothing pot to produce microfoam rather than 'froth'

SlowRain wrote:

Gouezeri wrote:Milk thermometers are pretty cheap, and I would have thought you'd be able to pick one up easily, locally.

Every time I go into Starbucks or some sort of kitchen supply store, the thermometers usually all give different readings. I need to find a more reliable one, but I'm not sure I want to pay too much for it.

Matt,

Are you referring to the glass ones, or do they make stainless steel ones?

They are not very accurate but they can, and should calibrated from time to time. Just sick them in boiling water and turn the screw below the dial until it shows 100C. (assuming water boils at close to 100C were you live)

SlowRain wrote:

Gouezeri wrote:Milk thermometers are pretty cheap, and I would have thought you'd be able to pick one up easily, locally.

Every time I go into Starbucks or some sort of kitchen supply store, the thermometers usually all give different readings. I need to find a more reliable one, but I'm not sure I want to pay too much for it.

Matt,

Are you referring to the glass ones, or do they make stainless steel ones?

The glass ones SR. Great bits of kit. I'll try to dig out a photo.

Thanks for the replies.

I didn't heat the milk as much today and my wife said it was better.

If the cheap thermometers can be calibrated, then I'll pick one up sometime this week.

Are these the frothers you are referring to?

Yeah, it is the Latteo I use here.

SlowRain wrote:If the cheap thermometers can be calibrated, then I'll pick one up sometime this week.

Look to see if it has a nut under the dial, then it can be calibrated. I got mine from *$$!

petikas wrote:Look to see if it has a nut under the dial...

If I hold it above me, does that automatically mean there is a nut under the dial?