65 degrees is the optimal temperature for milk to be heated to when preparing modern, specialty coffee. This is an industry standard temperature for baristas, customers have become accustomed to this temperature, it does not have any negative effects on the taste of the coffee and barista thermometers show this as the optimal temperature.
When should I stop heating my milk?
It’s important to know that your milk will continue to rise in temperature, even when you’ve turned off the steam wand. As a guide, we aim to stop 5 degrees before the desired temperature eg. Stop at 60 degrees to achieve 65 degree milk. How fast your milk is heating up will dictate when you should stop heating your milk.
Should i use my hands to gauge the temperature?
A sign of a great barista is how well they know their equipment and how that effects the coffee they make. it’s about knowing when to stop heating your milk based on the temperature of the jug. As a general rule, from the moment you can no longer hold the jug with your whole hand, you begin to count and turn the steam off at 5 seconds
