← Nouns Cooking · Drinks Bar

Ingredients

• 18 g finely ground espresso coffee (or 1 espresso pod)
• 150 ml cold whole or semi-skimmed milk
• 1 pinch cocoa powder or ground cinnamon, to dust (optional)

Method

1. Warm a 200–250 ml cup with hot water and tip it out.
2. Brew the espresso into the cup.
3. Steam or froth the milk until it is hot, about 65°C (150°F), and has grown by about a third with thick, fine foam. On the hob, heat it in a pan and whisk hard, use a hand frother, or pump it in a cafetière.
4. Let the milk rest for a few seconds, then pour it into the espresso, holding the foam back with a spoon, and spoon the foam on top to finish. Dust with cocoa.

Tips

• Cold milk and a cold jug give you more time to build foam before the milk gets too hot.
• Semi-skimmed milk makes taller, stiffer foam; whole milk is creamier but foams less.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food olive magazine