Why more baristas are focusing on milk temperature

Key takeaways

• Milk temperature directly impacts sweetness, texture, and flavour balance in coffee drinks.
• Different milks require specific temperature ranges to avoid impeding flavour and mouthfeel.
• Small temperature changes of a few degrees significantly alter sensory perception.
• Measuring milk temperature improves consistency, reduces waste, and supports training.

Temperature plays a huge role in preparing coffee, and milk-based drinks are no exception. Baristas spend weeks learning to steam milk properly to enhance its natural sweetness, create smooth microfoam, and heat it to a temperature that accentuates a coffee’s nuanced flavours.

Even small differences can have a significant impact. “I’ll use the example of scrambled eggs. ‘Perfect’ scrambled eggs, no matter the style, are properly set yet still rich and creamy. Cooking them too much can yield curdly, rubbery eggs in runny water,” explains Charles Temkey, the head of research and development, product and production management, and coffee integration at Flair Espresso, which recently launched the Wizard stovetop milk steamer.

“The same concept applies to the mixture of water, lipids, and proteins in milks,” he adds. “If you over-steam them, the protein strings curl up and collectively act like a sponge, squeezing out the water. This impairs the perception of flavour and texture in the milk.

“Milk heated properly (up to 60-65°C/140-149°F for 3% dairy milk, for example) remains a rich and creamy emulsion. The result is velvety in mouthfeel, and sweet yet rich flavour.”

Coffee shops worldwide have long perfected these practices. But in recent years, attention to milk temperature has become more prevalent, particularly at competitions such as the World Barista Championships (WBC).

As competitors have used a wider range of milks – including plant-dairy blends and freeze-distilled (or cryodessicated) milks – they have begun to explain the rationale for specific steaming temperatures in greater detail.

You may also like our article on how coffee shops manage multiple plant milk options.

Experimenting with different milks

Competitions are synonymous with innovation in specialty coffee: from “rediscovered” varieties to the latest brewing gadgets. Following the 2023 WBC rule change, which allowed commercial plant milks to be used for the first time, more competitors have begun to experiment in the milk beverage round – often with scientific precision.

At the 2025 WBC, Malaysian competitor Jason Loo, for example, used a blend of three different milks. He combined 70% cow’s milk (freeze-distilled to a 30% reduction, removing most of its water content), 20% coconut milk, and 10% oat milk. Loo then steamed the milk to 58°C (136.4°F), which he said enhanced sweetness. He then rapidly chilled the milk over a frozen sphere, claiming that this helped highlight flavour clarity.

“Competitors have realised that even a few degrees make a huge difference in how we perceive the sweetness and texture of milk,” says Nefeli Bouti, the marketing manager at Latte Art Factory. “Temperature has always been extensively discussed with regard to coffee extraction. But with most customers ordering milk-based drinks, it’s important to include milk in the conversation as well.”

Freeze-distilled milk, in particular, has become standard at the WBC. Its growing popularity has prompted more coffee shops to make their own or use commercially available brands like MILBOK to replicate competition-level results. 

Coffee shops such as Paris’ Substance Café, Nostos in London, Randburg’s Thando Coffee Company, and March Coffee Studio in Perth use cryodessicated milk in signature drinks, among numerous others worldwide.

Why milk temperature matters

Whether steaming freeze-distilled cow’s milk, full-fat dairy, or plant milks, temperature has a huge impact on flavour and texture.

“With dairy specifically, heat makes lactose more soluble and breaks it down, making milk taste sweeter,” Nefeli explains. “This only happens between 55-65°C (131°F to 149°F), though. Going above 70°C (158°F) can caramelise or burn the lactose, making the flavour more unpleasant.

“This is something we’ve taken into consideration when building the Latte Art Factory: our software limits the maximum temperature to 70°C,” she adds. “The ideal temperature is that which allows for a balance between sweetness, texture, and preserving the coffee’s character.”

Plant milks, in comparison, are naturally lactose-free and contain different ingredients than cow’s milk, which inevitably influences steaming temperatures.

“Temperature absolutely needs to vary by milk type,” Nefeli explains. “Soy and almond generally need less heat, around 55°C/131°F max, to prevent curdling and splitting, while oat performs best around 60°C/140°F.”

How baristas can monitor milk temperature

As coffee shops continue to add new milks to their menus, baristas must refine existing techniques and learn new ones to serve drinks at optimal temperatures.

“For most people, milk drinks are their favourite way to enjoy coffee,” Charles says. “The reality is that any café will tell you that 90-95% of their sales are milk-based beverages, which is why more coffee shops and home baristas alike are focusing on temperature.”

There are practical issues to consider, however. Without standardised procedures, baristas will steam milk differently: some use thermometers, while others rely on sensory cues, for instance.

“Sensory cues can work when you’re experienced, but they’re never perfect,” Nefeli says.  “We’ve conducted experiments with barista trainers, and the temperature variations are surprising.

“Thermometers are the most accurate, but not easy to incorporate into daily routines,” she adds. “Milk foaming systems like the Latte Art Factory can remove the guesswork.”

Milk waste is also a cost factor. Small drinks such as macchiatos and cortados often require steaming more milk than needed to produce suitable microfoam. Automated equipment that controls volume and temperature can therefore help reduce waste.

Consistency matters

Ultimately, whether milk is steamed manually or through a dispensing system, accurate temperature measurement is increasingly important.

“One person’s ‘steam until your hand feels uncomfortable on the bottom of the milk pitcher’ is different from the next person’s, so tools like thermometers can be enormously valuable,” Charles explains. “Additionally, in high-volume cafés, the use of those measuring tools can ensure consistency across the board.”

Milk temperature has moved from a technical detail to a defining factor in drink quality. As cafés expand their range of dairy and plant-based options, each milk requires its own preparation method to preserve sweetness, structure, and clarity.

“Simply put, monitoring milk temperatures makes better drinks, which should always be our number one goal in specialty coffee,” Charles concludes. “Whether we do that with an infrared thermometer sensor on a steam wand, a traditional probe thermometer, or a well-trained palm on the bottom of a milk pitcher is up to each café, but consistency is key, and will win customers over.”

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on how to make latte art at home without an espresso machine.

Photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association, Flair Espresso, Latte Art Factory

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