Giving the AeroLatte a 2nd Try

I visited Aerolatte.com to see what, if anything, I was doing wrong in using my new toy, the AeroLatte milk frother from Williams-Sonoma.  I read through the instructions (same as the ones on the box I thought I followed), then the FAQs.                                                                                                                                                             

Starting over with plain soy milk
and armed with a thermometer

Apparently, the temperature of the milk is very important.  Not to boiling, but nice and steamy...about 60 to 70 degrees Celsius, or 140 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Better froth.  Took 40+ seconds.

I also realized my technique had been 'off' a bit.  I ran the tool up and down throughout the milk in a fairly constant motion.  Instead, I was supposed to follow the froth up, keeping the tool near the top, and only occasionally returning it to the bottom of the cup to involve the rest of the milk.  This got me much more froth, but took at least twice as long as the instructed 20 seconds.

Coffee poured through

Following the initial directions, I poured the coffee in after frothing.  This left it sort of flat and with a tunnel from the coffee pour.  

That's when I read the recipes, and found some of them recommended that you top the coffee with the milk, rather than pour the coffee into it.  This gave a more attractive result, closer to the photos on the box.

Coffee with froth poured on top

To do this, though, I'm going to have to play with my recipe.  I used my favorite Torani hazelnut syrup in the coffee only, which left the milky foam fairly tasteless.  I left the milk alone to make sure it wasn't weighted down, but some of the recipes say it's OK to add flavoring or sugar before frothing.  It also leaves the coffee stronger tasting than I'm used to, because a lot of the milk is on top, instead of mixed in.

3rd time will be the charm?  I won't make you wait for another post, since 2 for this tool is already pushing it.  

So I will be back ..................................................................

Ah, yes.  Much better with the flavoring added to the milk from the start.  It still took about 45 seconds with the AeroLatte to get the best result.  

I decided to pour the coffee through it in order to mix the milk and the coffee better, so just was a little fancier with how I poured it through.  This avoided the funny-looking single tunnel through the pretty foam.