Make a Macchiato Coffee
Cafè Macchiato is Italian for "marked" (with froth). A Cafè Macchiato is a small simple drink of an espresso shot or double shot marked with a touch of delicious frothy milk. It is not a latte or a cappuccino, but rather an espresso 'marked' on the top with a dollop of foam to cover the espresso and protect it from air. Though a tiny drink, a Macchiato can be one of the most difficult espresso based drinks to pull off well. If you thought steaming milk for a latte was tough, think again. This drink is all about a perfect shot and perfect froth.
Ingredients
- Milk
- Espresso beans
Steps
- Steam your milk. Steaming your milk for a Macchiato is pretty much the same as you would do for a cappuccino. Use a 12oz. pitcher when doing this. Fill it up to the base of the nozzle with milk. You won't be using all the milk, but you want enough in the pitcher so you have more time to steam. The more milk, the longer it will take to get it up to 155 degrees, giving more time to play around with the foam. Remember Café Macchiato means "marked with foam", so you want to make a lot of foam, but it is just a mark you do not need to use a lot for each individual cup.
- Put the tip of the nozzle at the surface of the milk. Get a good swirling action going and surf the hole. This will cause the milk and the foam to mix together. Your milk and foam should not separate until it is poured into the cup.
- Keep on surfing the hole until the amount in the pitcher has doubled. Please , don't exceed 160 degrees, and avoid bubbles in your foam. Tap the pitcher to get out all the bubbles, spin it, all that jazz.
- Pull a double espresso shot. If you're a skilled barista, with a good machine, you should have your shot and your milk going at the same time. If your machine won't permit you to do this, then keep the pitcher swirling. If you're not sure on how to pull a good shot, grind fresh, tamp thrice. Easy enough? A good shot should be about 21-25 seconds, some say 23-27; it depends on the machine and the beans. Just make sure it's all good.
- Give your pitcher another swirl. If you didn't get enough foam while steaming then pour out a little bit of the milk. To do this, take a spoon and place it in front on the pitcher while pouring it into the sink so you hold the foam from pouring out. Give it another little spin. Take your espresso and hold the cup at a slight angle.
- Pour the frothy milk from the pitcher into the espresso, right into the center. Raise the elevation of the pitcher as you pour to keep the speed steady. Only pour a little bit of the frothed milk into the espresso. If you have more milk than espresso then you're dabbling in the area of cappuccino.
- Be cool as you pour your pitcher. Give it a light jiggle of the wrist letting the weight of the pitcher do the movement. As you end the pour bring the pitcher out away from your body. If it is done well, you should end up with a lovely heart.
- For the best velvety texture pour your foam instead of using a spoon. A good mantra for the barista, "never let a spoon enter the pitcher." A good pour of course requires good foam.
Tips
- Practice pulling a good shot and steaming milk.
- Only use 2% or skim milk to create better froth.
Warnings
- Don't think that just because you added milk that your shot can't suffer. Of all the espresso based drinks, next to a straight shot, this is one of the most crucial ones to nail a good shot on. You can have the best foam in the world, but a bad shot can make it motor oil.
- Don't add too much milk. The espresso should be topped with foam, not filled with milk.
- Try to avoid getting large bubbles in your foam!
Things You'll Need
- Pump or Lever based Espresso machine
- Grinder
- Stainless steel pitcher
- Small coffee cup
