Barista milk doesn’t require special training or a souped-up café-style coffee machine to use, but it does differ from regular milk.
Researchers from the University of Queensland say barista milks can be dairy or plant-based, but they are specifically formulated to foam more reliably, with a finer texture and longer-lasting bubbles to create a more creamy and longer-lasting foam.
In an article released this week, professors David Chua and Lauren Ball say if it’s a higher protein content you’re looking for, then go for the cow’s milk barista. It almost always has about four to five percent protein in barista milk, compared to 3.3 to 3.5 percent in regular milk. Milk solids (or dried skim milk) are often used to boost the protein content.
The ingredients in plant-based barista milks such as almond, oat, or soy, will vary a lot more than regular milk. This is because plant-based milks aren’t bound by a specific “milk” standard.
Instead, they fall under broader beverage regulations, which is why there’s a wide variety of ingredients, protein levels, sugars, and fats – depending on the manufacturer and the plant base.
The most common additives in plant-based barista milks are:
- Vegetable oils for creaminess and thickness
- Gums (such as gellan or locust bean gum) to increase thickness
- Maltodextrin (a processed starch), also for thickness, and
- Emulsifiers such as lecithin – to help stop the fats and water from splitting apart.
These additives mean plant-based milks are “ultra-processed foods,” according to the United Nations classification system, reflecting how far removed they are from their natural source.
Barista versions of plant milks often have added vegetable oils to help mimic the fat-protein interaction in dairy. It’s what makes the milk foam stable and the liquid feel creamy. Some, but not all, barista plant milks will also have thickeners because they help the foam last longer.
Compared to soy and oat, almond milk is naturally low in protein. So almond barista milks will almost always contain gums, starches, and emulsifiers along with added vegetable oil to help stabilise the foam.
Many plant milks also contain added sugars for flavour, since they lack the natural lactose found in dairy.
Plant-based milks are gaining in popularity as they typically have a lower environmental impact than cow’s milk which uses more land and water, and produces more greenhouse gasses.
However, the added ingredients, and research and development adds to the cost of plant-based milk, compared to regular milk.
So whether you’re ordering a coffee at a café, or making one at home, barista milk is the one which will produce a more predictable and consistent outcome, and keep your tastebuds happy.
The original article can be found on The Conversation.
