Foam Daydreams and Friendship

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Having a coffee with a friend can be medicinal. Today I got to sit down with my closest bud for the first time in awhile. Our sons are only a few weeks apart in age, so they ran around doing whatever 2-year-old boys do, and we caught up.

My espresso machine had been stored away for at least a year. Just yesterday I cleaned it up and made a latte for the first time in forever. Excitedly, I announced when we made plans that I'd make us drinks! Coffee has always been a cornerstone in our friendship.

My beans aren't anything crazy fancy, just some run of the mill arabica beans from the grocery store. They smell so great when I grind them up though, that I wonder why I don't always make fresh coffee?! I ought to start.

Tucked away with the machine were these mini mugs. Small things bring me joy, so I was happy to see these little guys!

I made each of us 3 shots of espresso before moving on to steaming the milk. She I and share the love of bitter coffee beverages... Besides, as moms we can always use more caffeine!

Although making espresso is something I've done hundreds of times, steaming milk isn't.

My machine is so compact, and the wand is so different from the ones I've used working in restaurants, that I just left it alone.

This week I finally branched out and tried it!

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Apparently, there's real skill to this!

My foam isn't coming out the way it should. Lucky for me, my friend was a barista for many years! I made us both drinks, and asked her for some tips.

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I tried to make the cup on the left extra foamy, but large bubbles formed when I did this. Today, I learned that this is called over aeration. I had been pulling the wand above the surface throughout the steaming process, but my pal informed me that this causes over aeration!

She's some kind of coffee scientist, and went on to explain how the initial bubbles you form go on to dictate the sort of end product you will achieve. To be totally honest, she lost me at several points, it was interesting though!

I did get two major takeaways from this however.

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The first was that temperature was everything with foam.

According to the coffee scientist, you shouldn't pull the wand up after the temperature of the milk is over 110 degrees.

The second thing that I took away from our conversation unfortunately, was that smaller machines are difficult to get great foam out of.

She gave me a few pointers that vastly improved the texture of the foam I am getting however!

I look forward to practicing and seeing just how well I can do with this steamer wand. I know this is at least far from my peak haha!

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Afterwards, we chatted about all sort of things, and ended up in a deep spirituality centered conversation. That's one of the things that make her so special to me. Given enough time, we will always end up debating the universe and dissecting its parts together.

With all of the gang sans her youngest child being excellent playmates for each other, our visits often mean that we both get a bit of a break as well. Her youngest is only 6 months old, and is a total cuddle bug, so our time together also means baby snuggles for me!

It was a beautiful morning, and by the time she left I felt refreshed from her company. Settling into my afternoon, I decided to make another coffee and try out my new foam knowledge!

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This is still over aerated, but the bubbles within the foam are much smaller. Just this tiny change led to a way creamier texture. I'll get it eventually!

I've enjoyed my two days of espresso so much, that I've opted to swap the machine out for my drip coffee maker, which is bulky as heck. I figure I can easily make an Americano when I want a regular coffee, and the space saved is massive!

Today feels like a win for both my coffee loving spirit, and my minimalist one. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

All photos are my own, taken with a basic phone camera.