Why does that special barista oat milk actually foam so well?
There’s nothing quite like a cup of coffee with a good layer of foam, even if you prefer plant-based milk. But why does that special plant-based barista milk actually foam so well?
The popularity of dairy-free milk is unstoppable. Oat milk (and that’s going to become a lot more expensive..), soy milk, almond milk, pea milk; the list goes on. Replacing cow’s milk with plant-based milk in your coffee can be quite a challenge, because your oat milk often barely foams at all. Long live the barista version of plant-based milk, which does foam very well.
What makes barista milk foam properly?
I spoke to Nina Dahlberg from Alpro, which sells several varieties of plant-based barista milk. ‘Because of the coffee’s acidity, the difference in temperature and the whisking of the milk, the milk can curdle because plant-based milk can’t always handle this. That’s why it’s difficult for baristas to use plant-based milk. The barista version was therefore specifically developed for use with coffee. The whole story involving all kinds of different substances is a little complicated, but acidity regulators and extra fats are added to the milk, making it foam better and combine better with coffee.’
Saskia Scheibel from Oatly Germany confirms this explanation. ‘Coffee has a certain level of acidity that regular dairy-free milk can’t always handle. Those acidity regulators are therefore necessary for a cup of coffee with well-foaming plant-based milk.’
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