# Home Baristas

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-baristas/548031>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 26, 2010, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-baristas/548031 "2010-07-26T11:45:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-baristas/548031/1 "2010-07-26T11:45:11Z")

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We got a ‘real’ espresso machine for Christmas, and by real I mean pump driven, but still the cheapest one you can get. ($99 refurb Breville)

I’ve got the timing and technique down to make a pretty damn good draw, but I’m curious about steaming the milk. I’ve found I need to wait 20 seconds or so after the draw to build up enough heat so the machine doesn’t just pump water into the milk, but do you find that, by the time the milk’s hot, it’s been diluted by nearly half?

It pretty much makes any whole milk used, skim milk by the time you’re done.

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-baristas/548031/2 "2010-07-26T11:56:38Z")

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I think this thread will be more apt to build up a head of steam in Cafe Society.

**twickster** , MPSIMS moderator

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**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-baristas/548031/3 "2010-07-26T12:25:02Z")

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ooh, the Cafe! Good call. I thought it was pretty mundane, but yeah, I can see it in **CS** too.

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**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-baristas/548031/4 "2010-07-26T12:34:31Z")

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My wife is a super Barista and hates weak steamed milk, so she never uses the steam thing. She microwaves the milk instead, It does taste better to me.

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-baristas/548031/5 "2010-07-26T12:35:20Z")

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Don’t start frothing or steaming the milk until the wand is actually putting out steam. I vent the wand into a small ceramic cup until I see that I’ve got full steam, before beginning to froth the milk.

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**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-baristas/548031/6 "2010-07-26T12:39:25Z")

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Yeah, I discovered a 20 count was enough to get a good head of steam back…I think I’ll try the microwaving the milk as a half cup of milk in a metal container takes quite a few calories to heat up using the steam wand.