Milk moves

Dairy milk and milk alternatives, such as plant-based milks, are very much a central part of the café and coffee shop scene, enabling operators to meet the dietary requirements of their customers, as well as experiment with traditional and new beverage ideas.

FROM DAIRY TO PLANT

“Historically, espresso was served with traditional dairy milk to add a touch of luxury to the beverage. The milk provided an almost neutral foundation to showcase the characteristics of the espresso whilst reducing the intensity of the coffee to make it more palatable to those who were not used to drinking it,” Gruppo Cimbali’s Rob Ward reminds us.

“Today’s coffees are generally more complex with an increased level of acidity and baristas use dairy milks with varying fat levels to experiment with viscosity and mouth feel of the finished drink.

“Since plant-based milks arrived on the scene they have switched from being a niche option to an essential requirement on any speciality drinks menu. With their distinctive flavour characteristics, using plant-based milks offers more choice to customers whilst opening up new possibilities in terms of milk and coffee pairing.

“For coconut milk, for example, a high quality, full-bodied Sumatran coffee, with notes of dark chocolate, ginger and spices, creates a delicious, decadent combination. With hazelnut, a lighter bodied coffee from Peru with sweet caramel and gentle acidity will add complexity to the cup. Almond milk paired with a good quality Brazilian coffee, with nut and chocolate notes, creates an indulgent beverage. And, the floral and summery notes of a Guatamalan coffee can work extremely well with one of the best-selling plant-based alternatives, oat milk.”

CAREFUL PREPARATION

The quality of plant-based milks has improved significantly, particularly the professional and barista versions, Rob Ward acknowledges. However, there is still a need to be careful about overheating the milk by aiming for a top temperature of around 60˚C, he advises.

“As a general rule, the well-developed coffees from central America and Asia Pacific work really well in standing up to the distinct flavours in plant-based alternatives, particularly those that are sweetened with something acidic like apple juice. These milks have more potential to split during the making of the drink and if you experience this problem, adding the espresso to the cold dairy alternative before heating can help stabilise the milk,” says Rob Ward.

“Plant based milks offer different textures and tastes to traditional dairy milk and it is therefore important for baristas to learn how to prep them for use in hot beverages, especially when creating latte art as this has become an essential requirement when serving milk-based coffees.”

POINTS OF NOTE

Curdling risk

When non-dairy milks are used with higher acidic coffee, they can curdle. So, choosing the right coffee, ideally a blend that has a slightly more developed roast, may be a better best option.

Never over-heat alternative milks

The ideal temperature is between 50-60°C after which the milk tends to ‘split’. Non-dairy milks heat up very quickly and continue to heat even after texturing the milk.

Use fresh, cold milk

This will allow enough time for stretching and texturing of the milk.

Use when ready

Probably one of the most important tips is to pour the milk as soon as it is ready, and this applies to dairy and non-dairy milks. This is to avoid the micro foam separating from the milk which causes problems when the milk is poured. Try agitating the milk before pouring. Continuously swirling the milk reduces the likelihood of foam sticking to the outside of the jug and homogenises the entirety of the mixture to make it smoother for pouring, while stopping excessive drainage of foam.

Swirl the coffee

Make sure that you swirl the coffee in the cup before pouring as this reduces the crema and carbon dioxide a little bit which stabilises the acidity level and can help stop the milk from splitting.

Protein content

Finding the correct brand of alternative milk is very important when it comes to creating latte art. Proteins help the suspension of the air molecules in the milk, while fat helps to stabilise the micro foam. As both protein and fat levels vary from brand to brand it is worth experimenting until you find a milk which works for you.

Competition rules updated

“One of the hottest topics in the coffee community in recent years has been whether it should be possible to use plant-based milk alternatives in professional competitions, particularly the Specialty Coffee Association Barista Championships,” adds Rob Ward, who is also the national co-ordinator, Specialty Coffee Association UK (SCA UK).

“Acknowledging the changes we are seeing in the market, just before Christmas the SCA main body and World Coffee Events released the updated rules for the 2023 World Championships as follows.”

● Plain (sweetened or unsweetened) plant-based milks may be used. Animal milks are not restricted to cow’s milk. All milks must be commercially available and unflavoured. No human milk will be accepted, or a competitor will receive zero in that category.

● No additions may be made to milk, though all commercially available milks will be accepted.

● Milk beverages may be served with latte art or with a central circle of white milk. Latte art expression may take any pattern the competitor chooses.

“On the face of it, the use of plant-based milks in national competitions is a very welcome change to the rules. The challenge now, however, is to make it fair to all competitors. The judges and tasting protocol have been based for so long on tasting cow milk which gives a relatively neutral base to the drink,” Rob Ward continues.

“The previous wording for taste evaluation was ‘the milk beverage should have a harmonious balance of the sweetness of the milk and its espresso base. The flavour profile of the beverage served should support specialty coffee, with a balance created by the addition of milk.’

“Whilst the wording of the new rules is pretty much the same, it is important that competition entrants using plant-based milks are not unfairly penalised through lack of understanding and exposure. There will be a transitionary period to allow the SCA judging teams to familiarise themselves with the impact of plant milks on the profile of the finished drink.

“The SCA UK Chapter and other national chapters have been asked to hold off implementing the new rules until the WCE and SCA Global have provided some supporting articles to help the national chapters in this transition. This is a very exciting movement in the UK Chapter that everyone is enthusiastic about bringing into reality and seeing the variation and complexity that can be achieved in the milk beverage.”

SCIENTIFIC INPUT

MOMA Foods, a UK producer of oat milk, says that it is working with Teesside University to ensure its products lead the way on taste and sustainability.

The company is joining forces with scientists from Teesside University’s National Horizons Centre on some cutting-edge research aimed at optimising its oat milk, as well as exploring the potential for new product lines.

To achieve this, MOMA is helping fund a PhD studentship to work alongside professor John S. Young from the National Horizons Centre (Teesside University’s National Centre of Excellence for Bioscience).

The project aims to develop new methods of testing the quality of oat milk on site through the development of a new monitoring tool which will analyse fat and protein content. It will also work with suppliers to optimise ingredients and look at ways of developing new strains of enzymes to break down the oats.

MOMA was founded by Tom Mercer in 2006, initially selling breakfast pots from a converted filing cabinet in Waterloo Station. Since then, it has grown rapidly to become one of the UK’s fastest growing health food brands and in 2020 launched its first range of oat milk which is stocked by a number of well known supermarkets.

MOMA was supported in the development of the oat milk range thanks to a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) carried out in conjunction with Portsmouth and Teesside Universities. This project, part-funded by Innovate UK, saw academics work with MOMA to develop its oat milk - helping to refine ingredients to ensure the right combination of enzymes were being used to break down the starch in the oats and result in a product that was foamable and did not split when added to hot liquid.

As a result of the successful partnership, oat milk has now overtaken porridge as MOMA’s core product, report the firm. The milk has also received several plaudits including a Great Taste Award and ranks the highest for flavour compared to its competitors on Amazon.

The company now hopes to continue this successful partnership through the PhD studentship with Teesside University.

“Prior to embarking on the KTP we’d never really used an external resource,” says Tom Mercer. “However, by working with a university we were able to gain that depth of academic knowledge, helping to understand on a molecular level what it was we are trying to achieve. We’re hoping to take this even further though the PhD.

“Oat milk has the potential to be an incredibly sustainable alternative to dairy products; helping cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing methane from dairy herds and using ingredients which can be easily grown in this country.

“However, it’s still a nascent industry and we want to be at the forefront of knowledge and work with our farmers and suppliers to understand exactly what delivers the best product.

“To do this it’s vitally important that we bring academic knowledge into the industry and don’t operate in a silo and working with Teesside University will help us to achieve this.”

Professor Young added: “At Teesside University, a key pillar of our research strategy is forging a smarter, greener economy through novel and disruptive technologies.

“Our ongoing relationship with MOMA has already delivered real impact by helping the company develop an innovative product which is not only creating jobs and new markets for the business but could have a real impact in reducing global emissions.

“We’re really excited about this next stage of our partnership and working with MOMA to explore the possibilities for this product.”

POTATO MILK

In its bid to bring new and more exciting vegan options to the city, sndwch in Manchester included an unusual addition to its plant-based milks recently in the form of potato milk. And anyone choosing to swap their semi-skimmed or soya for spud during January (Veganuary) got their coffee for free with the purchase of any plant-based sandwich.

The launch came in partnership with DUG®, which claims to be the world’s only potato-powered plant-based milk. Its new DUG Barista blend is not only smooth, creamy, low in sugar and allergen-friendly, but it’s planet-friendly too, claim the brand (DUG is also free from the top 14 most common allergens, including lactose, milk, soy, gluten and nuts).

The climate footprint of potato milk is claimed to be twothirds lower than cow’s milk, and because growing potatoes is twice as land efficient as growing oats and uses 98% less water than almonds, it’s more sustainable than other plantbased milks too, it is proposed.

“I only recently discovered potato milk and was a little skeptical at first!” said sndwch founder, Alex Markham. “But it’s delicious - the consistency is very much like dairy milk. It foams up beautifully in coffee and adds creaminess to any hot drink. Veganuary is all about keeping an open mind and we’re dared customers to try something completely new.”

sndwch offered a free medium-sized potato milk coffee with the purchase of any plant-based sandwich from 10-31 January 2023.

AIMIA FOODS PARTNERS WITH KOKO

UK food and drink manufacturer, Aimia Foods, has announced that they have become the exclusive OOH, vending and wholesale partner for Koko, the first UK company to make a coconut-based alternative to dairy milk, they claim.

As part of the partnership, Aimia Foods will be introducing Koko Original, Unsweetened and Barista varieties to their portfolio: a range of coconut milks which are unique to competitor options for reasons that Karen Green, marketing manager at Aimia Foods, details: “Koko is a perfect brand partner for Aimia Foods for many reasons, particularly as we are committed to continually strengthening our portfolio by offering the very best, and most sustainable, food and drink products on the market.

“This is because unlike competitor options, Koko coconut milk varieties boast a neutral, remarkably close to semiskimmed dairy milk taste, therefore making it a more versatile and appealing option for the out of home and vending market. What’s more, all three of Koko’s blends that we will be offering are free from all 14 major allergens including gluten, dairy and soya, thus helping the industry rise to the ever-growing challenge of allergens.”

As well as being free from major allergens, Koko veganapproved milk alternatives also have the added benefit of being free from artificial flavours, colours, GMOS and preservatives – and for extra goodness - have been fortified with calcium and vitamins.

Ethically picked and packed by human hands, Koko milk-alternatives complement Aimia’s existing product portfolio which now covers varieties of milk, soft drinks, hot beverages, syrups and various food products.