Steaming milk for a flat white on the Duo or Pro

A flat white is a double espresso with about 120 ml of steamed milk, smooth all the way through with a thin layer of foam on top. You need a steam wand for it, so this guide is for the Duo and the Pro. The One makes espresso and americano, but not milk drinks.

Before you start

• Cold milk, straight from the fridge. Whole milk is the easiest to learn on. Cold milk gives you more time before it gets too hot.
• The Milk jug from the box, filled about a third of the way, to just under where the spout starts.
• A double espresso in a wide cup. If you have not pulled one yet, start with how to make your first espresso.

On the Duo, pull the shot first and steam straight after. The Pro has two boilers and steams while it brews, so the milk is ready when the espresso is.

Clear the wand

Point the wand into the drip tray and open the steam for a second or two. Water collects in the wand while the machine sits, and you want dry steam in the milk, not water.

Add a little air

Put the tip of the wand just under the surface of the milk, a little off centre, and open the steam all the way. You should hear a short, quiet hiss. That is air going into the milk. A flat white needs only a little, so keep the tip there for three or four seconds, until the milk has risen by about a centimetre.

Heat it to about 60 °C

Lower the tip a little further into the milk. The milk should start to turn in the jug, pulling the bubbles under and breaking them up. Keep your other hand flat on the side of the jug. When it is too hot to hold for more than a second, the milk is at about 60 °C. Close the steam, then take the wand out. Hotter than 65 °C and the milk loses its sweetness.

Pour

Wipe the wand with a damp cloth and open the steam once more, before the milk dries on it. Tap the jug on the counter to burst any large bubbles, then swirl it until the milk looks glossy. Pour from a few centimetres above the cup so the milk sinks under the espresso, then bring the jug close to the surface for the last part so the white layer forms on top.

If it goes wrong

• Large bubbles: the tip was too high. Keep it just under the surface.
• A loud screech: the tip went in too deep before the milk had any air.
• Hot milk with no foam at all: you skipped the air at the start.
• Thick, dry foam: too much air for a flat white. That is a cappuccino. Add air for fewer seconds.

Most people pour a good flat white within the first week. The Duo and the Pro both come with a milk jug. If two of you drink milk drinks, a second jug is $38 and saves rinsing between cups.