Why does skim bring froth death?

I am from the Pacific Northwest. Therefore, I am licensed to spend up to 3 minutes describing to the barista how I want my coffee. But I'm not from Seattle; they get 5 minutes. My friend from Puyallup gets a low-ice, decaf, quad-shot espresso with extra cream and two pumps of mocha in a grande cup. And she drinks it while she leads worship, which is just so PNW metal. Meanwhile, little miss dairy/soy/nut allergy girl, here, is stuck with an unflavored Americano.

That doesn't mean I can't appreciate latte art, however. I'm partial to the leaves, but some baristas can even draw cats and mocha snowflakes.

Okay, I need to stop scrolling through latte art and finish this article.

In order to make proper art, you have to have good foam.

Oh, but look at this one!

Wait—you can 3d print your art? That's cheating.

Anywho. Professional baristas use a steamer to make their foam. If you don't have a steamer, you can use a frother, which is like a mini immersion blender. Frothing adds air to the fluid and creates bubbles that hold the milk together. The worst thing that can happen is if the foam melts when it hits the hot coffee, bringing froth death and destroying your art.

So, why does skim cause froth death? It turns out it doesn't. I know! I'm as shocked as you are! Unless you're a barista. Then, you're not shocked.

If you ever watched Good Eats, you know that foam is caused by proteins in the fluid. The higher the fat content of cow's milk, the lower the protein content. Thus, the foam in skim milk lasts longer, especially at higher temperatures.

But wait, there's more!

Oatmilk froths well, too. But almond milk, which also has a higher fat content, froths more like whole milk. Soy milk is not very "pourable," so you can use it in a latte but maybe not for art.

Rice and macadamia milk don't froth well, apparently. Makes sense, I mean, rice milk is basically water.

The milk that brings true froth death? Cashew. Too watery, I guess.

Which leads to the age-old question: how do you milk a cashew?

The most important thing to remember when creating latte art is to ask your customer if they have food allergies. It doesn't matter if you make a perfect image of Einstein in your friend's oatmilk half-calf caramel mocha. If you know they are allergic to oats, that is sin—a sin that can bring forth death.

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