How to Use Coffee Maker with Milk?

For some, milk is an important ingredient in their coffee. A cup of latte, cappuccino, and macchiato keeps them awake and going through the day. If you love your coffee with milk, you’ve probably wondered, how can you use your coffee maker with milk? This article will answer your question and everything else you need to know regarding this topic. Let’s begin.

 

 

Should You Put Milk in Your Coffee Maker?

The simple answer is no. You shouldn’t add milk to your coffee maker. Technically, you can do it, but there are negative effects of that. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t put milk in your coffee maker.

 

    1. May Cause Bacteria to Develop

One of the reasons why you shouldn’t add milk instead of water into the coffee machine is because bacteria may develop in the coffee maker. Milk contains proteins that allow bacteria to develop when heated. Furthermore, milk causes mold to grow in the areas that it has touched during the process of making coffee. As a result, the coffee you make in the future may taste bad. Running water through the machine twice after making coffee may help but it won’t remove all the milk residue. Some will need you to disengage the coffee maker’s parts.

No matter how delicious you want your coffee, adding milk to the coffee maker isn’t worth it. Furthermore, you’ll use a lot of time trying to clean your coffee maker than you would have spent boiling your milk separately.

 

    2. May Machine Clog

Adding milk to your coffee maker may clog it. As mentioned earlier, milk causes bacteria to develop in your coffee machine and residue milk may cause the machine to clog. Unlike water, milk contains proteins that may build up and end up clogging the machine. Such a situation may force you to buy another coffee maker.

 

    3. It Won’t Taste Good

Firstly, the coffee maker is designed to brew your coffee by heating water to certain brewing temperatures. Adding milk instead of water into your coffee maker will change the consistency and flavor of your coffee. This is because water can extract all the components in coffee, which leads to a perfect cup of coffee. On the other hand, milk cannot extract the required components in coffee, so your coffee is overpowered by the milk taste. Additionally, milk doesn’t taste sweet when heated under high temperatures.

If you love your coffee with milk, the best technique you can use is to boil milk in a separate pot and add it to your brewed coffee. This will prevent you from destroying your coffee maker and drinking bad coffee.

 

How to Make Coffee with Milk

1. Put a specialized coffee filter into the coffee machine

The first step is to place a fresh coffee filter into the coffee machine. Use a specialized coffee filter or the natural, and bleached filters. Synthetic or cheaper filters won’t give you the best results.

 

2. Add coffee ground into the machine

The next step is adding coffee grounds to the coffee machine. The amount of grounds you’ll need to add depends on the amount of coffee you want to make. A standard cup of coffee requires you to add two tablespoons of ground coffee for six ounces of water.

 

3. Add water to the coffee maker

Add water into the coffee maker depending on the amount of coffee you plan to make. Keep in mind that for every two tablespoons of coffee, you’ll need six ounces of water. Additionally, ensure the water is high-quality – either bottled or filtered water. Also, ensure you add water into the water tank or compartment and not onto the filter basket.

 

4. Switch on the coffee maker

Now it’s time to brew your cup of coffee. Depending on your coffee machine, switch it on and wait for your coffee to brew.

 

5. Add milk to the coffee

Add as much milk as you want to your brewed cup of coffee and enjoy it.

Alternatively, you can add your milk first into the coffee mug, then pour it over your brewed coffee. Here are some steps for preparing your milk.

1. Add your milk into a pot or saucepan
2. Heat your milk under medium-high heat while checking it to avoid messes
3. Reduce the temperature once your milk boils
4. Allow your milk to simmer for one to three minutes then add it to your coffee

 

How to Reduce Bitterness in Coffee

If you’re adding milk to your coffee to reduce bitterness, there are other ways to do that. They include:

• Using Arabica coffee beans instead of Robusta since Arabica beans are smoother and less bitter
• Use light roasts instead of dark roasts. This is because light roasts are less bitter than dark roasts.
• Use coarser grounds since there is less contact of the coffee grounds with water
• Make your coffee with more water

Additionally, you can still add milk to the brewed coffee depending on your preferences.

 

Use an Espresso Machine to Make Milk-Based Coffee

Instead of using your coffee maker to make milk-based coffee, you can use an espresso machine. Espresso machines come with a milk frother that quickly steams your milk and you can add it to your brewed espresso. The best part of using an espresso machine is that your espresso is concentrated and rich.

Therefore, adding milk to your espresso will only add creaminess, otherwise, your coffee is still strong. However, don’t put milk instead of water in your espresso machine. Espresso machines use high temperatures – 200 degrees Fahrenheit to extract espresso, which may lead to cuddled milk. Milk cuddles at 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Conclusion

Replacing your water with milk may seem convenient. However, it’s not worth it. You may end up damaging your coffee maker as well as drinking bad coffee. Furthermore, cleaning the machine will take you more time than steaming milk using a pot and adding it to brewed coffee. Therefore, don’t add milk to your coffee machine. Brew your coffee first then add milk, or add brewed coffee over your milk.