Foaming milk for an espresso drink isn’t difficult once you know the steps and have an opportunity to practice a bit.  There are a few basic steps to get the best foam for your beverage.

If you are using a commercial espresso machine or a quality home machine like the Breville die cast 800esxl espresso machine the foaming process will only take around 15 seconds to complete.

To start you want to place the nozzle of the steam wand into the middle of the milk pitcher.  Make sure that the nozzle is one half inch under the top of the milk.When the nozzle is correctly placed you will want to open the valve for steam.  You need to open the valve all the way.

The steam tip will be taking in air from the top of the liquid.The steam and air from the wand will cause the milk to expand forming a thick foam.  It helps to tilt the pitcher to one side, which will create a whirlpool.

Lower the pitcher as the dense foam is forming, making certain to keep the wand tip just below the surface of the milk.  If you are doing this correctly you will hear an intermittent hissing sound, which is an indicator that the milk is taking in air.  If you hear a jet-like howling sound you are too far down into the milk and need to bring the tip up nearer the surface.

Once the milk is stretched and you have your desired amount of foam you might still need to heat the milk the rest of the way.You can achieve this by putting the tip of the wand on the bottom of the pitcher briefly till when you feel the bottom and it is hot to the touch.

That is pretty much all there is to foaming milk.  With a little practice you will become an expert barista in no time at all.  If you are looking for a great machine to learn on, the Breville XX800ESXL espresso machine is an excellent choice without being cost prohibitive.