In our last post, we talked about how milk was first added to coffee and it's ability to cover up less than tasty coffee. But having milk in your coffee shouldn’t just be a way to cover up bad coffee, it should be it’s own way of enjoying coffee. If you want to make the most of your coffee, you should make the most of your milk as well. Especially when we talk about espresso and get into lattes and cappuccinos where milk is most of the drink, whatever milk you’re choosing, it should be good stuff!
There are a lot of debates about milk these days, and it can be hard to sort out all of the details and figure out whether or not it’s healthy for you. Lucky for us that’s not the question we’re asking: we’re more concerned with whether or not it tastes good. Our own tastes have led us to the local milk route, for a few reasons, with all of our milk coming from Hatchland Farm, in North Haverhill, NH.
One of the most obvious reasons for this is freshness—the less milk has to travel, the fresher it’s going to be, and freshness is key in flavor for milk. Another benefit is the treatment and diet of the cattle. Farms that supply milk for larger brands want to get as much milk as possible out their cattle, and often use growth hormones and antibiotics to keep the milk flowing, and the flavor isn’t getting any help from that.
We’re also very lucky that Hatchland Farms uses Vat Pasteurization, which means the milk is held at a lower temperature for longer, which lets the milk keep more of its natural proteins and retain more flavor. Though the process takes more time and is more expensive, we find the difference in flavor is worth it, especially for lattes and cappuccinos, when the milk makes up most of the drink. But if you like milk in your coffee and are looking to up your coffee game, buying local milk is a good step to take. We’re lucky enough in Portland that we have plenty of local dairy farms around, but local dairy farms are popping up all over the place, so chances are you can find some near you too. And if that's not an option, well, maybe think about getting your own cow?
Have you found a milk that you love to put in your coffee? Are there any special milk and coffee drinks you’ve discovered in your adventures in caffeination? Let us know in the comments!
Special thanks to Kris from Hatchling for the information about their process and the pictures. We're happy to serve their milk at both locations.