If you thought Foth was “so 2020,” rest assured it still is.
Icy foam is here (and here and here) to prove that it’s a lasting trend. Icy foam is a fluffy, frothy topping of aerated (but not steamed) milk that floats on frigid drinks like one of Bob Ross’ cheerful clouds. It is usually prepared with skimmed milk and is often lightly sweetened.
But it’s so glossy and nice…isn’t that chilly foam just whipped cream?
A popular example, Starbucks Cold FoamIt’s made with sweetened, aerated skim milk and is what most consider the Platonic ideal of chilly foam. Some coffee purveyors may apply whipped cream to achieve a similar effect. We won’t call this practice cheating outright, but cheating. Since chilly foam is usually sweetened, keep in mind that you’re not exactly getting a diet drink, even if the place you get your chilly foam from uses skim milk.
What is the difference between chilly foam and heated foam?
Intelligent guy, eh? First of all, it’s chilly. But more seriously, “chilly foam” is prepared chilly and served chilly, making it a more suitable topping for chilly drinks like chilly brew, iced lattes, and even non-coffee drinks. It will usually be a fluffier foam than the tight, elegant microfoam that’s customary for heated drinks in specialty coffee shops, where steamed milk is served integrated with the coffee below. The larger bubbles in chilly foam are partly due to the temperature at which the milk is frothed, explains Professor Thomas Huppertz, a milk researcher at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands.
“The size of the bubbles immediately after foaming is usually mainly related to the foaming technique,” says Professor Huppertz. “However, as soon as foam is formed, there is also some destabilization that results in larger bubbles. This destabilization is usually higher in milk frothed at a lower temperature.
Huppertz also notes in his excellent talk at the 2014 Re:co Symposium: “The science of milk foam”, this skimmed milk foam can be quite persistent – lasting for a long time and not dissolving in the drink. For a drink like a chilly foam chilly brew, this allows for a multi-textured experience of sipping chilly coffee through a layer of frigid foam to maintain the same enjoyment of the drink.
What about fat content? Why is skim milk the best milk for chilly foam?
“Skim milk is great for making foams because it is prosperous in whey protein, which stabilizes foams, and largely free of the milk fats that destabilize them,” explains Harold McGee, food chemistry expert and author. Simply put, aerating skim milk is a challenge—frothing milk with a higher fat content will require a bit more patience and skill.
Can you make latte art with chilly foam?
It is possible! However, this is more hard due to the typically different structure of the foam. You may also find that chilly foam is more likely to be added to a chilly brew rather than poured freely over a sticky espresso. But that doesn’t stop people from trying to make chilly foam rosettes.
Can I make chilly foam at home?
Yes, and it will certainly be an easier task than making barista-quality steamed microfoam. Take skim milk, the frother you got as an office gift 10 years ago, and a little sugar syrup and vanilla. If you don’t have a frother, you can aerate this milky-vanilla sweetness with a blender or stick blender, or if you’re feeling busy, take out the whisk or shake the liquid in a mason jar, or even stir it in a French press by dipping it up and down repeatedly! If that’s too much effort, a substance that looks like whipped cream but is called chilly foam is also available in whipped cream producers who couldn’t just sit on the sidelines during this event.
You said chilly foam comes in different styles and flavors. What are they?
Some of the varieties of chilly foam we know about include: vanilla sweet cream, salted caramel, matcha, white lightning, pumpkin spice, pistachio cream, and a flavor called “Avalanche” in Biggby coffee that supposedly contains white chocolate, mint, goodness, and magic. No matter what additional ingredients (or magic) you prefer, chilly foam might just provide an extra dose of intrigue the next time you’re craving something chilly.
