# This milk got too much air and too much heat. That's why it won't pour a heart.

- Series: [How To Run It](https://miu.fm/howtorunit.md)
- Published: 2026-10-26
- Page: https://miu.fm/howtorunit/this-milk-got-too-much-air-and-too-much-heat-that-s-why-it

## Story

This milk got too much air and too much heat. That's why it won't pour a heart.

Same machine, same milk, 10 steps later: silk at 60 °C.

1. Pour 100 g of cold milk, about a third of the jug
2. Press steam and wait until the light stays on
3. Purge the wand
4. Hold the air hole at the surface: a soft, steady hiss
5. Let air in only while the milk is cold, until about 38 °C
6. Then sink the tip and spin a whirlpool
7. Stop at 60 °C. It keeps climbing after
8. Purge and wipe the wand before the milk dries
9. Tap out the big bubbles, swirl until it shines
10. Pour high, then low, then cut through

On these small machines, brew the espresso first: the manual has you run water through to cool the boiler before the next coffee. The manual suggests skimmed or semi-skimmed milk for a taller froth; for a heart we used whole milk, as De'Longhi's own latte art guide does. Shown on a panarello wand (the sleeve with the air hole), the kind slim home machines like the De'Longhi Dedica ship with. The machine is our own drawing of a generic one.

Which machine should we do next?

Sources: De'Longhi EC685 manual; De'Longhi on frothing and latte art; Gaggia on the pannarello wand; Seattle Coffee Gear; Kamath et al., International Dairy Journal (2008).
Sounds: Freesound CC0 (aneolus, bowlingballout, samplecat, sokworks).

## Watch

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/De8plCLjhjZ/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4VuUzRSgVlQ

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