5. The milk

The success of your coffee now rests on nailing the creamy, velvety milk. Take a stainless steel jug, wider at the bottom than at the top, and half-fill it with cold, fresh whole milk.

Blast the steam wand into a tea towel to purge any water built up in the pipes, then insert the wand into the milk. Turn on the steam and bring the nozzle to the surface until you hear air being sucked into the milk. It should make a gentle phsh, phsh sound rather than a loud sucking noise. Do this for just a few seconds, then submerge the wand and tilt the jug slightly to create a whirlpool effect that produces microfoam – milk like silk. It’s important not to suck too much air into the milk in those first few seconds as it will create big bubbles that are difficult to get rid of.