Microfoam is steamed milk whose bubbles are small and uniform enough that the foam behaves as part of the liquid rather than as a separate layer.
The surface should look like wet paint: glossy, moving, with no visible individual bubbles.
Foam versus microfoam
Foam has large bubbles. It sits on top of a drink, it can be spooned, and it separates within a minute or two. That is what automatic jug frothers produce, and it is correct for a traditional cappuccino.
Microfoam pours. It goes into the drink and stays integrated, giving a uniform texture from the first mouthful to the last. It is what a flat white is named for and what latte art requires.
How it is made
Two phases, and the second is where microfoam happens.
Stretch briefly — three to five seconds with the wand tip just below the surface, drawing air in. That gives you foam with large bubbles.
Spin for considerably longer, with the wand deeper and off-centre so the milk rotates as one vortex. That breaks the large bubbles into small ones and folds them through the liquid.
Most people stretch too long and spin too little, which is why they get foam rather than microfoam.
What you need
A steam wand. No automatic frother produces microfoam, because none of them can spin the milk the way a wand does.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026