I’m very lactose sensitive (I stubbornly refuse to give up cheese) but if you hand me a freeze-distilled cortado, I’ll finish the whole thing.
Freeze-distilled milk has dominated barista competitions since 2017. Canadian Barista Champion Ben Put first used it the milk course of his WBC routine, delivering confectionary flavor calls that are guaranteed have you salivating while dreaming of melted ice cream and cake batter.
The incredible drinks showcased in barista competitions often lie outside the realm of recreation. Not this time though! While I can’t promise to replicate the coffee that Ben used, I can show you how to make the milk.
What is freeze-distilled milk?
In short, freeze-distilled milk is highly concentrated milk.
Dairy milk is mostly water— around 87%, according to Harvard University . Through the process of freezing and fractional thawing, you can concentrate the majority of a milk’s fats, sugars, and proteins while removing a bulk of the water content. Essentially, the yummy parts of milk are the first thing to thaw, allowing you to capture them while discarding a majority of the water.
The result is milk that’s significantly sweeter and creamier than its original form.
Below is an infamous photo of me freeze-distilling milk at 1AM at the 2022 World Barista Championship in Melbourne. If it doesn’t scare you away, continue reading.
Evaporated versus freeze-distilled
Both evaporated milk and freeze-distilled (FD) milk have the same goal: remove a bulk of the water content from milk.
However, they accomplish that goal through different methods. Evaporated milk removes water by… well, evaporating it. By reducing milk slowly over heat, much of the water evaporates and a slight caramelization is achieved. Commercially available evaporated milk comes in two forms, unsweetened and sweetened (also known as sweetened condensed milk).
The unsweetened form is most similar to freeze-distilled milk as they both rely on the concentration of milk’s natural sugars rather than added ones.
So what’s the point of going through the process I’m about to outline if one can just pick up a can of evaporated milk at the local supermarket? With FD milk, you get:
The ability to use different types of milks (lactose free, 6% fat, alternative milks, etc.)
Higher quality of sweetness for pairing with coffee
Full control over the concentrated milk’s flavor intensity and texture
Greater understanding of milk’s composition
My own preferences aside, I would highly encourage you—if this is a rabbit hole you want to go down—to taste test commercial evaporated milk next to FD milk. Words can only describe so much and ultimately, your palate is going lead to what works best for you.
How to freeze-distill your own milk
What you need
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Full fat dairy milk
You can use lactose-free whole milk for a sweeter final result (cheers to the lactase enzyme breaking down complex sugars into simple sugars)
A large bowl or carafe
A way to measure liquid volume
A freezer
The process
Put your milk in the freezer to freeze fully solid. This process can take up to 10 hours and I like to start it the night before I intend to freeze-distill it. When fully frozen, the milk will take on a yellow hue. Do not freeze milk in a glass bottle because it will shatter; ensure it’s in a jug that can expand with the frozen liquid.
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Remove the cap from your frozen milk jug and turn it upside down in a large bowl/pan/carafe.
You can let this process happen at room temperature however, for food safety, if the room temperature consistently exceeds 75°F, I would highly suggest moving the overturned milk to the fridge to thaw. The process will be slower but the result will be the same.
After about 1.5 hours, you’ll see the first drops of milk begin to thaw and gather in the lower vessel.
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After 4 hours of thawing, start regularly taste-testing your freeze-distilled milk, checking the sweetness and consistency. On average, it takes 7-8 hours to reach the final thawed amount. I measure the ‘done-ness’ of my milk by volume, rarely thawing off more than 50% of the original milk’s volume. Example: If I began by freezing a liter of whole milk, I would only allow up to 500ml to thaw off.
30% of a milk’s original volume: Heavy cream consistency, prominent melted vanilla ice cream flavor, salty.
50% of milk’s original volume: Half & half consistency, cereal-milk flavor, more balanced saltiness.
When you’re happy with the flavor and consistency, remove the milk carton and discard the remaining frozen water and milk solids.
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Freeze-distilled milk can be stored in the fridge for a week before it begins to taste off. It can be steamed and poured into coffee/espresso as usual.
Stages of freeze-distilling
Frequently asked questions
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Aren’t you just making heavy cream when you freeze-distill milk?
Nope! While the consistency of the two may be similar, freeze-distilled milk has a much more concentrated sweetness. Side by side, the two taste nothing alike.
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What do I do with the leftover frozen residual in the carton?
I have yet to find a good use for it and haven’t seen one presented. One of the primary reasons you don’t often see FD milk being made at scale is the waste associated with it. If you figure out a good use for what is essentially the most skim milk in existence, let me know!
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Can I get freeze-distilled milk at a cafe?
Very rarely, if ever. There’s a Chinese company called BeFood that’s developed a product called Eisbock milk. It’s essentially freeze-distilled milk and it’s often served in a drink called Dirty Coffee, an espresso layered over cold FD milk. Beyond that, it’s incredibly rare to see FD milk in cafes—particularly in the United States.
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This is a lot of work for a little bit of milk! Why would I do this?!
Very true! I’m not advocating for FD milk to replace your good ol’ regular milk but I think going through the process at least once can give you a greater understanding of milk’s composition and how to manipulate it to fit a coffee. It’s one of the few accessible ingredients that you can replicate from barista championships. It’s also a very tasty little treat and everyone deserves that once in a while.
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Can I freeze-distill alternative milks?
Kind of? Most brands of barista oat milk will freeze-distill decently but I’ve never had consistent success with any other alternative milk. That’s not to say that you can’t do it but it’s very unpredictable.
In conclusion
Go forth and freeze-distill to your heart’s desire! If you want more visual representations for each step, you can watch this video for an overview of the process.
Additionally, Ashley Rodriguez of Boss Barista (go subscribe, do it) wrote a great piece that goes deeper into the Ben’s methodology and the history of FD milk.
