Milk to use for cafe latte When it comes to the best milk for your cafe latte, I’d recommend whole milk before anything else. Because it has the perfect balance of fats, proteins, sugar and water that is needed for smooth microfoam. You may also use 2% milk and it works effectively, but you lose some of the richness. The most essential thing to remember about the milk: make sure it’s as fresh as possible! Milk that is approaching its expiration date does not foam as well.