Article #1 - Latte Art 101

July 8, 2007 · Filed Under Espresso, How-to, Latte Art, Signature drink, Specialty Grade · Comment 

I made a lengthy how-to post in a reply on a forum a few days ago. People seemed to like it, and it was written as more of an article than a forum post, so I thought I’d toss it up here.

Latte Art 101
by Jason Haeger

“I feel this is a good cue for me to explain the concept of latte art… seeing as I teach it on occasion and all.

Latte art defined.

Latte is a word that literally translates to “milk”. The phrase “Latte art” is not a reference to “art on top of a caffe latte”, but rather, is combination of words that means, quite literally, “milk art”.

That having been said, “latte art” can take many forms.

What is means.

Latte art is a pattern adorning the top of an espresso-based milk beverage that was made with care, attention, and skill. Latte art is only a decoration. It is a symbol that means that the barista has a passion and respect for their role in the life of coffee from seed to cup. Latte art is, in short, a symbol of quality.

When it should be used.

Latte art should ONLY be used when a drink is prepared with expert care, precision, and artistry. Latte art should NEVER be used as an end in itself. To pour latte art on a poor quality beverage is like sticking a $500,000 price tag on a rusty AMC Gremlin with a leaking head gasket, piston rings, and no A/C. It’s a false sign, and it gives customers the wrong idea, and encourages people to believe that there isn’t anything special about specialty coffee after all. In short, USE IT WITH CARE!

What is needed.

You need excellent barista skills. You need a straight walled frothing pitcher with a nozzle. You need to be able to pull an exceptional shot of espresso, and you need to be able to micro-froth milk so the surface appears as a silky sheen, and the mouth-feel is smooth, velvety, and the milk’s sweetness is pronounced to balance with the flavors in the espresso. (note: not all espresso blends work well with large quantities of milk. There are many blends whose max milk volume should be 4oz for a total beverage volume of 5-6oz.)

Drink definitions, and their relationship to latte art.

A cappuccino is legally defined(in Italy) as a 5-6oz (really, closer to 5.5oz) beverage comprised of espresso, and softly frothed milk.
It is NOT a strict balance of thirds. This is a misunderstanding, and really, is more of a guideline to keep a cappuccino close to what a cappuccino is, and not the humongous abomination it has become in the US.
Like any beverage being served, quality is important. This means that taste quality is far more important than rigorous volume ratio standards. If the double espresso pulls to only 1.5oz, because it started to go blond at that point, it’s fine. It’s far better than to allow the espresso to over-extract and serve the full “1/3″ ratio of 2oz. Taste is important.
If the milk foam is only 1mm in height, but the foam is silky smooth, and a pleasure on the palate, this is okay! Once again, quality of taste and mouthfeel is far more important than any preconceived notions one may have about “what a cappuccino is supposed to look like” or the mis-understood “rule of thirds”.

A Macchiato is espresso “marked” or “stained” with milk. The word Macchiato, in fact, means just that.. to mark or to stain. Traditionally, this is a spoonful of softly frothed milk on top.. just enough to mark the espresso. More often, we’re seeing people free-pouring their macchiati. This is fine, and art is possible, but remember, art is a symbol of quality. The quality of the milk must match the quality of the espresso, and both must be of the highest caliber.

A Caffe Latte is literally “coffee milk”. essentially, it’s coffee-flavored milk. This drink is commonly just called a “latte”, for short. This is probably the biggest reason why people assume that “latte art” is specifically applicable primarily to the Caffe Latte.

When the quality of taste is optimized, and the milk is frothed properly(note: this means no dry, stiff foam!), the drink is worthy to be adorned with the symbol of quality: Latte Art

Pouring art.
Very often, the biggest problem I see with people learning to pour art, is that they are either attempting to pour from far too high above the surface of the liquid in the cup, or they are pouring too slowly.

Begin with pouring from high above the cup, so the milk/foam mixture(it should be fairly homogeneous.. if it is not, tap the pitcher on the counter to burst any larger bubbles, and swirl the milk in the pitcher to homogenize the contents) can cut through the crema, and begin to create a “back canvas”.. or a surface on which to pour a design.

Once you’ve broken through the crema, and the crema’s appearance just begins to even out, lower the pitcher so that the nozzle of the pitcher is just barely above the surface of the crema. Once you begin to see white milk staining the surface, begin the “wiggle”.

The “wiggle” is something that can be practiced without milk, and I encourage you to do so to train your wrist.

Just like drawing circles is more accurate when drawn from the shoulder than from the wrist, a consistent “wiggle” is better acquired when the momentum comes from the shoulder, as close to the upper body as possibly. Once you have become proficient with the physics of pouring art, you may choose to use more “wrist action” to achieve a desired result, but to begin, it is easiest to learn by following these steps.

The milk should act as a pendulum inside the pitcher, which should be moved mostly by the momentum of the milk inside. Push your arm outward, and back inward, from the shoulder, to begin this momentum. Once it starts, you will discover, it takes almost no effort to keep it going. It takes more effort to stop it than it does to keep it going.

You will see some waves beginning to appear on the surface of the crema. The forward momentum of the milk exiting the pitcher is the agent forcing these waves to spread and expand. The side-to-side momentum creates the waves and the gaps between the waves as the milk slides forward, and the entry point of the milk is variable from side-to-side.

When the cup is nearly full, you will want to slow the pendulum momentum, and at the very end, a quick draw through with your arm (this movement is mostly elbow-centered. More wrist-action can be used once proficiency is achieved, but for now, the elbow allows much greater stability and control.). This quick draw-through will pull the waves towards the center, creating a stem, and the leaf contour so often desired in the pattern known as a “Rosetta” or “Rosette”… meaning, “little flower”.

To create a heart, start with the white spot, and simply draw through the center of it. Hearts are much easier to master, so it might help to build confidence if you begin with practicing these.

Some tips:
If you have a hard time getting the white spot to appear at the beginning of your pour, try pouring faster. I know, it sounds backwards, but it means there isn’t enough froth in the cup to provide a canvas, and pouring faster releases more froth.

If that doesn’t work, you need to create more froth during steaming. This can be tricky, but usually it’s not too difficult. Much of this depends on the machine being used.

If you end up with a white blob taking over the entire “canvas”, you have created too much froth. We call this incident a “white out”. It can be remedied by creating less froth during steaming, but if you’ve noticed that you have too much before pouring, you can spoon some out beforehand, and swirling again before pouring.

Before long, you’ll be creating culinary coffee masterpieces, from the bottom of the cup, to the presentation surface.”

Look for more articles to start popping up here at TX-Coffee.com in the near future. We’ve got some good stuff headed your way.

Thanks for reading!

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