Beginner Coffee Latte Art Tips_Latte Art Milk Foam Requirements_Best Coffee Beans for Latte Art

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The Art of Latte: Quality Coffee First

"Good latte art, when it comes down to it, is still a beverage. The most important thing is that it tastes good. The pattern doesn't help with the flavor." Peter frequently emphasizes that to create outstanding latte art, you must first brew high-quality coffee. "Coffee can be brewed with beans from different regions for espresso—it's just personal preference, but the flavor should be balanced, with the right proportion of bitterness, acidity, and sweetness." He is extremely particular about every detail of a cup of coffee, from visiting coffee plantations to selecting outstanding beans for latte art. Peter likes to travel with his wife, combining work with romance, such as visiting coffee plantations in Guatemala and Ecuador to find his ideal coffee beans.

Espresso came first, then latte art appeared. You must value coffee quality to execute the pattern interpretation. Peter said: "Initially, the trend in Asia was putting the cart before the horse, but fortunately, it's now changing. While valuing patterns, there's also a high demand for coffee." As for Europe, where latte coffee culture is very widespread, they have always prioritized "making good coffee." Under the condition of high-quality coffee, they then pursue creating different latte art.

The Rise of 3D Latte Art

3D latte art creation only emerged a few months ago and is believed to set off a trend in the latte coffee world. Among them, the 3D cat jumping from one cup to another is particularly adorable.

Having been in the coffee industry for many years, Peter has witnessed the evolution of latte art culture. Years ago, coffee foam was thinner, but today's lattes generally have rich foam, making it convenient to create different patterns. Peter was early to learn about the 3D latte art technique that circulated online earlier. He joked that what latte artists can't stand most is the limitation of cup mouth size. Using two cups to create special 3D latte art, this 3D cat jumping from one cup to another is truly a groundbreaking work. "3D latte art has only been popular for a few months and has instantly created a sensation in the latte art world. Actually, creating thick foam to transform into a cat isn't difficult at all—the most important thing is creativity!"

Latte Art as a Creative Art Form

Latte art has long become a creative art form. Just as Peter studies latte art every night with dedication, the Internet and Facebook are the best information channels, connecting like-minded people he has met around the world over the years. This is because whenever everyone has new works, they take photos and share them on Facebook. Peter is no exception. With the popularity of digital cameras that can be carried around, he has absorbed much creative inspiration and wonderful works.

The Importance of Rich Foam

Latte art patterns can be endlessly varied. This underwater world-themed pattern is very cute. (Peter Hernou's work)

Latte art requires skill, and creativity is very important. Besides being beautiful, patterns should also have surprises. "In latte art competitions, the more complex the pattern, the higher the difficulty, and naturally the higher the score. However, the production time also increases, which doesn't work in coffee shops. You can't spend ten or twenty minutes on latte art." No wonder outside of competitions, Peter likes to create cute-style patterns like elephants, bears, fish, etc. Although the patterns may seem not too complex, they are all works of skill. "Among patterns, the most difficult to create is the triangle, which requires the help of a spoon to complete."

When making latte art, the milk pitcher spout should be about three to five inches above the cup rim, pouring into the cup with a stream of consistent thickness. There should be no bubbles when pouring to create the desired pattern.

When creating patterns, you can also use small tools to complete them. A small brush is a commonly used tool for Peter Hernou.

Peter expresses that the soul of latte art lies in the foam. Depending on the richness of the foam itself, or the coordination between coffee and foam, it's all part of the knowledge. Hot milk will disperse the cream layer on the coffee surface, allowing the foam to blend with the espresso. The drinking experience and taste are very different. Foam that isn't thick enough not only affects the mouthfeel and taste but also makes it very difficult for patterns to form.

Coffee and foam need to have a good balance. Often, the foam is too thick, making it impossible to taste the coffee. Peter doesn't like too much foam when the coffee flavor is poor. Thinner foam flows more, allowing coffee and foam to blend better, resulting in naturally better taste. "Sometimes two cups of latte art may look similar in pattern, but the taste is different. When you taste it, you'll feel that one cup has richer foam with a hint of sweetness—this is the distinction between high and low quality."

Technical Excellence in Latte Art

High-level latte art patterns should be in the center of the cup, with space left around the edges. Achieving this is already very difficult. Furthermore, attention must be paid to the lines of the pattern. Most latte art patterns are balanced, and the more symmetrical the lines on both sides, the more outstanding the latte art.

Besides creating patterns with a latte art pitcher, you can also sprinkle cocoa powder to create patterns. However, Peter doesn't like to use "extra" materials to create patterns. A cup of latte art should only have milk and coffee. Moreover, patterns made with cocoa powder molds can't really be called latte art, lacking creative meaning.

Under Peter's guidance, I had a sudden realization. To know that high-quality latte art patterns are not simple at all, this is evident from the basic latte art skills of heart patterns and leaf patterns. "The pattern should be in the center of the cup body, with space around it. The pattern cannot touch the cup edge. Another key point is the balance of the pattern. For heart shapes formed by lines, the more equal lines on the left and right sides, the higher the pattern quality." Easier said than done. Latte art requires much practice to master skill. Practicing dozens of cups of latte art daily is commonplace.

Latte Art Steps

Step 1:

Turn on the grinder and grind about 18-22 grams of latte art coffee beans into powder. Hold the portafilter, fill it with coffee powder, and sweep the excess powder to the center to level it. Press firmly with a tamper.

18-22 grams of coffee beans can yield about 30 milliliters of espresso (coffee).

Step 2:

Lock the portafilter upward onto the coffee machine. Make sure it's tightly secured before placing the cup underneath to connect with the coffee flowing from the coffee machine.

Before locking the portafilter onto the coffee machine, remember to first turn on the hot water in the coffee machine to rinse away residue from the previous cup.

Step 3:

Pour milk into a pointed stainless steel pitcher and use the steam wand for about 20 seconds to heat the milk. Gently shake to blend the foam and present a shiny surface.

Before using the steam wand, you must first clear the steam from the machine to avoid water flowing into the milk. After use, you must also turn on the machine again to clear residual milk.

Step 4:

With one hand, take the coffee prepared in Step 2, and with the other hand, take the foam from Step 3. The rims of both cups must be close together, and the coffee cup should be tilted slightly toward the steel pitcher. First pour the foam into the center of the coffee to blend.

Coffee and foam tend to separate, so the action must be quick.

Step 5:

When foam appears on the coffee surface, gently shake the hand holding the coffee.

Step 6:

After the foam creates stripes, finally finish by moving the foam toward the front of the coffee cup to outline a heart shape.

Advanced Latte Art

Advanced Heart Latte Art

Using the heart latte art made with the above steps, use a pointed tool or coffee thermometer to outline a female face from the front of the heart, then dip into the surrounding coffee to draw eyebrows and eyes.

Swan Latte Art

The difficulty of more complex latte art lies in creating lines of different thicknesses in a short time through a pointed steel pitcher without using additional tools, while shaking the coffee cup. This creates lines where there's foam in the coffee and coffee in the foam—layering foam and coffee is relatively difficult.

Recommended Latte Art Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted latte art coffee beans—commercial blend espresso beans—have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, the cost-performance ratio is extremely high. A half-pound (454 grams) package costs only about 60 yuan. Calculating at 10 grams of powder per espresso shot, one package can make 45 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 1.5 yuan. Compared to café prices that often sell for twenty or thirty yuan per cup, this is extremely cost-effective.

FrontStreet Coffee: A Guangzhou roastery with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and unknown beans. They also provide online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473