Coffee culture

Which Coffee Beans Are Best for Latte Art_Are Dark Roast Beans Suitable for Latte Art_Latte Art Coffee Prices

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Besides differences in taste, are there other distinctions between latte art coffees made with different latte art coffee beans? Different latte art coffee beans affect the flavor of the coffee base, not the latte art itself. Your

Professional coffee knowledge exchange, for more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Latte Art and Coffee Beans

Are there other differences besides taste when making latte art with different latte art coffee beans?

Different latte art coffee beans actually affect the flavor of the coffee base, but have nothing to do with latte art itself.

Your question should probably be about whether rich crema makes latte art easier!

This has more to do with extraction factors and less to do with bean variety ratios.

First practice your milk frothing well and learn proper coffee preparation techniques, and you can create beautiful latte art with any type of espresso blend.

Keep it up~ I've never heard of "beans suitable for latte art" before. All properly roasted coffee beans, when extracted through an espresso machine (with crema), can be used to create latte art when combined with milk foam.

The Foundation of Latte Art

There are two foundations for latte art:

1. First, create a good cup of coffee. (This includes grind size, tamping, water temperature, pressure, extraction time, etc.)

2. Smooth and delicate milk foam. (This includes milk fat content, milk temperature, steaming temperature, hand technique, timing, etc.)

So the question should be about beans suitable for making a good cup of coffee. Different beans have different flavors, regardless of whether they're used for latte art. The same green beans with different roast levels will have different tastes, and different roast levels will also have different colors.

As for beans suitable for latte art, since you want to do latte art, you're making espresso (or Seattle-style espresso), so you should naturally use espresso roast (darker roast) blend coffee. However, there are imported or domestic options, which relates to your budget.

Barista Kim's Insights

Although specialty coffee shops are becoming more numerous, it's often said that Chinese coffee culture is not yet mature. So what kind of coffee requests does Kim most commonly encounter from customers? The answers reflect Chinese coffee drinking preferences: First, not too acidic; Second, want a stronger, more bitter coffee; Third, must be hot enough.

Chinese people generally don't like coffee with heavy acidity, which may be influenced by instant coffee. Specialty coffee tends toward acidity, but since coffee beans are fruits, they naturally have varying degrees of fruit acidity.

Wanting a stronger, more bitter coffee is essentially about relying on coffee for energy! Coffee contains caffeine and certainly has stimulating effects, but a cup of quality coffee actually contains much less caffeine than instant or canned coffee, which is related to the coffee beans used.

As for coffee temperature, Chinese people are accustomed to hot beverages being sufficiently hot. Kim explains that the ideal temperature for a milk coffee is 60-65 degrees Celsius, so it doesn't feel scalding when sipped. If the temperature is too high, it destroys the nutrients in the milk proteins. Different regions also have different temperature standards—for example, Australia prefers a lower temperature of 55 degrees Celsius, though some customers also prefer Extra Hot drinks.

The Most Beautiful Latte Art

Besides taste, another highlight of coffee is latte art. When latte art is pleasing to the eye, the coffee's visual appeal naturally increases. However, is more complex latte art necessarily better? Even the recent trend of 3D latte art coffee, where milk foam is stacked to create three-dimensional shapes—is that good? Kim, who has won multiple latte art competitions, frankly states that latte art doesn't help the coffee's flavor. Instead, one should ensure that the latte art doesn't detract from the coffee's taste.

What makes good latte art? Clear contrast between coffee white and brown, defined lines, high symmetry, natural aesthetic beauty, and preserving a brown coffee ring around the pattern to ensure every sip tastes the same—this constitutes superior latte art.

Facing customers' various and interesting latte art requests, Kim says he'll accommodate when possible, but will decline overly complex patterns. As customers, one should also respect the barista's professional judgment and not insist on elaborate designs like dragons and phoenixes. Kim demonstrates a leaf-shaped Rosetta pattern latte art on the spot—his favorite pattern, which he believes sufficiently showcases a barista's latte art skills.

Leaf pattern latte art—do you see that brown coffee ring?

While a leisurely and comfortable coffee shop environment makes customers want to slowly savor their coffee, in a barista's eyes, prolonging coffee drinking isn't ideal. When asked how long a coffee's optimal tasting period is, Kim's answer is: immediately. Because once coffee is brewed, that's the best time to taste it. Over time, milk and coffee in milk coffee will separate, losing the optimal texture.

There's still much to learn about coffee. Next time you have coffee, why not chat with the barista!

FrontStreet Coffee's Latte Art Bean Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee roasts espresso blend coffee beans suitable for latte art—Frontsteet Commercial Espresso Blend Coffee Beans—which have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value. A half-pound (454 grams) package costs only about 60 yuan. Calculating at 10 grams of coffee powder per espresso shot, one package can make 45 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 1.5 yuan. Compared to coffee shop prices that often reach 20-30 yuan per cup, this offers exceptional value and meets the daily needs of coffee shops.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing 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

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