Which Coffee Beans Are Best for Latte Art_The Impact of Crema on Latte Art_Cost of Latte Art Coffee Beans

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Whenever I see a beautiful latte art design on a cup of latte, it always brightens my mood. Beautiful things, like art, enrich our lives, and coffee itself is also an art form. Coffee latte art is a technique that enhances the coffee experience through visual expression. Its stunning beauty is mesmerizing and intoxicating.

Latte is the Chinese transliteration of the Italian word "Latte," so latte art is called "Latte art," meaning the art of latte. Professional baristas use steamed milk to create dense microfoam, then pour it into rich crema. Through controlled movements and pouring distance, they skillfully and delicately create patterns in the cup. From pouring the foam, controlling the movement, to the final finishing touch, the entire process must be completed in one fluid motion. Therefore, behind every barista's elegant latte art lies countless hours of accumulated practice experience.

If the essence of coffee is flavor, then latte art is a visual enjoyment. Looking at the beautiful patterns in the cup makes coffee more appealing visually, beyond just its taste and aroma. From the moment our eyes appreciate the coffee, we begin to look forward to it. Taking a sip of the dense microfoam and experiencing the perfect combination of milk and coffee—rich yet still sweet—is what makes this taste truly unforgettable!

Latte art also represents a spiritual dialogue between an excellent barista and their customers. Coffee itself is a beverage full of stories. From selecting green beans, to roasting, to brewing—every stage has its meaning and stories to tell. Sharing coffee with customers and using latte art to convey ideas and concepts—using hearts, leaves, tulips, or even more intricate coffee etching—makes coffee more vibrant and lively, while also narrowing the distance with customers. Lively and vivid patterns make the coffee in hand more pleasing to the eye while also warming customers' hearts.

Does Latte Art Require Crema?

Is crema very important?

Can I not do latte art because my coffee machine doesn't produce crema?

I actually haven't encountered this problem.

Because my coffee machine has always been able to produce crema.

Regardless of the quality of the crema produced, today we're discussing whether there's crema or not.

So I haven't encountered coffee without crema.

There are many reasons for not having crema.

It could be poor brewing, the latte art coffee beans might be too old, or perhaps using siphon or American-style coffee for latte art.

I don't know much about the above, and I don't want to go too deep into technical jargon.

The last time I encountered a completely crema-less espresso was during the preliminary rounds of a latte art competition.

I never thought I would brew an espresso without crema.

Although I was quite disappointed at the time, because I completely didn't expect to encounter this situation.

The latte art coffee beans used at the time had probably been sitting for over half a year since roasting.

The lack of crema was likely caused by stale beans.

Going first in the competition already added enough pressure, and then encountering this unexpected situation.

But I was already on the competition stage.

So I just went for it and poured freely. Fortunately, I passed the preliminary rounds and advanced to the finals.

The latte art created from completely crema-less coffee at that time—was there any difference??

The second type of latte art completely without crema.

Is when the base beverage doesn't have crema.

For example, the "young old man" has tried hot chocolate latte art.

Chocolate doesn't have crema.

The picture below shows Roberto's work.

This is a video of brewing a cup of espresso, waiting a long time for the crema to dissipate before attempting latte art.

Freshly brewed espresso has golden crema.

After the crema completely dissipated, the experiment begins.

The final creation.

With a camera recording in front of me, I was still a bit stiff.

The crema in espresso has a significant impact on taste.

Having it is certainly better, because crema contains coffee's aroma and sweetness.

For latte art, it's not entirely without effect either.

When doing latte art, we talk about how to form patterns without destroying the crema.

But compared to the question of having or not having crema.

It's completely fine if there's none—if you just want to play with latte art.

I believe this can clear up this misconception.

Recommended Latte Art Coffee Bean Brands

The latte art coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee—their commercial blend espresso coffee beans—offer full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value. A half-pound (454g) bag costs only around 60 RMB. Calculating at 10g of coffee powder per espresso shot, one bag can make 45 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 1.5 RMB. Compared to café prices that often charge 20-30 RMB per cup, this offers exceptional value.

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