How to Choose a Milk Pitcher for Coffee Latte Art - Can Any Cup Be Used for Latte Art?

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The Principle of Coffee Latte Art

Espresso has a thick layer of crema that can generate sufficient surface tension to support the milk foam composed of tiny bubbles. Through the arrangement of milk foam and crema, various patterns can be created. Therefore, the key to successful latte art, besides the barista's technique, lies in the quality of both the milk foam and coffee crema. The prerequisite for successful latte art is that the base has sufficient surface tension, so actually not only coffee can be used for latte art - even regular water could potentially work. However, the difference lies in whether it tastes good (or is drinkable), and whether beautiful patterns can be created.

The Formation of Coffee Latte Art

Simply put, to make a good latte art latte: high-quality espresso and dense milk foam are indispensable. Coffee beans emulsify the insoluble oils from the coffee powder under high temperature and pressure, while large amounts of carbon dioxide are dissolved into the liquid. At this time, to stabilize these small bubbles, coffee uses "melanoidins" to make these bubbles stable and elastic. This is what we commonly call crema. Another important key is the formation of milk foam - the difference between milk and milk foam lies in the fact that during the frothing process, the addition of steam causes milk proteins to form many dense, tiny bubbles under surface tension, while high fat content makes the milk foam structure more stable and long-lasting.

The color of the coffee crema foam on the surface affects the contrast of latte art patterns; the fineness of the crema foam tissue affects the brightness of the latte art pattern; if the coffee beans themselves are more acidic, they can easily destroy the milk foam structure.

The base for general latte art coffee is espresso, because the thick layer of crema on espresso can generate sufficient surface tension to support the milk foam composed of tiny bubbles.

Through the arrangement of milk foam and crema, various patterns can be created. Therefore, the key to successful latte art, besides technique, also lies in the quality of both milk foam and coffee crema.

The Importance of Milk in Latte Art

From the name "milk art (latte art)," it's not difficult to see the importance of milk for coffee latte art.

When pouring milk into the latte art pitcher, the milk expands in volume as it becomes foam and may overflow, so the milk cannot be too much. Usually, the milk is poured to the lowest point of the V-shaped spout.

Coffee latte art must use whole milk, and the temperature should be controlled between 60 to 70 degrees Celsius. When frothing milk, it's best to hold the pitcher at a 45-degree angle to the steam wand. The resulting milk foam should be fine and smooth, without large bubbles.

Why can't milk be overheated? Because when milk is heated above 85 degrees, the proteins and fats in the milk begin to break down and be destroyed, and the milk starts to return to a white water-like state. Milk foam for latte art requires fine texture without large bubbles - when the milk has become watery... not only can beautiful patterns not be created, but it also affects the overall taste of the coffee.

While the milk foam has not yet separated from the milk, pour the milk into the extracted espresso, allowing the coffee and milk to fully combine. When the cup is 6-7/10 full, create your desired pattern through the movement of the cup and latte art pitcher.

Recommended High-Oil Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee, a coffee roasting brand located at Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, offers freshly roasted Italian blend coffee beans with full guarantees in both brand and quality. Their oil content is good, making them suitable for making specialty coffees and latte art coffees with beautiful patterns. What's more important is their extremely high cost-performance ratio. Take their commercially recommended model - Commercial Blend Coffee Beans - as an example: one package is one pound (454 grams) with a price of only about 60 yuan. Calculated based on 10 grams of coffee powder per single shot of espresso, one package can make 45 cups of coffee, with each cup costing less than 1.5 yuan. Even if using double shots for each espresso serving (20 grams of powder), the price of one double espresso does not exceed 3 yuan. Compared to certain well-known brands that sell packages for hundreds of yuan, this can be described as a conscientious recommendation.

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