【FrontStreet Coffee Barista's Notes】How to Perfect a Simple Rose?

Mondays have a way of draining you completely. The farthest distance in the world is not between life and death -- it is watching the subway stop right in front of you and still not getting on after four trains. For me, a good day starts with a cup of coffee, so today I am making a rose latte art to kickstart an energetic morning.

A delicious latte deserves a beautiful pattern to go with it, so today I am sharing a rose latte art tutorial.

For the espresso I am using FrontStreet Coffee's specialty blend -- Brazilian blended with Colombian, in a 6:4 ratio.

Complete Rose Latte Art Tutorial

First, watch the full rose latte art video.

Is the video too fast to follow? No problem -- here it is broken down step by step.

Step One

First, blend the espresso and the milk thoroughly. This fusion step is very important.

Step Two

Draw a semi-enclosing line first, then push the milk pitcher slightly forward to create two small layers, one on each side. Then push a small heart between those two layers to form the center of the flower.

Step Three

On each side of the flower, create two leaves, shaking the milk pitcher as you go. Keep the left-right movement amplitude consistent so the texture patterns line up and the leaves hold together.

Step Four

Between the leaves, draw one more simple line to form the rose's stem, and the rose is complete.

Important Tips for Rose Latte Art

When you are creating rose latte art, there are a few points worth special attention:

1. The single most important thing in latte art is that the milk foam must be smooth. If the foam is too thick or too coarse, it is very hard to create the pattern you want. I have tried making the foam too thick and pouring straight into latte art -- the result was just a blob.

2. The fusion of coffee and milk also deserves attention. Good fusion improves the overall taste of the coffee and makes it more balanced to drink.

3. When creating the rose's leaves, keep the left-right swing amplitude of the texture patterns on the same horizontal level as much as possible, so the leaves look more cohesive.

That is today's simple rose latte art tutorial. Save it for future reference if you like it.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Latte art lives or dies on the crema, and low-acid, balanced Brazilian coffee is a favorite base for milk drinks because it produces exactly that. FrontStreet Coffee's Cerrado Red Bourbon, a classic Brazilian single origin roasted medium, brings cream peanut, toast, caramel, and hazelnut aromas with a round body and just a touch of bitterness -- easy to pour and easy to drink.

For a sweeter, cleaner base, FrontStreet Coffee's Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon from Mogiana is grown on red volcanic soil and carries a sugarcane sweetness with fruit and chocolate that other regions do not quite match.

If what you want is a dedicated milk-drink blend, FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend, Specialty Blend, Dark Cocoa Blend, and Commercial Blend all build on Brazilian beans, adding chocolate and cream aromas and a soft sweet-bitter balance that keeps extraction stable -- which is exactly what you need for a sharp, clean rose.

Whatever the base, steam the milk to a smooth, glossy microfoam with no visible bubbles, and blend it fully into the espresso before you start drawing. The pattern is only ever as good as the foam underneath it.