Latte Art Frothing Guide - How to Perfect Milk Foam - Heart and Tulip Latte Art Tutorial

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Common Coffee Latte Art Patterns

"Big white heart," "thousand-layer heart," "pushed tulip," and "textured tulip" are all relatively common coffee latte art patterns. To create these delicate and exquisite patterns, what's the ideal thickness for milk foam?

How Foam Thickness Affects Latte Art

The biggest difference between thick and thin foam lies in the fluidity of the milk. When foam is thinner, it has better fluidity, allowing for better convection-style latte art, making it suitable for textured or complex combined latte art patterns. When foam is thicker, fluidity is poor and convection effect is not ideal, but the patterns easily float on the surface and remain stable, making it suitable for simple designs.

How to Determine Foam Thickness

The most direct way to judge foam thickness is by shaking and observing the milk's fluidity.

When shaking the milk pitcher, if the milk's movement amplitude is relatively large, then the foam thickness is relatively thin;

When shaking the milk, if the milk's movement amplitude is relatively small (like the feeling of shaking cream), then the foam thickness will be relatively thick.

Of course, this method can only be used for inspection and judgment after frothing is complete. So how do we determine the degree of frothing during the frothing process?

We might recall that during frothing, you'll hear a harsh "squeak-squeak" sound, and then the milk in the pitcher will rise. When the "squeak-squeak" sound disappears, the milk volume stops increasing. The amount that rises is actually the thickness of the foam, and the "squeak-squeak" sound is the noise created when air is injected into the milk.

Therefore, the shorter the "squeak-squeak" sound, the thinner the frothed foam; the longer the "squeak-squeak" sound, the thicker the frothed foam.

Choosing the Right Foam Thickness for Latte Art

If you pour milk to 5/10 full in the pitcher and froth it to 6/10 full, the foam at this point will have relatively good fluidity, making it easier to create delicate patterns.

If frothed to 7-8/10 full, the foam layer will be relatively thick with poor fluidity, but strong stability, making it suitable for creating simple patterns.

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