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Xiaohongshu Completely Transformed My Understanding of Barista Skills!

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, As a content creator who spends 24 hours a day online (except when sleeping), I recently experienced life on an assembly line. But I wasn't idle! Really! While working diligently, I secretly scrolled through Xiaohongshu... (shhh!) Perhaps because I've been scrolling so much, my feed is constantly recommending some fascinating content.

As a writer who surfs the internet 24 hours a day except for sleeping time, I recently experienced life on a factory assembly line.

But I really wasn't idle! Really! While working diligently, I secretly scrolled through Xiaohongshu... (shhh!) Perhaps because I've been scrolling too much, the page always recommends some divine posts from coffee enthusiasts, each one making me unable to resist pressing the star button...!

- Once I pick out coffee beans and pack them, I'll join you all in the fun

The Competitive World of Latte Art

When it comes to latte art, it remains the most competitive aspect in specialty coffee. In those years, baristas competed with latte art patterns in standard latte cups, but now baristas compete with latte art in increasingly small containers, using the smallest possible containers...

At first, it was just making latte art in citrus peels, starting with oranges, then lemons, naked portafilters from coffee machines, followed by various types of lids, with distinctly layered latte art.

- Zidongwoxi

Later, later, later, containers couldn't satisfy everyone's desire for challenge, so they directly held latte art in their palms... Ah! Isn't it hot? Isn't it hot! Isn't it hot?!

- Coffee Latte Art Teacher Meng

Alternative Coffee Art Forms

Some coffee lovers who can't do latte art started another kind of artistic competition... drawing on lattes!!! From Van Gogh to Van Gogh, from original latte colors to colorful ones, from sunflowers to Starry Night, latte coffee becomes like Van Gogh's paintings, simple and unadorned in content, yet closely related to life. The paintings tell of people's hard work, and lattes also speak of people's hard work.

- Liu Laosi, Korean coffee shop

Gradually, flat artwork couldn't satisfy the creative hearts of baristas, so 3D carving techniques emerged. Three-dimensional patterns instantly bring coffee to life.

-HATCOFFEE

The soft milk foam is "built" by baristas into various cute shapes. Floating on the liquid surface, it even has a duang duang duang visual effect when held in hand! (Question: Why can milk foam be so firm?!! Why does mine collapse even when I make it extremely thick and dense!)

There are also friends who are not satisfied with directly operating the latte art pitcher by hand, using a spanner (🔧) instead.

- Sorry, forgot the username for a moment

So, if your latte art isn't good, it's not your hand's problem, really, it must be the milk foam's problem. As long as the milk foam is well-made, you can even do latte art with a beverage bottle!

The used coffee grounds after espresso extraction aren't thrown away directly; they are neatly arranged in boxes by everyone! This reflects a barista's fulfilling day.

- Only have double eyelids when tired

Pour-over Coffee Innovations

Besides experimenting with latte coffee, pour-over coffee couldn't escape the "clutches" of netizens either. Regarding unstable pour-over water flow, everyone really has solutions! Really! And they're very effective! After all, as long as the water flow is too strong or the circular motion isn't done well or steadily, you can immediately get a pour-over coffee that even mosquitoes would fear.

- Anonymous

Some netizens demonstrated Tai Chi pouring methods, coconut tree pouring methods... Watching really makes one frown and repeatedly watch, hahahahaha!

Absolutely brilliant! Let's name this pour-over "Night of Missing You"!

- Anonymous

Other netizens are "not satisfied" with conventional extraction methods and have gone further and further in stirring pour-over coffee to increase extraction rates!

- The stunning Guo Degang

There are also netizens who want to clearly taste the bright citrus acidity in coffee, directly replacing the filter paper with orange peels!

- Barista with an orchard

Worried you can't taste the tropical fruit fermentation flavors? Then you can switch to durian shells!

- Newsstand Coffee

Also during the recent Dragon Boat Festival, skillful netizens wove coffee filter cups from zongzi leaves. Unfortunately, as a writer with clumsy hands, I tried weaving for a long time, but it fell apart before I could even put it on the stand...

- Lechen Coffee Research Society

Creative Grinding Methods

With coffee beans available and brewing equipment ready, but without a grinder, netizens arranged everything clearly with tea pounding mortars, stone mills, stone mortars, hand-pushed stone mills...