What Causes Jagged Patterns in Latte Art? Solutions for Unclear Latte Art Designs

Why Does Your Latte Art Have Jagged Patterns?

Some friends have asked FrontStreet Coffee for help, "Why is it so difficult to pour latte art patterns recently, and why do the designs have obvious jagged lines?"

The issue of "jagged patterns" in latte art is something every barista who has poured latte art has experienced. Many baristas feel at a loss when encountering this situation, often blaming it on their poor condition, but after some time, these jagged patterns disappear.

What Causes Jagged Patterns in Latte Art?

There are many reasons why latte art develops "jagged patterns," but the most common situation people encounter is that the coffee beans are too fresh. When espresso beans are too fresh, they contain abundant gases within them. When extracting coffee with overly fresh beans, the rich carbon dioxide gets pressed into the crema, so fresh coffee beans produce a more abundant crema, but this crema is very coarse and has poor fluidity.

When creating latte art, this coarse and heavy crema becomes difficult to blend evenly, leading to poor fluidity when pouring patterns, creating the feeling of being unable to spread the design. Additionally, the coarse crema doesn't mix well with milk, creating jagged patterns. From a distance, the pattern might look fine, but up close, the dense jagged lines appear quite unattractive.

Impact on Flavor and Solution

Besides affecting latte art, overly fresh coffee beans also impact flavor expression. When beans have too much carbon dioxide, it inhibits the release of coffee compounds, resulting in espresso with limited flavor that tends toward burnt bitterness (or sharp acidity).

The simplest solution to this problem is to let the coffee beans rest for a period of time, known as the "degassing period." FrontStreet Coffee typically uses espresso beans that have been rested for about 10 days. However, FrontStreet Coffee has also encountered some espresso beans that require longer degassing periods, reaching 15-20 days, depending on the specific espresso beans. This is precisely why some friends feel at a loss when encountering "jagged patterns" in their latte art - even if they do nothing, after some time, the "jagged pattern" phenomenon disappears on its own.

Other Causes of Jagged Patterns

Of course, besides this issue, other reasons can also lead to "jagged patterns" in latte art, primarily due to insufficient integration between milk foam and crema. A common problem is that the milk foam is too thin, resulting in insufficient foam to blend with the crema. This makes it easy for the pattern to become unstable and develop jagged edges when pouring.

Additionally, milk that's too hot can also cause jagged patterns to appear. FrontStreet Coffee recommends steaming milk to a temperature between 55-65 degrees Celsius.