The Correct Way to Hold and Move for Latte Art Pours: How to Practice for Better Designs

Many of us have encountered this situation: no matter how we shake the pitcher, the latte art patterns just don't appear, and even when they do, they're quite rough! Meanwhile, others seem to effortlessly create delicate patterns with just a casual shake. At this point, many people might suspect it's their "hand" technique, but actually, FrontStreet Coffee believes it might be your pitcher grip that's causing the issue!

The Importance of Pitcher Grip

Many beginners learn latte art through online tutorials. However, since different instructors use various gripping techniques in their teaching videos, novices often mistakenly believe that only a specific grip can create certain patterns. Consequently, these misguided beginners try to use different grips to make different patterns, only to find that neither their art improves nor do their hands get sore.

Friends experiencing this situation are constantly switching between multiple grip styles, preventing them from mastering any single one. Without proficiency in any particular grip, attempting latte art not only fails to produce beautiful patterns but also adds unnecessary strain. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests fixing one grip style first and building proficiency through consistent practice! Once it becomes your habit, you'll find that not only do your wrists fatigue less easily, but you can also freely control the thickness of patterns and the flow of milk foam, greatly improving the efficiency of your latte art creation!

Pitcher Grip Techniques

Regardless of which grip style you choose, the main objective remains the same: maintaining a firm hold on the pitcher while allowing flexible wrist movement! After all, holding the pitcher steadily is simple - the difficulty lies in achieving flexible movement. A latte art pitcher typically weighs between 150-280g, and with the added weight of steamed milk, this doubles.

If you grip too tightly and cannot swing freely, creating latte patterns becomes several times more difficult. Therefore, we need to select an appropriate grip and train for muscle memory, which will enable us to create better latte art patterns later! Currently, there are two common grip styles:

1. Fist Grip Style

This grip involves holding the pitcher handle with all fingers except the thumb. This technique distributes force evenly across the hand, with the thumb placed on top of the handle to guide the movement! This grip style is more suitable for friends with less wrist strength.

2. Pinch Grip Style

This is the most common grip technique, using the index finger and thumb to pinch both sides of the handle's top, while the remaining fingers provide support by gripping other parts of the handle.

Its advantage lies in greater shaking ability once mastered, making it easier to create beautiful, delicate patterns! Since force is concentrated on the index finger and thumb, we have more flexibility, but this requires higher wrist strength!

Why Can't I Create Patterns Even with Proper Technique?

If you've developed your technical skills but still cannot create beautiful patterns, then it's time to consider the quality of your espresso and milk foam!

Has the milk foam been properly steamed? Is it delicate enough? Is the espresso crema coarse? Have they separated or dissipated from sitting too long after preparation? We can troubleshoot these issues one by one. Once everything is properly prepared, creating unattractive latte art becomes quite difficult!

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FrontStreet Coffee

No. 10, Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473