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How is a Thousand-Layer Heart Latte Art Made? How to Froth Milk for a Latte?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, It's here! The highly anticipated latte art 2.0 version has arrived! Today, FrontStreet Coffee is sharing the advanced pattern of the basic heart—the "Thousand-Layer Heart"! Actually, the thousand-layer heart isn't as difficult as it might seem, because its creation is based on the basic heart with an additional small movement. Other aspects, including fusion techniques, remain the same as the basic heart.

It's here, it's here, the long-awaited latte art 2.0 version has arrived! Today, FrontStreet Coffee is sharing the advanced pattern of the basic heart— the "Layered Heart"!

Actually, the layered heart isn't as difficult as it might seem, because its creation is based on the basic heart technique with one small additional movement. Other aspects—whether it's the amount of milk poured during integration, the pouring position, and even the final finishing action—are almost exactly the same! Therefore, many beginners might accidentally create a layered heart while practicing the basic heart! Now, let's have FrontStreet Coffee share the key points for making a layered heart. For those who want to understand the basic heart, you can check out this article: "Basic Heart Latte Art Tutorial."

Foam Thickness

Compared to the basic heart, the foam requirements for the layered heart are significantly higher. If the foam is too thick, it will affect the fluidity during the art creation process. Therefore, fine, silky thin foam is what's needed for the layered heart. If the foam used for a basic heart is prepared by frothing milk from 5/6 full to 6-8/10 full, then for the layered heart, the foam should only be frothed to 6/10 full. The more you exceed this range, the more difficult it becomes to create distinct layers!

Of course, it can't be too thin either! Overly thin foam easily creates textures similar to jagged patterns, which is more suitable for advanced players and not very beginner-friendly!

Milk Integration Amount

In the previous article, FrontStreet Coffee shared that the more milk you integrate, the higher the milk level will be, and the weaker the convection will be; the less you integrate, the lower the milk level, and the stronger the convection during latte art! Just like the basic heart, the layered heart requires stronger convection to create a full pattern. Therefore, we need to reduce the amount of integrated milk to allow more room for the pattern to develop!

Pitcher Movement

The core difference between the layered heart and the basic heart lies in the addition of this pitcher movement! While creating the pattern, coordinating the back-and-forth movement of the pitcher creates beautiful multi-layered patterns. Since this movement requires a certain level of proficiency, FrontStreet Coffee recommends first deciding on your pitcher grip! Fix your grip position before learning the movement. Because once you learn the movement with a particular grip, switching to another grip later will require accumulating proficiency all over again!

Grip Method 1: Using the pitcher's handle as a pivot point, fix the position with your thumb and index finger, then use the remaining three fingers to apply force and swing the pitcher back and forth.

Grip Method 2: Similarly using the top of the pitcher's handle as a pivot point, use your thumb and index finger to grip both sides and swing the pitcher, while the remaining three fingers are used for stabilization!

Whichever method you choose, regular practice is needed to master it! FrontStreet Coffee would recommend Grip Method 2, as it will be easier to transition to patterns like wheat ears and swans in the future.

Practical Demonstration

Finally, we have our practical demonstration! The integration for the layered heart is, as mentioned earlier, very similar to the basic heart—integrate until the cup is 6/10 full! The integration pour point is also at the 1/4 point of the cup, but note that the milk flow rate cannot be as large as with the basic heart, it should be slightly smaller! Integration combined with consistent swinging creates the pattern. As your right hand swings back and forth, your left hand should slowly pull back the cup! When the cup reaches 9/10 full, we need to raise the pitcher spout for the finishing move!