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Can You Make Latte Art on Iced Lattes? Why Do You Need Hot Milk for Latte Art?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Customer: I'd like a latte, can you make latte art? FrontStreet Coffee's barista: Certainly, but we can only do that for hot drinks! Customer: Oh, why can't you make latte art on iced lattes? FrontStreet Coffee's barista: Well... (Barista's inner thoughts: Do they want me to do it like this?) In our minds, when a barista brings over a hot latte, it usually comes with

Customer: I'd like a latte, can you do latte art?

FrontStreet Coffee barista: Sure, but only for hot lattes!

Customer: Oh really? Why can't you do latte art on iced lattes?

FrontStreet Coffee barista: Well...

(Barista's inner thoughts: Do they expect me to do it like this?)

In our experience, hot lattes served by baristas often come with an eye-catching latte art pattern that sometimes remains intact even at the bottom of the cup after the last sip. However, for equally classic iced coffee, we can only see espresso poured over the surface of iced lattes, and baristas will kindly remind you to stir before drinking. As the coffee, milk, and ice cubes blend together, it eventually becomes a milk tea-colored beverage.

This naturally raises curiosity: since both are Espresso + milk combinations, why do baristas only create latte art on hot lattes but not on iced ones?

How is latte art in coffee formed?

Coffee latte art, more accurately called "Latte Art," translates to "the art of latte" in Chinese - creating various beautiful flower patterns using milk on coffee. During the frothing process, milk produces foam (air wrapped in protein), which can float on the liquid surface due to its lower density. When mixed with espresso, the milk liquid and coffee liquid sink, while the crema and milk foam rise, creating beautiful patterns through the stark contrast between the two colors. Theoretically, without milk, there's no coffee latte art.

(PS: Although to some extent, Americano latte art made using frothing techniques is possible, the foam here consists of water and espresso, making it very unstable and not particularly pleasant in texture. Therefore, people generally don't consider it part of mainstream coffee latte art, and few coffee shops would serve this "specialty coffee" in their daily offerings.)

Getting back on track, the reason baristas can "draw" countless complex patterns on hot lattes mainly includes three key points. Good latte art requires fine milk foam as a prerequisite; secondly, warm espresso and milk provide better fluidity and stability for their mutual fusion process; furthermore, experienced baristas use techniques like pouring, swinging, and line drawing to present clear and beautiful patterns on the coffee surface.

Why don't iced lattes have latte art?

Iced latte, as the name suggests, is a cold latte coffee, mainly composed of espresso + large amounts of iced milk. Its biggest difference from hot latte is that it doesn't require steamed and frothed milk foam. Instead, to maintain the frozen texture, ice cubes are added as a supporting role. With ice cubes, the richness of the coffee is somewhat reduced, but in return, you get a refreshing comfort and the unique subtle sweetness of iced coffee. Even after drinking a whole cup, you won't feel too full or heavy.

Normally, if following the hot latte preparation process, an iced latte should be stirred thoroughly before serving to the customer. However, to "accommodate" everyone's photo-taking needs and maintain its beautiful appearance when served, modern iced lattes typically have espresso poured directly over ice and milk, allowing customers to stir themselves. When milk doesn't go through the frothing step, the possibility of latte art disappears, because once the two are combined, they will inevitably blend together.

FrontStreet Coffee's attempts with cold milk foam

Actually, achieving latte art on iced lattes isn't entirely impossible. For example, some enthusiasts thought: since milk foam is needed for latte art, why not replace hot milk foam with cold milk foam, then follow the same latte art steps as for hot lattes?

Since coffee machine steam wands inherently have high temperatures, we first need to figure out how to create silky, fluid, fine cold foam without using a steam wand. The simplest method is using a handheld milk frother. Its working principle involves using an electrically operated fine mesh to break bubbles drawn into the milk into micro-foam. By separating heating and frothing actions, we can successfully transform cold milk into cold milk foam.

However, FrontStreet Coffee encountered awkward issues during experimentation. When using this handheld frother, we needed more time to maintain the "vortex" to form smaller bubble structures from all incorporated gases, and it was easy to accidentally draw in more bubbles (with a "whoosh" sound), thereby damaging the final texture of the milk foam. The cold milk foam produced by the frother was not only hard and thick but couldn't blend evenly with espresso. When drinking the coffee, the stiff milk foam remained motionless on top, completely lacking the silky texture experienced with hot lattes. Moreover, its rough structure was extremely unstable, dissipating by more than half in less than two minutes.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee referenced the approach for iced cappuccinos and switched to using a French press to make cold milk foam. Unlike replicating iced cappuccinos, when plunging, FrontStreet Coffee tried to keep the mesh from leaving the liquid surface to reduce gas entry and improve the milk foam's fluidity. Although the milk foam made with a French press was still quite thick, it remained silky and glossy.

Finally, through the barista's efforts, this "iced latte"勉强 managed to have a small, unclear flower pattern. The milk foam was dense, accompanied by the nutty aroma of coffee crema, and the slightly cool taste made it much smoother to drink.