Four Common Issues Beginners Must Know About Latte Art! What Should You Pay Attention to When Making Latte Art?

The Importance of Fusion in Coffee Latte Art

Did you know that coffee latte art also has a preparatory step as important as the bloom in pour-over coffee? That step is—fusion. Fusion refers to the process of pre-mixing a small amount of milk with coffee. The reason FrontStreet Coffee equates its importance with the bloom in pour-over coffee is that, just like blooming, whether this action is performed correctly directly affects the quality of the coffee.

When blooming during pour-over isn't done properly, coffee cannot fully release gases, which increases extraction difficulty and makes under-extraction more likely. Similarly, when fusion during latte art isn't done properly, it affects the aesthetics of the latte pattern and increases the difficulty of drawing the pattern. In severe cases, it can even affect the overall presentation of the coffee. Therefore, fusion is a crucial preparatory step for coffee latte art. Not just for beginners, but even for many experienced baristas, achieving good fusion is not a simple task. Unlike blooming, fusion requires attention to many details, and carelessness can leave irreversible "scars" on the liquid surface.

But when problems occur, we need to know where the issue lies to make appropriate adjustments. So today, FrontStreet Coffee will share common mistakes made during fusion. You can pay attention to these during your regular latte art practice to avoid increasing the difficulty of creating patterns.

Common Fusion Mistakes

1. Too Low Flow Distance

The most common problem is having the flow distance too low during fusion. Let me briefly explain what flow distance means. In coffee latte art, "flow distance" refers to the distance from the pitcher spout to the coffee surface. The height of this distance directly affects the latte art and fusion results. With a fixed flow rate, the higher the flow distance, the stronger the impact force of the milk foam, and vice versa.

Typically, we use a high flow distance to inject milk foam during fusion because we need relatively strong impact force to push the foam into the coffee liquid for stirring and mixing. However, many friends tend to be too "conservative" during operation, using a low flow distance to inject milk foam. Then, because the distance to the coffee surface is too close, the foam lacks impact force and leaves lines on the surface. Even if the subsequent latte art is beautiful, the background will appear "dirty" and "messy" due to these lines. In short, the pattern won't be as neat (as shown below). Therefore, during fusion, we need to control the flow distance and keep it as high as possible to avoid dirtying our clean "canvas."

2. Too Much Flow Rate

In addition to the flow distance mentioned above, another key point in latte art is "flow rate," which refers to the amount and speed of milk foam poured from the pitcher. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, the flow rate size is equally important to focus on during latte art and fusion!

During the fusion process, we should try to avoid using a large flow rate to inject milk foam, as this can easily cause the foam to hit the bottom and create white backsplash (i.e., white appearing underneath the coffee liquid). Because there isn't much coffee liquid in the cup at this time, the foam can easily touch the bottom and then bounce back to "pollute" the surface. Therefore, during fusion, we should try to control the flow rate.

3. Unstable Flow Rate

The third situation is also a flow rate control issue, where the milk foam injection during fusion is inconsistent—sometimes large, sometimes small, intermittent (even more extreme than shown in the demonstration below). This situation has many adverse effects on coffee but is also the least likely to occur.

Unstable flow rate causes the foam to lose its stirring power, making it unable to properly mix with the coffee. At the same time, it can easily create large bubbles on the coffee surface. The presence of these bubbles becomes an "obstacle" that hinders the passage of lines during latte art. But as FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, this is a rare situation. Because unstable flow rate mainly occurs when beginners first start with latte art. Basically, after two to three days of practicing latte art, this situation rarely occurs.

4. Coffee Left Too Long Before Fusion, Lacking Fluidity

Many friends focus on the milk foam during fusion and latte art, thereby neglecting the importance of crema quality. In reality, the quality of crema during fusion also directly affects the fusion quality. If crema is left too long, it will separate, form clumps, dissipate, and lose fluidity.

Crema that has lost fluidity cannot mix well with milk foam, which will leave the crema in "clumps" when we formally create latte art patterns. This will also become an obstacle during latte art, increasing the difficulty of pattern creation. If we let the crema sit too long and form clumps due to steaming milk or other reasons, it's best to shake the coffee in the cup while shaking the milk foam before fusion. This can break up the clumped crema, allowing it to reintegrate with the coffee and regain fluidity. This way, during fusion, the milk foam can better mix with the coffee and won't become an obstacle during latte art.

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