2) Latte Art Information
I know how difficult it can be to learn latte art – especially if you’ve no one to demonstrate it to you. Even now, three years on, I’m still perfecting my free-pour technique, and striving to get a photo of the ever elusive perfect rosetta! When I began teaching myself latte art, I found that reading articles on the subject, and watching videos of pours on the Internet was very helpful, and below are some good ones if you need a few pointers …But be warned: latte art can be seriously addictive! Good luck!
Before We Go Further – A Word on Flavour.
Always remember cappuccinos, caffe lattes, macchiatos, etc, are all drinks – little individual ‘dishes’ if you will – and their flavour and texture, rather than their appearance, is the most crucial element. The skill, quality and consistency of the espresso preparation and milk microfoaming is absolutely paramount. The best freepour latte art shouldn’t just be a cosmetic finish to a drink; it should be an indicator of quality in the cup, and convey overall skill, and passion for great coffee. Unfortunately however, it is possible to pour latte art with mediocre milk and awful espresso. Therefore, we should always concentrate on flavour and texturing before the presentation. Don’t be beguiled into thinking you’re making great coffee just because your drinks look pretty - we should never allow style to overtake substance! I feel latte art is only really of value when this philosophy is adhered to. Latte art can then become the flourish that visually signifies a great cappuccino: When all the elements of the drink are perfected, a great design can transform an already delicious drink into something truly magical!
The Links!
For latte art heaven, whether you’re a pro or just starting, there’s always the fabulous Rate My Rosetta!
Here are a couple of my own rosetta pours at the plan in July 2009. The first is better. I’m afraid the videos are pretty poor (they ain’t gonna be winning any film awards!), but the rosettas are OK, so I can live with it:
6oz cups. F6 double shots. 500ml Motta
In addition, here are some other rosettas being free-poured. Whilst I currently like to pour rosettas that retain the crema around the edge of the cup (as above), these pours display different styles that are still visually stunning :
This one’s amazing - textbook technique and symmetry, with beautiful, ‘open’ leaves!
These are links to some articles that give valuable hints and tips about milk texturing and latte art technique:
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And here’s a link to my own article about latte art that I wrote in 2006.
Latte art is beautiful, great fun, and really satisfying when it goes well, but learning to pour really great latte art is a challenging endeavour! My quest for perfection has led me to continually refine my skills, but as I’ve improved, I’ve consequently become increasingly critical of my designs. I can pour nice rosettas nearly every time now (except when it’s a real ‘pressure pour’ (!), or with over-thick crema or milk), but I’m rarely 100% happy with them; every little segment of a rosetta, as well as its overall contrast, definition and symmetry, can affect its final worthiness, and the better you get, the more honed to these aesthetic highlights and defects you become! There are of course other free-pour designs, but for me, a great, single rosetta is the most beautiful and the most challenging to really perfect. Great hearts, for instance, are relatively easy, and multi-rosettas, whilst technically very difficult, never really achieve the same sublime aesthetic perfection that a single is capable of; they usually have defects due to the nature of the pour that are overlooked or forgiven because of the wow factor of the multiple design. All this may all sound over-analytical to some, but when you get bitten by the latte art bug, the subtle differences between poor, average and great designs becomes much more distinct!
