Latte Art

Personal Experience:

Hello people !!! It’s been a while since my last post since I’ve been so busy with my work and also personal affairs. I don’t even have time to cook my own meals lately… Anyhow since I’m a big fan of coffee and hot drinks I would like to share this beautiful concept called Latte art. Even though it’s called latte art it’s been used on other drinks like hot chocolate. I am always amazed and mesmerized by the skill of the barista in cafes and coffee shops that produce not only wonderful coffee and drinks but also beautifully done latte arts. 

4 Clover Art Hot Chocolate

Description:


Latte art is a method of preparing coffee created by pouring steamed milk into a shot of espresso and resulting in a pattern or design on the surface of the resulting latte. It can also be created or embellished by simply "drawing" in the top layer of foam. Latte art is particularly difficult to create consistently, due to the demanding conditions required of both the espresso shot and milk.This, in turn, is limited by the experience of the barista and quality of the espresso machine. The pour itself, then, becomes the last challenge for the latte artist.
There are two main types of latte art: free pouring (pattern created during the pour) and etching (using a tool to create a pattern after the pour). Free pouring is far more common in American cafes, and requires little additional time in preparing a drink.

Pouring

Tulip Art Cappucino

The two most common forms of poured latte art are a heart shape and the "rosetta" or "rosette", also known as "fern" which resembles a type of flower or fern. Of these, hearts are simpler and more common in macchiatos, while rosettes are more complex and more common in lattes.
For free pouring, the cup is either kept level or tilted in one direction. As the milk is poured straight into the cup, the foam begins to surface on one side (due to the tilt). The barista then moves the pitcher from side to side as they level the cup, or simply wiggle the spout back and forth, and finishes by making a quick strike through the previously poured pattern. This "strike" creates the stem portion of the flower design, and bends the poured zig-zag into a flower shape.
A more direct pour and less wiggling yields a heart shape, and minor variation (reduced lobes, larger stem) yields an apple shape.
More complex patterns are possible, some requiring multiple pours.

Sprial Art Mochachino

Etching

Etched patterns range from simple geometric shapes to complicated drawings, such as crosshatched patterns, animals, and flowers, and are generally performed with a coffee stirrer of some sort. Etched latte art typically has a shorter lifespan than free poured latte art as the foam dissolves into the latte more quickly.

Related Videos:

Sources and References:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latte_art

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