The Art of Latte Art

When I began working as a barista at Fedora Cafe in Lawrenceville in 2003, I was blindly thrown into the world of coffee and espresso. They taught me how to work the espresso machine, steam the milk, and briefly gave a description of the different types of drinks and how to serve them.

The first attempts were weak, milky, burnt…unappetizing. It wasn’t until my boss plucked two barely-touched cappucinos from a recently vacated table and made me taste how awful they were that I understood how serious the art of espresso making really is.

Over the years I studied on my own, buying books and working hard at the machine in to perfect my technique. I still have the burn marks on my right forearm from the steaming wand; a badge of honor that reminds me of the hours spent behind that marble counter.

It wasn’t until about two years ago that I discovered latte art, a process of making patterns with steamed milk. It’s incredibly difficult to do and requires quite a bit of patience but once you figure it out, you’ll be hooked.

This isn’t the kind of thing you can really do at home unless you have a good espresso machine with a steaming wand — let’s face it, I barely have a teapot that works. But I do have access to a commercial machine while I’m working at the cafe. Definitely something fun to try during the slow hours.

A quick how-to:

Instructions provided by wikiHow

Materials: Whole milk, straight walled steam pitcher (or milk frothing pitcher), an espresso machine with a powerful steam wand, thermometer, and a 14 oz latte cup.  Prepare the steamed milk first, then the espresso.

1. Pour enough milk for one cup into the steam pitcher. Put the steam wand at the bottom of the pitcher. Turn on the steam, and slowly raise the wand until it is near the top of the milk. Lower the pitcher as the milk rises so the steam wand stays 1 cm away from the top of the milk. The milk should not stretch too much nor should there be any big bubbles. Create a smooth, velvety milk as opposed the foam that sits atop most espresso drinks.
2. Allow the milk to reach 80 ºF (27 ºC), then place the steam wand on the side of the pitcher, deep into the milk, positioning the pitcher to spin counterclockwise. Keep doing this motion until the milk heats to 150 ºF to 160 ºF (65 ºC – 70 ºC). Shut the steam and remove the steam wand and thermometer from the milk. Clean the steam wand with a wet cloth.
3. Vigorously swirl the milk. If you see any bubbles, pound the pitcher on the counter several times and go back to swirling the milk for 20 to 30 seconds. Do this even while the espresso is pouring.
4. Start pouring the milk into the espresso. To create a flower pattern, pour the milk into the bottom part of the cup, about an inch (2 cm – 3 cm) away from the bottom. Once the cup is about half filled, shake the pitcher back and forth while slowly moving it backwards. The flower design will move forward, filling the cup. Do this with a shaking motion originating at the wrist instead of moving your hand back and forth.
5. Once the foam reaches the top, pour the milk up the center of the pattern you created. Use a minimal amount of milk to avoid sinking the flower pattern.

For more information, check out this detailed description over at CoffeeResearch.org. If you’re interested in trying this at home, CoffeeGeek can recommend some reasonably priced home machines.