Latte Art

While many agree that making a good cup of espresso is an art within itself, latte art refers to patterns made in the foam topping espresso drinks. If you want to get in touch with your inner barista (expert in coffee preparation), latte art is a critical skill, which can take years to master.

1.Pour enough cold milk (34 ºF or 1 ºC)for one cup into the steam pitcher.

2.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. This should create a smooth, velvety milk as opposed to the foam that sits atop most espresso drinks.

3.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).

4.Shut the steam and remove the steam wand and thermometer from the milk. Clean the steam wand with a wet cloth.

5.Let the milk settle for a few seconds. This will allow a more velvety texture.

6.Swirl the milk vigorously. 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.

7.Start pouring the milk into the espresso.

• To create a flower pattern: pour the milk about an inch (2 cm - 3 cm) away from the bottom. Once the cup is about half filled, gently 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.
• To create a heart pattern: Shake your hand as you would in making a flower. However, instead of moving backwards, keep your hand in the same general area, focusing on making a ringed circle.

8.Continue until the foam reaches the top of the cup. Then, sweep the rest of the milk up the center of the newly created pattern. Use a minimal amount to avoid sinking the pattern.

9.Embellish the design using stencils, powder, and milk foam. This step is optional, as many prefer to limit their latte art to "free form" methods, but you may want to experiment with the possibilities added by "etching."

• To write a word, such as "love" in the picture, melt milk chocolate and using a pin as a paintbrush drag the melting chocolate over the foamed milk. More commonly this is done by dipping said pointy object into the cream of the drink being decorated, and then transferring that cream stained foam to the pure white foam to 'draw' a design.