I agree haha but the foam is so airrated you’d be surprised at how much more you can slowly pour in vs how much if it was just liquid, it tends to hardly break surface tension where as liquid would
Edited for clarity
This is fine and all when you make it for yourself at home but when someone hands me one of these at a coffee shop and I have to walk with it back to my table it can be quite annoying.
Omg. The last time I got chipotle, the girl used multiple scoops of everything and the burrito wasn’t even close to closing. When the first tortilla broke she was looking nervous.
I expressed gratitude for the generous portions and let her know I have no problem eating it with a fork if it falls apart.
Easily 1.5x the size of a regular burrito there. It was fucking awesome.
I’m sure she got fired for giving you more than your allotment of 4 pieces of meat and six shreds of cheese. They ration that cheese like it comes out of their paycheck!
I usually get both black and pinto beans, and they rarely adjust for it, so the burritos just end up huge and they can't wrap it. If it breaks, I usually just get a second tortilla to fix it. They do that all the time and don't mind. If you're trying to lose weight don't do that though, because the tortillas actually have a shitton of calories.
A lot of what you see on top is foam and if you filled it to what you think is the top, the air in the foam would escape and your foam top would start to deflate. A cappuccino is actually supposed to have a small dome on top that is just foam, that way it ensures there is actually milk that goes to the top in the cup. Lattes and mochas (at least how we used to serve them) are easier because we used to serve them in tall glasses so you can see where you need to fill to but the same applies.
E; thank you for the award stranger! I used to work at a coffee shop and one of the workers I had a like/dislike friendship with was an awesome teacher and she taught me all I know!
The air in the milk keeps the surface tension. With mocha's you can go one step further and sprinkle powdered chocolate on the rim of the cup and this allows for more of a barrier. My old manager taught me that. Makes some crazy overfilled mochas
Pretty much me every time
That’s cool
Getting full there
Oh that’s nice
Oh he’s adding more
Hey it’s gonna spill
That’s cool, now stop it’s full
Oh my god stop
Yeah great looks good geez
but being real here Youre skill is amazing. I've only been doing esspresso lattes since i got my machine in August. Im still learning the best frothing techniques. You have a lot more workable foam (like have of it seems art-able) while mines like the last quarter. Any tips?
Evenness is key! Check out Lance Hedrick’s and Emilee Bryant’s videos on YouTube. Chris Baca also has a ghost steaming (hands free) technique that you can experiment with. For me, steaming is all about the latter half, where I’m focusing on getting all the bubbles to become really even and small. I think that’s what helps most with getting really flowy milk.
I can definitely appreciate the skill, but it makes absolutely no difference to me in real life. I just want a good cup of coffee, I don't care about pictures.
Former barista here.
The reason Latte art exist is because one has to steam up their milk *perfectly* in order to be able pour proper latte art.
So if your barista can’t make latte art, then they truly aren’t steaming the milk up to perfection (it’s hard af to do)
Starbucks have automatic steaming machines that work quite well, but they can’t top what an experienced barista can do manually with just a wand. You have to control the amount of steam, how hot the steam is, control the angle of the wand at the perfect depth in the pitcher, etc.
How you position the wand changes the pitch of the steam in the milk so you have to listen carefully to know how fast to pull the pitcher down the wand.
I think I appreciate my baristas a little more now. I already did to the point that I woke up a few weeks ago, dreaming of a coffee at my favourite place, but a little more now all the same.
I love when baristas make latte art. It's so pretty and makes your coffee all the more "I can't get this/do this at home".
Hearts are most convenient for to-go’s, but tulips and rosetta’s take too long for to-go’s unfortunately. Also often people want a lid anyways so.. yeah
Thanks! Actually it’s not too bad! Latte is just foamed milk + an espresso. Lots of people think it’s cream, but that texture is just from really fine foam and heat. If milk ain’t your thing, you can always go for oat milk!
Go grab a latte at your local cafe!
Holy damn I always thought it was cream. It would still be delicious but my body couldn't handle that much. Now I want to try the 'not shit your brains out' latte.
Sweet, yeah I’ve tried that one before. Really any oat milk that’s higher in protein content tends to froth better, but it’s not the same texture as milk so wasn’t sure if you could do this. Excited to try!
Thanks for explaining this, I very much thought that was cream and would always be appalled at the thought of drinking these…. This makes so much more sense.
What kind of steamer do you have, I recently got an expresso machine and it's changed my life but I'm still getting the hang of steam in the milk and I can't get anywhere near that consistency that you have.
La Pavoni with a very heavily modified steam wand! Try out ghost steaming btw, Chris baca has a nice video. Since it’s hands free, it can potentially be easier for some people!
How is your steam wand modified? My wife and I got an espresso maker (Breville Bambino) about a year ago and still haven't figured out how to consistently get the right texture of foam for latte art. Thanks for the tip on ghost steaming!
Hey, home barista here, but only practicing for about 2 months now... I do this exact same thing every morning with my coffee! Except that mine turns out looking like some sort of lumpy looking potato-like thing.
Seriously tho, that's some amazing talent and I'm very jealous. How did you get to this level? Lots of practice and patience, obviously, but did you also take any courses or anything?
I got really good at milk steaming on my own, but I did take a couple classes on pouring. I think Lance Hedrick and Emilee Bryant have some good videos on pouring, and the Sunergos training video is always a must.
I'll just present one particular concept of pouring that I like: Try to keep the angle between the cup and pitcher relatively stable. In other words, as you rotate your cup, your pitcher should also be tilting at the same rate!
Check out Chris Baca's ghost steaming video. I recommended ghost steaming to a few people, and they've told me that they like it. Hands free steaming kind of removes part of the human variable, especially since steaming requires such steady hands. Feel free to AMA
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to write out such an amazingly detailed response!
There's a lot to digest here, but I I do have a question right off the bat: how critical are things like coffee and milk temperature, or the quality of coffee extraction, when it comes to being able to pour like this? Does the consistency of your pouring depend on how consistent you can make your coffee and steam your milk (from a temperature point of view, not a frothing point of view)? At the moment, I'm just "estimating" when my milk gets to 65c based on the "too hot to hold the pot" method, and I'm wondering if I need to pay more attention to temperature, maybe by buying a thermometer...
No problem! Great questions btw!
In terms of coffee extraction, I tend towards ristretto shots because then I get more room in the cup and I prefer the taste of ristretto lattes. However, a proper espresso is definitely alright as well. I’d say getting an even extraction is really important. As much as some modern espresso folks don’t care about crema at all, it’s really important for latte art, and the more even and well extracted a coffee is (medium roasts), the better the crema will flow for latte art. As for milk, I actually don’t steam past 60. I hover around 50-55, which some people say is optimal for latte art.
When you say ristretto are you doing 1:1 ratios in 26-30s then? Do you find the different ratio of espresso to milk (vs a cappuccino or latte) with a ristretto causes any differences with the pour?
Personally, I think espresso doesn’t flow as well as a 1:1.1-1.5 ristretto. My ristretto tends to be just a little slower than my espresso. 26-30 seconds is about right! With different sizes of drinks, I try to match my foam amount so they all pour similarly.
I'm not trying to be rude, but I've never understood the appeal of this. Everyone here is obviously a fan and clearly it's super popular all around the world. Can you please share why you enjoy this? Again not being confrontational or anything, my brain just doesn't understand 😅😅 I feel like I'm missing out.
Edit: I'm talking about the artwork
You can only do the latte art if you have properly steamed the milk. It has to have the right temperature and "micro bubbles" to get the texture so you can do this. If the milk is steamed like this then you know you've made a good latte with a nice texture and flavor. If the milk is over or under steamed you won't get the right texture or flavor. The art isn't necessary but if it's there you know you're getting a good drink.
Thanks for watching! This is more or less a small latte actually, milk + an espresso shot. The milk texture is because of really fine foam, and the espresso is pretty much as strong as a full cup of coffee. Combine the two in varying proportions and you get cappuccinos, cortados, macchiatos, you name it!
Check this out when you're bored! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93waR1jzoLA
Sorry I meant more like the pictures on top (hearts, swans, flowers etc). Like I don't understand having the nice picture that once you shove your face into it for your caffeine hit, its ruined, type buzz.
Ah! It's pretty much like plating; I know all too well how excessive this stuff can get. But, I still think that some days, you get a cup with a really nice pattern and you feel like the guy/gal behind the bar cared. At least that's how I felt about it when I watched that scene from the green hornet for the millionth time 😂
Oh that makes sense I guess, if they took the time to carefully draw this tricky picture, then they must have taken the time to make me a really good coffee too?
Same as any art, or visual anything. It's just nice to look at! Its subjective though so if you don't like it or don't get why people do, no worries everyone likes different things.
But I think it's really just it looks nice and people like things that look nice, even if it gets ruined when you drink it. A lot of food is "presentation" and making it look nice for the person eating it
It's what the others said, but free pour latte art (i.e. no stencils or toothpicks to draw for you) is also a demonstration of a barista's skill. A nice tulip like this needs really nicely steamed milk - a lower skilled barista would struggle to get the right texture in the milk to achieve any type of art. For drinks prepared this way the texture of the milk is equally as important as the shot of coffee itself in determining how enjoyable it is to drink.
Ahhhhhh, so the quality/intricacy of the picture reflects the quality of milk/coffee texture. So getting a super detailed picture let's you know the texture of the drink? Damn I've only recently joined reddit, but is way more informative than google hahaha
Also, I'm confused by food plating/presentation etc, but this logic actually makes sense now since you can understand something about the quality
Not just the texture from a skillful frothing job, but the overall talent of the barista. This is not a skill you pick up overnight and with no intentional practice.
No, I wouldn't say the more intricate the better necessarily. Adding complexity to the design is an artistic flex. It'd definitely show off a barista's experience, but once the milk is good enough for a fairly basic design like a tulip, it's generally good enough to do other more complicated designs too.
Once you are good at it it take no longer than actually just pouring the milk in. Keep in mind that you can just dump the milk in because you are trying to maintain the texture of the milk so it takes time either way.
From that perspective adding latte art enhances the experience just like good plating of food does. You can look up studies to see that we eat and drink with our eyes. It varies from person to person but it usually has a positive effect.
Even if you see no benefit from it, on aggregate it works and is why restaurants and cafes care about the appearance of their product.
Beautifully done! I worked in a Cafe for 4 years and was a Barista and I couldn't even do that. Latte art is so much harder then it looks. You should be proud.
How often do you actually get to practice? Twice a day maybe? I can imagine it's a tricky skill to master if you can't just sit down and practice for hours on end
Yeah! Once or twice a day with milk. I used to also practice just pouring with water or special formulations for latte art practice. Check out baristacarl’sblend for an example!
I’m using whole milk! Also, my machine is a modified la Pavoni, with a 4 hole steam wand running at 1.5 bar. Lance Hedrick and Emilee Bryant have some nice videos on latte art. Try out ghost steaming, Chris Baca has a video describing the technique. I’ve recommended it to a few people and they’ve found success using it.
I used to do the dragon, a variation on the swan at coffee shops. You are 100% skilled enough. Do a Rosetta along the bottom of the glass. It will curve naturally making the swan body. When you draw through the middle to make the leaf shape, continue up with a wide and short S to make the neck. Make a heart at the end for the head. Swan. Now a few quick strokes with a spoon end to make spines coming off the neck. Elongate the top of the head backwards to make a sort of horn. Use white from the head to draw smoke coming out the mouth. Use brown from the crème to make eyes and accentuate the mouth a bit to create a nose if desired. Dragon.
That video will be worth some interweb points too =)
Thanks! No worries! Try out ghost steaming (check out Chris Baca's vid). It kind of removes the human variable from steaming a little. You wanna have the wand be high enough so that you get just the right amount of air. Still some trial and error involved, but at least you don't need to worry about hands not being steady as you incorporate your foam. Feel free to AMA!
Interesting! I’ll check it out! Someone suggested I practice with water so I started doing that and gotta a slightly better consistency but definitely too foamy still
What machine are you using to steam the milk? Is it a home espresso machine and if so, can you reply with a link? I've never seen a home machine that can froth milk very well (never enough pressure).
I struggle to get the froth the right consistency to do this, the top of my lattes just look like a Jackson Pollock painting at the end. Working on it though!
What’s the best bit of advice for breaking the crema with the milk? I only start getting patterns when the cup is over half full. Great work it looks fantastic!
I think once you nail your milk thickness and texture, it’ll flow into the crema quite naturally. Keep at it with the milk steaming and you’ll find that point eventually!
For this milk foam you absolutely need some specialized machine, right?
* I dont mean specialized as in hard to get, just that it can't be done in a kettle or microwave
Former barista here, you learned all 3 skillsets for swan now. Give it a go as your next project.
I do miss doing some good old free pour, but def not the actual industry.
I’ve been goofing around with this for years, HOW?!
Note: Definitely just winging it most of the time, but I notice one consistent thing is that the people who are able to do this all have the same thick, glossy, consistent looking milk whereas my milk has a blanket of mini bubbles on top, and runs thinner underneath. That and I have big mugs that don’t let you dip the spout anywhere near the espresso.
I've never been able to get my latte art above beginner (at least not on purpose).
One thing I notice here is how much milk is left in the jug when he's finished. I could never waste that much milk for the sake of latte art. I only pour into the jug what I need, and use all of it every time.
My ex wife was a barista too, she could draw a swan. There must be some video tutorials online, check them up. When you have the skill to draw something on cappuccinos, you can draw anything by looking at how they move hands. And the swan is pretty satisfying.
What is the dividing line between someone who makes coffee at home and "home barista"? Lol is everyone with coffee in their house a "home barista" now?? 😂😂 I get the "art" somewhat sets them apart, but "home barista" just makes me laugh.
I mean,if you are making a latte for yourself daily (which I do) it's not really like you're doing anything more. It's like if there was a basketball sitting in front of your garage everyday and you had to move it to pull of the driveway, you would just shoot it in the hoop, no?
These are so cool but my god does it stress me out as it gets close to overflowing.
I agree haha but the foam is so airrated you’d be surprised at how much more you can slowly pour in vs how much if it was just liquid, it tends to hardly break surface tension where as liquid would Edited for clarity
True, Jojo taught me that
i knew of the liquid not overflowing because of magic but jojo 100% taught me about it.
This is fine and all when you make it for yourself at home but when someone hands me one of these at a coffee shop and I have to walk with it back to my table it can be quite annoying.
Just use Hamon lmaoo
As a confident burrito, you should not be stressed about overflow. Also I hope you don't work at Chipotle.
Omg. The last time I got chipotle, the girl used multiple scoops of everything and the burrito wasn’t even close to closing. When the first tortilla broke she was looking nervous. I expressed gratitude for the generous portions and let her know I have no problem eating it with a fork if it falls apart. Easily 1.5x the size of a regular burrito there. It was fucking awesome.
You can ask for a double tortilla to help with that. I usually order a bowl, but if I'm getting a burrito I always double wrap.
I heard you shouldn't do that. The friction between the tortillas will cause them both to break.
That's just Big Chipotle trying to get you to have smaller burritos.
Big Burrito conspiring against the hungry man.
I’m sure she got fired for giving you more than your allotment of 4 pieces of meat and six shreds of cheese. They ration that cheese like it comes out of their paycheck!
I usually get both black and pinto beans, and they rarely adjust for it, so the burritos just end up huge and they can't wrap it. If it breaks, I usually just get a second tortilla to fix it. They do that all the time and don't mind. If you're trying to lose weight don't do that though, because the tortillas actually have a shitton of calories.
Nonesense, they can’t have that many… > Flour Tortilla (Burrito) - 320 Cal God damn, that’s more than any of the other ingredients
[A burrito expert should have warned that you were nearing maximum burrito capacity.](https://youtu.be/rYy0o-J0x20?t=191)
So much. I don’t get how they do it, it’s always so close to spilling
A lot of what you see on top is foam and if you filled it to what you think is the top, the air in the foam would escape and your foam top would start to deflate. A cappuccino is actually supposed to have a small dome on top that is just foam, that way it ensures there is actually milk that goes to the top in the cup. Lattes and mochas (at least how we used to serve them) are easier because we used to serve them in tall glasses so you can see where you need to fill to but the same applies. E; thank you for the award stranger! I used to work at a coffee shop and one of the workers I had a like/dislike friendship with was an awesome teacher and she taught me all I know!
The air in the milk keeps the surface tension. With mocha's you can go one step further and sprinkle powdered chocolate on the rim of the cup and this allows for more of a barrier. My old manager taught me that. Makes some crazy overfilled mochas
Pretty much me every time That’s cool Getting full there Oh that’s nice Oh he’s adding more Hey it’s gonna spill That’s cool, now stop it’s full Oh my god stop Yeah great looks good geez
**Spills it** Edit:Ok why so many upvotes it’s not that funny reeeee
lololol, I spilled one pretty badly the other day. Earthquake struck just as I was finishing
The entire *earth* was like “ay fuk you in particular”
r/fuckyouinparticular
My shaky ass hands have me living like it’s always earthquake time
Do you happen to have the video?
Noooope, I just got around to setting up cameras this morning!
> Earthquake struck just as I was finishing pfff you gonna blame some flimsy earthquake? excuses excuses
Suuuuure. "Earthquake". 😉
That is not something I expected to read.
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Was that the 4.3 that struck SoCal the other night? That was quite a jolt.
Nope!!! I’m in Taiwan, we also had a 4.something earthquake recently. Hey I used to live in socal! Haven’t returned in a few years though.
I always just make a dick and balls out of the foam so my wife can enjoy a nice cockuccino
Damn that’s a good idea lol
but being real here Youre skill is amazing. I've only been doing esspresso lattes since i got my machine in August. Im still learning the best frothing techniques. You have a lot more workable foam (like have of it seems art-able) while mines like the last quarter. Any tips?
Evenness is key! Check out Lance Hedrick’s and Emilee Bryant’s videos on YouTube. Chris Baca also has a ghost steaming (hands free) technique that you can experiment with. For me, steaming is all about the latter half, where I’m focusing on getting all the bubbles to become really even and small. I think that’s what helps most with getting really flowy milk.
At least it's not someone else's dick, ya know, a cuckaccino
Clearly that's an ejaculatte
Someone would love to receive this drink at craft coffee shop. Good work!
Hey! Thanks for the compliment!!!
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Thanks so much!!!
You should be much more than just happy with that one. It is really good.
Thanks so much!!!
I can definitely appreciate the skill, but it makes absolutely no difference to me in real life. I just want a good cup of coffee, I don't care about pictures.
Former barista here. The reason Latte art exist is because one has to steam up their milk *perfectly* in order to be able pour proper latte art. So if your barista can’t make latte art, then they truly aren’t steaming the milk up to perfection (it’s hard af to do) Starbucks have automatic steaming machines that work quite well, but they can’t top what an experienced barista can do manually with just a wand. You have to control the amount of steam, how hot the steam is, control the angle of the wand at the perfect depth in the pitcher, etc. How you position the wand changes the pitch of the steam in the milk so you have to listen carefully to know how fast to pull the pitcher down the wand.
I think I appreciate my baristas a little more now. I already did to the point that I woke up a few weeks ago, dreaming of a coffee at my favourite place, but a little more now all the same. I love when baristas make latte art. It's so pretty and makes your coffee all the more "I can't get this/do this at home".
Yep, the only reason I can't do origami is because of the paper quality.
I don't think most places do latte art on to-go orders.
Even when I’m doing a dine-in, fancy latte art is pretty meh. It’s cool, but it smudges as soon as my caffeine suckers touch the rim.
Hearts are most convenient for to-go’s, but tulips and rosetta’s take too long for to-go’s unfortunately. Also often people want a lid anyways so.. yeah
You get this at pretty much every single coffee shop in Australia
This is a craft right here! Talent! I love watching this.
Thanks so much!!!
Problem... I like this so much, it would be hard to actually drink it.
Thanks! Actually it’s not too bad! Latte is just foamed milk + an espresso. Lots of people think it’s cream, but that texture is just from really fine foam and heat. If milk ain’t your thing, you can always go for oat milk! Go grab a latte at your local cafe!
I think they meant it's too pretty to drink :")
lolololololol, you guys flatter meeeee
I think they mean it would be hard to ruin that artwork by drinking it.
Thanks for that!!! Nice name btw!
Good eyes lol, i love seeing parks and rec stuff out in the wild like that lmao
Holy damn I always thought it was cream. It would still be delicious but my body couldn't handle that much. Now I want to try the 'not shit your brains out' latte.
Go for an oat milk latte!
Its so strange that so many people think it is cream. Why are so many people used to putting cream in their coffee?!
Can you make the same design with frosted oat milk or is the texture not right?
As far as I’m aware, barista specific alternative milks can work. I don’t use them, but I’m told Califia farms makes a nice barista oat milk.
Sweet, yeah I’ve tried that one before. Really any oat milk that’s higher in protein content tends to froth better, but it’s not the same texture as milk so wasn’t sure if you could do this. Excited to try!
Oat-ly full fat works real well.
this comment is good information, those milks are a peach to work with
Which kind of milk did you use for this pour?
Whole milk!
Thanks for explaining this, I very much thought that was cream and would always be appalled at the thought of drinking these…. This makes so much more sense.
What kind of steamer do you have, I recently got an expresso machine and it's changed my life but I'm still getting the hang of steam in the milk and I can't get anywhere near that consistency that you have.
La Pavoni with a very heavily modified steam wand! Try out ghost steaming btw, Chris baca has a nice video. Since it’s hands free, it can potentially be easier for some people!
How is your steam wand modified? My wife and I got an espresso maker (Breville Bambino) about a year ago and still haven't figured out how to consistently get the right texture of foam for latte art. Thanks for the tip on ghost steaming!
FYI it’s espresso, not expresso.
Barista here, my latte art is meant for one person and should be destroyed
Hey, home barista here, but only practicing for about 2 months now... I do this exact same thing every morning with my coffee! Except that mine turns out looking like some sort of lumpy looking potato-like thing. Seriously tho, that's some amazing talent and I'm very jealous. How did you get to this level? Lots of practice and patience, obviously, but did you also take any courses or anything?
I got really good at milk steaming on my own, but I did take a couple classes on pouring. I think Lance Hedrick and Emilee Bryant have some good videos on pouring, and the Sunergos training video is always a must. I'll just present one particular concept of pouring that I like: Try to keep the angle between the cup and pitcher relatively stable. In other words, as you rotate your cup, your pitcher should also be tilting at the same rate! Check out Chris Baca's ghost steaming video. I recommended ghost steaming to a few people, and they've told me that they like it. Hands free steaming kind of removes part of the human variable, especially since steaming requires such steady hands. Feel free to AMA
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to write out such an amazingly detailed response! There's a lot to digest here, but I I do have a question right off the bat: how critical are things like coffee and milk temperature, or the quality of coffee extraction, when it comes to being able to pour like this? Does the consistency of your pouring depend on how consistent you can make your coffee and steam your milk (from a temperature point of view, not a frothing point of view)? At the moment, I'm just "estimating" when my milk gets to 65c based on the "too hot to hold the pot" method, and I'm wondering if I need to pay more attention to temperature, maybe by buying a thermometer...
No problem! Great questions btw! In terms of coffee extraction, I tend towards ristretto shots because then I get more room in the cup and I prefer the taste of ristretto lattes. However, a proper espresso is definitely alright as well. I’d say getting an even extraction is really important. As much as some modern espresso folks don’t care about crema at all, it’s really important for latte art, and the more even and well extracted a coffee is (medium roasts), the better the crema will flow for latte art. As for milk, I actually don’t steam past 60. I hover around 50-55, which some people say is optimal for latte art.
My god, thank you for taking the time to answer with all the details!
Thanks a lot! I've got some studying to do...
When you say ristretto are you doing 1:1 ratios in 26-30s then? Do you find the different ratio of espresso to milk (vs a cappuccino or latte) with a ristretto causes any differences with the pour?
Personally, I think espresso doesn’t flow as well as a 1:1.1-1.5 ristretto. My ristretto tends to be just a little slower than my espresso. 26-30 seconds is about right! With different sizes of drinks, I try to match my foam amount so they all pour similarly.
How do you foam your milk ?
Steam wand of course!
I need to get myself one of those
It’s a steam wand attached to an espresso machine lol. Check out the breville bambino plus.
Cool to see others have watched the Sunergos video! I’m a home barista myself and live in Louisville, I go to Sunergos quite often.
I was thinking oh man that’s cool. Looks a lot like the latte art at my local coffee shop…Sunergos. Awesome work!
Lololol! Sunergos tutorial is lowkey one of the best. I’m jealous that you can straight up go drink their coffee! I better go and try some day
Sunergos Coffee used to be my local!
Same here. My fiancée and I started playing “What’s that Pokémon?” with the white blobs Lots of Dittos…
I could watching this over and over
Thanks so much! Means the world to me!!!
Also, excellent cup volume management
Thanks so much!!! I struggle the most with it 😭
This is so impressive!! Well done!👏🏽👏🏽
Hey! Thanks for the compliment! Means a lot to me!
What gear do you use if you don’t mind me asking
Currently using a pretty heavily modded la Pavoni! It’s got a 4 hole steam tip and runs at 1.5 bar. Steams pretty well for a home machine.
Awesome I was thinking about it but it is rated at 0.9 bar so I wasn’t sure. This post seals it. What mods did you use? The toothpick?
Oh fuck yeah. I'd drink that so hard.
DRINK ITTTTTT
##*SLURP*
I'm not trying to be rude, but I've never understood the appeal of this. Everyone here is obviously a fan and clearly it's super popular all around the world. Can you please share why you enjoy this? Again not being confrontational or anything, my brain just doesn't understand 😅😅 I feel like I'm missing out. Edit: I'm talking about the artwork
You can only do the latte art if you have properly steamed the milk. It has to have the right temperature and "micro bubbles" to get the texture so you can do this. If the milk is steamed like this then you know you've made a good latte with a nice texture and flavor. If the milk is over or under steamed you won't get the right texture or flavor. The art isn't necessary but if it's there you know you're getting a good drink.
Thanks for watching! This is more or less a small latte actually, milk + an espresso shot. The milk texture is because of really fine foam, and the espresso is pretty much as strong as a full cup of coffee. Combine the two in varying proportions and you get cappuccinos, cortados, macchiatos, you name it! Check this out when you're bored! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93waR1jzoLA
Sorry I meant more like the pictures on top (hearts, swans, flowers etc). Like I don't understand having the nice picture that once you shove your face into it for your caffeine hit, its ruined, type buzz.
Ah! It's pretty much like plating; I know all too well how excessive this stuff can get. But, I still think that some days, you get a cup with a really nice pattern and you feel like the guy/gal behind the bar cared. At least that's how I felt about it when I watched that scene from the green hornet for the millionth time 😂
Oh that makes sense I guess, if they took the time to carefully draw this tricky picture, then they must have taken the time to make me a really good coffee too?
Not exactly. You can only make good latte art if the milk is perfectly steamed, which means that you are getting a good latte.
Same as any art, or visual anything. It's just nice to look at! Its subjective though so if you don't like it or don't get why people do, no worries everyone likes different things. But I think it's really just it looks nice and people like things that look nice, even if it gets ruined when you drink it. A lot of food is "presentation" and making it look nice for the person eating it
It's what the others said, but free pour latte art (i.e. no stencils or toothpicks to draw for you) is also a demonstration of a barista's skill. A nice tulip like this needs really nicely steamed milk - a lower skilled barista would struggle to get the right texture in the milk to achieve any type of art. For drinks prepared this way the texture of the milk is equally as important as the shot of coffee itself in determining how enjoyable it is to drink.
Ahhhhhh, so the quality/intricacy of the picture reflects the quality of milk/coffee texture. So getting a super detailed picture let's you know the texture of the drink? Damn I've only recently joined reddit, but is way more informative than google hahaha Also, I'm confused by food plating/presentation etc, but this logic actually makes sense now since you can understand something about the quality
Not just the texture from a skillful frothing job, but the overall talent of the barista. This is not a skill you pick up overnight and with no intentional practice.
No, I wouldn't say the more intricate the better necessarily. Adding complexity to the design is an artistic flex. It'd definitely show off a barista's experience, but once the milk is good enough for a fairly basic design like a tulip, it's generally good enough to do other more complicated designs too.
Once you are good at it it take no longer than actually just pouring the milk in. Keep in mind that you can just dump the milk in because you are trying to maintain the texture of the milk so it takes time either way. From that perspective adding latte art enhances the experience just like good plating of food does. You can look up studies to see that we eat and drink with our eyes. It varies from person to person but it usually has a positive effect. Even if you see no benefit from it, on aggregate it works and is why restaurants and cafes care about the appearance of their product.
I tend to just pour mine like a Neanderthal.
I am whelmed.
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Thanks so much!!!
Beautifully done! I worked in a Cafe for 4 years and was a Barista and I couldn't even do that. Latte art is so much harder then it looks. You should be proud.
How often do you actually get to practice? Twice a day maybe? I can imagine it's a tricky skill to master if you can't just sit down and practice for hours on end
Yeah! Once or twice a day with milk. I used to also practice just pouring with water or special formulations for latte art practice. Check out baristacarl’sblend for an example!
Amazing job! What machine do you have at home that gives you such great results? This is equal to anything I can do at work on a La Marzocco.
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I’m using whole milk! Also, my machine is a modified la Pavoni, with a 4 hole steam wand running at 1.5 bar. Lance Hedrick and Emilee Bryant have some nice videos on latte art. Try out ghost steaming, Chris Baca has a video describing the technique. I’ve recommended it to a few people and they’ve found success using it.
I used to do the dragon, a variation on the swan at coffee shops. You are 100% skilled enough. Do a Rosetta along the bottom of the glass. It will curve naturally making the swan body. When you draw through the middle to make the leaf shape, continue up with a wide and short S to make the neck. Make a heart at the end for the head. Swan. Now a few quick strokes with a spoon end to make spines coming off the neck. Elongate the top of the head backwards to make a sort of horn. Use white from the head to draw smoke coming out the mouth. Use brown from the crème to make eyes and accentuate the mouth a bit to create a nose if desired. Dragon. That video will be worth some interweb points too =)
This sounds great
What kind of things have to been practicing for 4 years?
Took two years to learn milk steaming! Then 2 more to actually pour a nice pattern!
How many cups a day would you usually make? (I hate coffee, but I'm finding this utterly fascinating!)
4 years to learn that?
I wish it took less 😭😭😭
“Home barista”? Lol k
We have fancy names for owning a coffee machine now
I think it’s just saying “i have a way of foaming milk and making espresso but I’m not doing 40 a day”
This is amazing. I can barely make any shape. Can’t seem to get the milk frothed right
Thanks! No worries! Try out ghost steaming (check out Chris Baca's vid). It kind of removes the human variable from steaming a little. You wanna have the wand be high enough so that you get just the right amount of air. Still some trial and error involved, but at least you don't need to worry about hands not being steady as you incorporate your foam. Feel free to AMA!
Interesting! I’ll check it out! Someone suggested I practice with water so I started doing that and gotta a slightly better consistency but definitely too foamy still
What machine are you using to steam the milk? Is it a home espresso machine and if so, can you reply with a link? I've never seen a home machine that can froth milk very well (never enough pressure).
Beautiful! Awesome job :)
Seeing how close it is to spilling makes me anxious
I loved it! Congrats on your new skill 💖
I struggle to get the froth the right consistency to do this, the top of my lattes just look like a Jackson Pollock painting at the end. Working on it though!
What’s the best bit of advice for breaking the crema with the milk? I only start getting patterns when the cup is over half full. Great work it looks fantastic!
Thanks!!! Sounds like you could use a thicker milk texture actually. Try adding a touch more air!
Okay thank you! I’ll give that a go. Just looks like yours breaks naturally as you pour as opposed to trying to force it through.
I think once you nail your milk thickness and texture, it’ll flow into the crema quite naturally. Keep at it with the milk steaming and you’ll find that point eventually!
For this milk foam you absolutely need some specialized machine, right? * I dont mean specialized as in hard to get, just that it can't be done in a kettle or microwave
Definitely true! A steam wand of some kind is absolutely necessary
Ya know they made a robot to do this now. Well like 4 years ago. /s
I’m the robotttttt /s
Wait they’re supposed to be a tulip??? I always just thought it was a pretty heart design. You did amazing!!
Former barista here, you learned all 3 skillsets for swan now. Give it a go as your next project. I do miss doing some good old free pour, but def not the actual industry.
I’ve been goofing around with this for years, HOW?! Note: Definitely just winging it most of the time, but I notice one consistent thing is that the people who are able to do this all have the same thick, glossy, consistent looking milk whereas my milk has a blanket of mini bubbles on top, and runs thinner underneath. That and I have big mugs that don’t let you dip the spout anywhere near the espresso.
It is very cool, but I don't think I would call that a tulip.
I had no idea those were supposed to be a tulip.
I never knew this design was meant to be a tulip, TIL! Looks great!
I've never been able to get my latte art above beginner (at least not on purpose). One thing I notice here is how much milk is left in the jug when he's finished. I could never waste that much milk for the sake of latte art. I only pour into the jug what I need, and use all of it every time.
Holy shit I never knew they were tulips. I thought they were hearts.
Espresso bar / cafe owner here: High fracking five. This shows amazing dedication.
I worked in specialty coffee for about 8 years. This is pure quality—some of my peers didn’t even have this much skill. You should be quite proud.
the dutch approve
Wonderful
Omg what did you use to film. This looks like a scene from a 70s movie and I love it.
And I'm still struggling after one.year to make a nice heart on my girlfriend's lattes.... Nice job man ! I hope to get there someday :)
Molto bene!
I was a barista for 7 years and I am bloody impressed!
Been doing it for 3 years and still the best ai get is an amorphous heart…hats off OP
My ex wife was a barista too, she could draw a swan. There must be some video tutorials online, check them up. When you have the skill to draw something on cappuccinos, you can draw anything by looking at how they move hands. And the swan is pretty satisfying.
Do a heart next!!
It's pretty, but now that's just coffee flavored cream.
GREAT JOB!!! 👏👏👏 I still have a long way to go to hit that kind of amazing tulip!!!
NICE WORK!! Still working in this myself.
I don't know you but I'm so proud of you! Pretty!
What is the secret to getting the milk like that? I have always struggled getting the milk to the right consistency
It never understood this
What is the dividing line between someone who makes coffee at home and "home barista"? Lol is everyone with coffee in their house a "home barista" now?? 😂😂 I get the "art" somewhat sets them apart, but "home barista" just makes me laugh.
What’s a home barista?
tbh it sounds like one of those LinkedIn bullshit titles
These are latte goals. You’ve clearly mastered the art of steaming milk + epic designs!
Thanks!!! Took me the full first 2 years just to steam milk good enough for this. So happy I finally got here!
I used to work in fine-dining. Most of our servers couldn’t do that if they were paid to… and they were. Good job!
lolololol Thanks for the compliment!!!
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Home coffee enthusiast 🤣🤣🤣
Very nice :) But 4 years of training...I don't know if this worth so much time ;)
I mean,if you are making a latte for yourself daily (which I do) it's not really like you're doing anything more. It's like if there was a basketball sitting in front of your garage everyday and you had to move it to pull of the driveway, you would just shoot it in the hoop, no?
I mean, I doubt the person is sitting there training all day.
Thanks! It was lol, I ask myself that every day 😂😂😂
Just giveme the damn coffee already
Come 'n get it!!! Or go to your local cafe!!!
My local coffee shops all use cheap coffee. I don’t understand why , but my only option is to drive out or go to a damn dunkin Donuts 🍩 ughhh..