Latte art is basically the ability to draw on coffee or more specifically the most common coffee used for latte art - espresso, because of its density. The drawing happens in two ways. You can either pour milk in the cup of espresso thus creating a pattern form, special design or a portrait on the top espresso layer which is mainly foam. The other latte art style is named etching and it is done by using a plastic stick. However for a good latte art to be created you need a good espresso machine and a barista who knows what he is doing and possesses some talent. Latte art has been around us for centuries, but it has become more popular in the last years and you can even go to classes which educate you to be a barista. Barista is basically the formal name of the artist who creates the latte art.
Latte art develops in different tempos depending on the country. However it wasn't a well known art before several years, but because of the recent advance in micro foam research and the developing of the espresso it has become even more popular. The country that is considered the birthplace of espresso is Italy. Latte art needs two main ingredients to be created - foam and crema. Foam is nothing more than buffed up milk and it is buffed by mixing it with air. Crema is the brown cream that appears on top of the espresso. However those two mixtures dissipate rapidly and you can enjoy latte art only for a few minutes.
For latte art to be possible the espresso must have a cream like brown surface which is most commonly called crema for short. Afterwards the foam is poured into the cup and the foam from the milk rises to the surface thus creating a contrast between the colors of the espresso and the foam. From now on there are two ways to create latte art. Just by pouring the milk and moving the pitcher or by pouring it all and then using a stick to draw the pattern or form. The style which only consists of pouring is called "free pouring" and takes little time to create while the other style is called etching and using it you may have to wait a while for your beverage to be decorated, but the etching is much more precise and beautiful.
Free pouring is only used to create the simplest forms and shapes. You will most often see various flower types and hearts done with free pouring while the style of etching allows the barista to create much clearer, complex and sharper images thus allowing him to even create a portrait in the coffee. However etching is much harder to master than free pouring and you will need a lot of practice and training until you can achieve perfect results that will satisfy even the strictest customers.
The best part of latte art is that you can practice it in your own home while drinking your morning coffee. You don't need any special instruments and you can even use regular coffee instead of espresso. However the use of regular coffee will result in fader shapes and outlines, but the image will still be visible. And if you are really good and keen at latte art you can sign up for barista classes so that you can master each one of the styles of latte art.
Latte art develops in different tempos depending on the country. However it wasn't a well known art before several years, but because of the recent advance in micro foam research and the developing of the espresso it has become even more popular. The country that is considered the birthplace of espresso is Italy. Latte art needs two main ingredients to be created - foam and crema. Foam is nothing more than buffed up milk and it is buffed by mixing it with air. Crema is the brown cream that appears on top of the espresso. However those two mixtures dissipate rapidly and you can enjoy latte art only for a few minutes.
For latte art to be possible the espresso must have a cream like brown surface which is most commonly called crema for short. Afterwards the foam is poured into the cup and the foam from the milk rises to the surface thus creating a contrast between the colors of the espresso and the foam. From now on there are two ways to create latte art. Just by pouring the milk and moving the pitcher or by pouring it all and then using a stick to draw the pattern or form. The style which only consists of pouring is called "free pouring" and takes little time to create while the other style is called etching and using it you may have to wait a while for your beverage to be decorated, but the etching is much more precise and beautiful.
Free pouring is only used to create the simplest forms and shapes. You will most often see various flower types and hearts done with free pouring while the style of etching allows the barista to create much clearer, complex and sharper images thus allowing him to even create a portrait in the coffee. However etching is much harder to master than free pouring and you will need a lot of practice and training until you can achieve perfect results that will satisfy even the strictest customers.
The best part of latte art is that you can practice it in your own home while drinking your morning coffee. You don't need any special instruments and you can even use regular coffee instead of espresso. However the use of regular coffee will result in fader shapes and outlines, but the image will still be visible. And if you are really good and keen at latte art you can sign up for barista classes so that you can master each one of the styles of latte art.
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Do you enjoy the latte?. Be sure to visit RateMyRosetta.com, a great source for latte art pictures of photos. Don't miss the most excellent how to make latte art tutorial.
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