Latte Art: 4 steps to perfectly microfoam. Guide

The cafes that spring up like mushrooms compete in creating ever more sophisticated coffee drinks, and thus - more and more artistic decorations of a classic cappuccino. Initially, latte art consisted of creating a simple pattern on the  surface of an espresso - most often hearts or rosettes - using frothed milk  . Over time, baristas perfected the milk painting technique using various sauces, sticks and stencils, and hearts and rosettes developed into swans and tulips. Today, you can conjure up virtually anything with coffee milk. Masters of this art can surprise us with almost every ornament and pattern that we can think of.

A brief history of latte art

Coffee brewing was first transformed into visual art decades ago in  Italy - the birthplace of cappuccino.  With the advancement of technology and the advent of coffee machines, the art of brewing classic Italian espresso has been enriched with an addition in the form  of milk frothed with steam . However, the credit for turning coffee decorations into popular art is attributed to American coffee shops. Decorating hot drinks with simple patterns was popularized in the late 1980s in the United States, from where it quickly spread all over the world.

At the beginning of the 21st century, American fashion reached Australia and the Scandinavian countries. Today, the biggest coffee art boom is taking place in Asia. Asians are doing particularly well at the Milk Painting World Cup. Thanks to their characteristic work ethics, motivation and perseverance, they often reach the podium.

The popularity of latte art is steadily growing along with the general increase in consumer awareness of coffee. Today, the most important thing is the quality of what we drink. The development of social media has also played a key role in popularizing this popular trend. Cafes are placing more and more emphasis on the setting and presentation of drinks, as their customers more and more often photograph and post what they eat and drink on their social profiles. 

There are currently over 8 million posts on Instagram with the hashtag  #latteart , and the most popular video on YouTube has been viewed almost 9 million times. The winners of the milk-on-coffee championship are gaining popularity on the Internet, inspiring other baristas around the world and amateurs who want to try some latte art fun at home.

In 2015, the Australian barista of Korean origin Caleb Cha won the world championship in this field, whose "coffee zebra" captivated both the jury and the entire audience. It takes hundreds of hours to complete a masterful design. While training for the competition, the Korean prepared 300 cups of coffee with zebra per day for seven weeks.

The competitors in our home yard also compete in this play. The Polish Latte Art Championship has been held since 2006 . Polish champions in the world classification won the podium in 2017, taking the glorious third place. In the final clash, the players have to make two identical patterns using the free pour technique and any two paintings using the  free pour and etching techniques.

How to make patterns on coffee

The hallmark of professional latte art is the original pattern, symmetry of workmanship, contrast and shine of the drawing without visible air bubbles. Success depends on two factors: a  good espresso and perfectly frothed milk with a  consistency resembling silky smooth microfoam.

Patterns can be made in two ways: with the help of frothed milk poured directly from the jug (free pour art) or with the use of special accessories, e.g. toothpicks, sticks or stencils (so-called etching). It is important that the milk froth is approx. 65-70 ° C and that it has the thickness of yogurt - it must be thick enough not to dissolve in the coffee, and at the same time liquid enough to easily spill from the jug into the cup . 

Ingredients and accessories

First of all, we will need a  stainless steel latte art jug  with a wider bottom, a narrower top and a spout for precise milk pouring. The capacity of the vessel should be selected according to the size of the coffee you intend to drink and the power of the machine - the lower the power, the smaller the jug.

Latte art milk should be fresh, cold and greasy (3.2%) , as it is so easy to foam to the consistency of smooth yoghurt. The ideal  temperature of the milk for frothing must be 1 ° C . The lower-fat milk is whipped into a dry and stiff mass with lots of air bubbles. When frothing milk, we should not exceed the temperature of 70 ° C. Overheated, almost boiling milk is characterized by a shallow, lactose-less sweet taste and unappetizing, extracted fat.

At the beginning of our adventure with latte art, a kitchen thermometer will certainly come in handy. Experienced baristas check the temperature of the milk with a finger. The principle, although simple in theory, can be troublesome in practice - milk with a temperature of 35 ° C is close to our body temperature, while when heated to 60-70 ° C, it starts to burn in the fingers.

How to make foam - 4 steps

1. Pour the necessary amount of milk into the jug

2. Place the foaming nozzle 1 cm below the surface of the milk, turn on the steam and start aeration. The degree and method of milk frothing depends on the coffee we want to obtain:

• Cafe Latte  - we increase the volume of milk by 30%

• Latte Macchiato  - we double the volume of milk; the foam in the cup should be 3 cm thick

• Cappuccino  - increase the volume of milk by half, and the froth in the cup should be 1-2 cm thick

• Flat White  - coffee without foam

3. After a few seconds of aeration, lower the nozzle of the milk frother into the jug, while placing it 1 cm from the edge of the vessel. Then, with gentle hand movements, we spin the milk. Heat the foam to a temperature of about 70 ° C. It cannot flow out of the jug and the formation of too large air bubbles. We want to get a  velvety smooth microfoam , not the classic foam that we decorate the cappuccino with.

4. After heating and frothing the milk, hit the jug on the table several times and spin the foam again - this way, we get rid of air bubbles and smooth the surface of the milk cream, which should be velvety smooth.

For baristas, the milk prepared in this way is a ready tool for decorating espresso.