How to Make Eye-Catching Latte Art
For many coffee fans, the art is in the brewing and delicious taste of your coffee every morning (or whenever you drink it). Although coffee making is most definitely a craft to take pride in, there are even more ways to dress up your drink.
When you know how to make eye-catching latte art, you get a visual delight before you even take your first sip. Latte art has become especially trendy thanks to social media — just think about how many times you see your friends share their steaming cups of espresso sporting a creative design on top.
Not only is latte art delicious, but it’s also a lovely reminder to stop and appreciate the beauty in everyday life — such as your morning cup of coffee. When you present your eye-catching latte art to someone, it also is a great representation of the love that you poured into that cup! If you’ve always thought that latte art is something that can only be done by a barista at your favorite expensive coffee shop, then you’re wrong. We’re going to show you how to make eye-catching latte art from your very own kitchen.
Tools You’ll Need
To make eye-catching latte art, you’re going to need to steam the milk separately so you’ll need a pitcher or a jug to hold it in, as well as a steam wand. You’ll also need an espresso machine for the other main ingredient for your latte.
You’ll also need a cup to pour your delicious art project into, and an art tool such as a toothpick to make your designs.
Steaming Milk
In order to make latte art, your steamed milk will need to be both creamy and frothy. Start by pouring cold coffee into the pitcher and then insert the wand. You’ll then aerate and emulsify the milk until you see small bubbles forming. The ideal temperate for your milk should be between 140-180 Fahrenheit.
Another option for steaming milk is to heat it up in the microwave. To do this, fill a mason jar halfway with milk and cover the jar with the lid. Shake the jar for up to 30 seconds. Next, open the jar back up and heat in the microwave for up to 40 seconds.
Once your milk is steamed and frothed, the most important factor to look out for is that the foam is even without any large bubbles. To remove these large bubbles from your froth, you can tap the pitcher on the side gently.
How to Pour
Once your steamed milk is prepared, professional baristas will typically pour the milk in a way that the milk comes out first, and the foam last. In order to do this correctly, lift the pitch away from the top of the coffee and pour at a steady pace so that the milk dives below the coffee and the foam remains on the top. Aim your pour for the center of the cup. As the cup becomes full, start pouring from a closer distance. Then you’re ready to start making your eye-catching latte art!
Heart
One of the most basic latte art shapes is the heart. Here’s how to make this design: As you’re pouring the steamed, foamed milk into your espresso, move closer to the cup and shake the pitcher just a little bit until you see a white circle forming at the top. When you notice that the cup is almost full, pour from side to side and through the center into the shape of the heart.
Flower
To make a flower latte art design, start pouring your milk into the cup and when you’re about halfway, gently shake the pitcher back and forth. At the same time use your wrist to move the pitcher backward. This will allow the flower to take up the full space on top of your cup.
Leaf
Similar to making a flower shape, you’ll want to pour the milk in a side-to-side motion, however, you’ll be pouring using this motion from the very start until you start to see the milk appear at the top, creating a pattern. Continue pouring side to side from one end of the top of the cup to the other end and then pour in a quick straight line through the center of the leaf.
Bear
Pour your milk similarly to when you’re forming a heart to form a round form that will serve as the head of the bear. Stop the pour, and then add one more drop of milk to form the mouth of the bear. Use a toothpick to etch out the nose, mouth, and eyes of your bear, and spoon two more drops of milk to form ears at the top of the bear’s head, etching out the inside of the ears with the toothpick as well.
Now that you have a few tips for how to make eye-catching latte art, you’ll find that it’s actually easier than it looks. As with any kind of art, practice makes perfect so keep at it!
