What You Need to Start Doing Your Own Latte Art at Home

The harder you practice, the better you'll get.

Latte art is incredibly pretty and looks very good in pictures, it’s no wonder it quickly became a must on almost every person’s profiles and stories on Instagram. If you’ve ever seen how it’s done, you’d have noticed it’s a mesmerizing practice to watch. However, transforming your little cup of coffee into a canvas full of beautiful designs requires practice, precision, and hard work. Are you interested? Then keep reading to learn what you need to start improving your skills and make latte art at home!

You don’t need to be a professional barista at a fancy coffee shop to begin your own journey through the world of latte art. Actually, practicing at your place, serving cool coffee art for your friends and family might be an excellent way to start. You can do it in your free time and fail as many times as you need before mastering the process. You can also consider it a form of meditation since you need to stay focused and relaxed.

What is latte art made of?

So the first thing we need to learn is the essential elements you’ll need to create latte art. Of course, if you want your cup of coffee to taste just like it does in the cafés, then you’ll have to brew espresso. Besides, espresso works better for latte art because regular coffee is not strong enough to cut through the milk. Here are some ways in which you can have your own espresso without buying an expensive espresso machine.

The second thing you’ll need is microfoam steamed milk. This is the tricky part because ideally, you’d need to put your milk through a process called denaturing; this means adding steam to the milk and then rapidly heating it to change its composition, giving it some texture and making it sweeter. After that, baristas pour the steamed milk in a specific way, so the milk drains first and finishes with the foam, providing them with what they need to create the design in your coffee cup.

Making the foam

Making a good foam will be crucial for you to get your latte art just right. For this, many baristas use a milk steamer, but since we’re trying to do things as low-budget as possible, we’ll give you a different alternative. In this case, all you need is a small handheld milk frother, a small metal pitcher with a pointed spout, whole milk, and a ceramic coffee mug. The steps to make a heart shape latte art go as follow:

1. Heat your whole milk to between 140-160°F. If you’re using a microwave, put the milk in a microwaveable bowl or container, heating in 30-second increments until you reach the desired temperature. You could also heat the milk on the stovetop using a thermometer to check the temperature.
   
2. Transfer the milk to your metal pitcher.
   
3. Place your milk frother in your pitcher so that it’s almost touching the bottom of the pitcher.
   
4. Froth milk according to your model’s instructions and recommendations.
   
5. Once finished, tap your pitcher on the counter and swirl the milk gently to get rid of any big bubbles.
   
6. With your espresso in your ceramic mug of choice, begin pouring milk from your pitcher into your mug. Start by pouring high and tilting your coffee mug (at about a 45° angle) as you pour a very thin stream of milk into the center of your cup.
   
7. Once the cup is about 80% full, lower the pitcher to just above the surface. Use your wrist to move the pitcher back and forth, so the milk begins making ripples.
   
8. To finish, slowly tilt the pitcher back towards you, drawing the steam back through the center of your heart.

Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out the first time. Creating coffee art is a complex process that demands a lot of patience and perseverance. Nevertheless, learning is a lot of fun! You can create your own designs or look for new tutorials on the Internet. And if you want to get inspired, check out this article on That Coffee Roasters’ blog to discover some of the best baristas and latte artists out there!

Source: Contigo.

What do you love the most about latte art?

---

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters