As you may have noticed, #Coffee Shops are developing more and more in big cities. These establishments are little bubbles that take us on a journey in a simple cup. One morning we go to Japan by drinking matcha tea, the next day we fly to Africa with Ethiopia's famous Sidamo...
But that's not all… These coffeehouses have a unique art that only the most passionate and experienced baristas have mastered… This art fascinates us, surprises us, and delights our students more than our taste buds. ! Of course I'm talking about Latte Art!
We will see what latte art is, the conditions for making extraordinary cups and what are the different latte art techniques that exist. We will also see how to make #Latte #Art at home without professional equipment!
So what is Latte Art?
It is a process consisting of the sublimation of a simple glass. The barista paints a unique and ephemeral picture for each of her clients. Like a painter on a blank canvas, he develops his work from an espresso.
With the help of a milk foam that needs to be perfect, sometimes a heart, sometimes a rose, sometimes a swan is drawn... Creating beautiful cup designs is not for everyone! It takes a lot of patience, work, and high standards, so you have to be a real enthusiast (not to mention liters of milk!).
Naturally, we consider the repeated training of different gestures to perform for each drawing. But before you think about it, the barista should master the two raw materials, coffee and milk.
Two Conditions for a Successful Latte Art
Latte Art is possible only when two conditions are met: a successful espresso and perfectly controlled milk foam.
Espresso
Regarding the first condition, there are a lot of factors that will or will not allow for a successful espresso. The starting point for a good espresso is the coffee itself. It is important to choose the type and origin of your coffee. Certain blends will be more suitable for a fine crema (icing on espresso) necessary for the successful realization of latte art. We usually choose a blend (coffee blend) that consists of a portion of Robusta coffee that tends to provide a more consistent crema.
Subsequent roasting may also affect the consistency and permanence of the cream . Thus, using dark coffee (highly roasted) will produce more crema and thus be more suitable for latte art.
Ideally, the coffee should be fresh and finely ground. The finer the grind, the more interesting it will be to use the cream for latte art. The cream should be light brown, relatively thick, and should remain for a few minutes after extraction.
milk foam
The second essential element that the barista must master in order to make latte art is the quality of the milk foam. Again, achieving the necessary perfection to achieve a beautiful, smooth and creamy milk froth requires substantial technical knowledge and solid knowledge.
You need the right milk to make good milk foam! Some say you don't need to use a particular type of milk and you can froth it with skim milk. However, the composition of skim milk and the composition of whole milk differ greatly. The richer a milk is in fatty acids, the more milk foam that can be obtained is suitable for latte art. For this reason, full-fat and high-quality milk should be preferred.
Once the milk has been selected, the barista must now transform it into a smooth and glossy froth that will transform their espresso into a cappuccino. To do this, it will have previously kept the milk cold for greater viscosity. And this is important because it is this viscosity that will make the foam feel smooth.
Simply put, the milk foam we want to achieve is made up of thousands of tiny air bubbles. These air bubbles must be compressed and bound together by the oils that make up the milk. These oils are more viscous at low temperatures. For this reason, it is necessary to use milk as fresh as possible.
That's why the barista uses the steam nozzle integrated into his professional machine to heat and froth his milk.
He should be able to control the temperature using a thermometer or just the touch. Usually baristas use their hands and place them directly on the pitcher. When the milk is too hot to hold your hand on the pitcher, the temperature is fine and the emulsion should be stopped. Heating the milk too much can make the cappuccino or latte taste unpleasant.
The barista should ensure that the steam nozzle stays just below the surface of the milk while emulsifying. So it will avoid very large bubbles. As the foam builds, you will need to gradually raise your pitcher so that the liquid milk is well below the surface, dipping your steam nozzle a little further into the milk foam. When there is enough milk foam, the barista will stop.
The meeting of espresso and milk foam
Now our barista holds a cup of espresso in her left hand and a jug of milk in her right. Now he must begin the finishing process, which involves pouring the milk foam into the espresso to create the design he wants.
And once again, his experience will change everything. If you've ever tried your hand at latte art, you know that perfecting even a "simple" little heart on the first try is nearly impossible. It takes practice. Lots of practice.