Does the quality of coffee latte art have anything to do with the cup? What does the quality of coffee latte art have to do with?

We all know that coffee latte art is a popular coffee decoration, and many people in coffee shops can make coffee latte art. There are many styles of coffee latte art, and the patterns are varied, which are very popular among young people. It is difficult to make coffee latte art at the beginning, so does the quality of coffee latte art have something to do with the cup? Let's take a closer look!

What factors are related to the quality of coffee latte art?

1. The oil on the surface of espresso

Espresso refers to the coffee liquid extracted by an Italian coffee machine under high temperature and high pressure. When high-temperature water flows through finely ground coffee beans, the substances in the coffee beans are extracted, including the coffee oil. The properly extracted coffee liquid has thicker oil on the surface and is brown-yellow in color. It is stable and thick, and is suitable for latte art.

So a good cup of espresso is the basis of latte art. To extract good espresso, you need: fresh coffee beans, even coffee powder, powder distribution and pressing that meet standard requirements, sufficient pressure from the espresso machine, and sufficient extraction water temperature. (It’s actually quite a lot.)

2. The thickness and fineness of the milk foam

Good milk foam should have a delicate and shiny surface, with no large bubbles visible at all. If you don’t look carefully, you might think it’s just milk.

The thickness of the milk foam will also affect the effect of the latte art. If it is too thick, the fluidity will be poor, and if it is too thin, it will not blend perfectly with the coffee oil. A good barista needs to heat the milk to the right temperature and make the foam of the right thickness.

When choosing milk, it is best to choose whole milk, which produces rich and dense foam. It is best not to choose skim milk. Although skim milk can also produce foam, it is not dense and not very stable.

3. A cup suitable for latte art

Generally speaking, bowl-shaped cups are easier to make latte art than straight cups. Latte art often changes the inclination of the cup as the milk foam is poured in. The round wall of the cup makes it easier for the milk foam to float evenly and blend with the coffee oil. The wide-mouthed, round-bottomed latte cup is most suitable for latte art.

4. A suitable drawing pot

There are two types of latte art pitchers: pointed and round. Pointed ones are suitable for making more delicate and complex combination patterns, while round-mouthed ones are easier to control flow and velocity and are suitable for heart-shaped patterns.

Detailed steps of coffee latte art

1. Make espresso

Generally, about 10-12g of coffee powder is used to extract about 30ml of coffee liquid on an espresso machine.

2. Make milk foam

There are two key points to pay attention to when making milk foam: one is the angle between the steam wand and the surface of the milk, the other is the temperature of the milk.

Place the steam pipe at the center of the latte art bowl, 45 degrees to the upper right and close to the edge of the steel cup, until the milk just covers the steam head. The correct way to make milk foam should be to make a continuous "chi chi chi" sound. If the sound is very sharp (we call it a pig-killing scream), it means that the steam rod is too deep. If the sound is uneven and "huffing and puffing", it is because the steam rod is too close to the surface and the milk foam will be very rough.

The milk should be allowed to rotate under the action of steam, so that it will slowly expand in volume and be drawn in with coarse bubbles, leaving relatively fine milk foam.

The temperature of the milk should be 68 degrees, which means it will feel hot when you touch the wall of the latte art jar, but it can still be touched for 1 or 2 seconds. (You can use a thermometer to measure it at the beginning, but it is recommended that you still feel the temperature with your hands)

3. Make latte art

The following is an explanation of how to draw a heart shape, because the heart shape is the most basic and the simplest shape in latte art! Once you can make a heart shape, it will be easier to learn other shapes.

Inject at 1/3 of the way, tilt the coffee cup about 30 degrees, and raise the latte art cup 10cm to puncture the coffee oil.

Lower the latte art cup so that it fits against the mouth of the coffee cup. Keep a certain flow rate and swing it evenly with a width of 1 cm to create white spots on the surface.

As the cup is shaken, the shape continues to grow. At this time, please note: Do not move the cup backwards and continue to keep the flow rate swinging at a fixed point.

As the cup becomes full, the coffee cup should be slowly laid flat to prevent overflow. Continue shaking the cup to make the heart-shaped pattern more layered and linear.

When the cup is 90% full, slowly lift the cup, reduce the flow rate, and slowly pour it into the front part of the heart shape. The position of the milk collection line determines the symmetry of the left and right sides of the heart shape.

The moment when the line is wound up is when the cup is full but not overflowing. At this point, the thickness of the milk foam in the coffee cup should be 1-1.5cm, and a beautiful heart-shaped latte art cup is ready.

Several forms of coffee latte art

In a broad sense, coffee latte art refers to all patterns drawn on the surface of latte or cappuccino, including the following:

1. Printing

This method is the simplest and does not require too many skills. You only need the fat to be thick and stable, and the milk foam to be fine and stable. With the help of a mold, sprinkle cocoa powder or powdered sugar on the surface of the coffee to form a pattern.

2. Carving

The carving is not done in one go, but first pour milk foam into the coffee to form a rough shape, and then you can use a latte art needle or chocolate syrup to draw patterns on the surface of the coffee.

This is a relatively simple carving method. Pour the milk foam into a rough circle, then use chocolate syrup to draw lines, and finally use a latte art needle to spin in circles.

There are also slightly more complex carvings. The cat face is a directly poured shape, while small details such as facial features, claws, etc. are all made using carving needles.

3. Latte art

Different from carving, latte art is usually poured directly, and all the patterns are formed at one time. I think this method is the most difficult and requires a lot of practice.

The simplest and most common heart and leaf shapes in latte art (of course, there are many types of heart shapes and leaves, and each leaf and each heart shape is unique):

Of course, there are more complex graphics: these require very precise control of the flow rate and direction of the milk foam.