Latte Art, A New Twist On Coffee

By Author: Jamie Hanson
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A coffee drink made from hot steaming milk and espresso shot is called Latte. It is extracted from Italian word "Caffelatte" which means coffee and milk. The beautiful pattern formed on the top coffee layer by pouring frothy milk on espresso shot is called Latte Art. The different pattern that is formed on the surface of resulting latte looks incredibly attractive and shows the baristas actual artistic expertise. It is possible to create different patterns by actually drawing on the top foamy layer. Latte Art is not as easy as it may appear, because the espresso shot and the steaming milk must fulfill certain taxing conditions. Moreover, the pattern on the Latte also depends on the experience of the barista, the espresso machine and last but not the least, Latte Art typically depends on how well the artist pours it!

For this, you must steam milk till you get the required quantity of lather on it. While you pour this steamed milk, the froth part floats over the top of the milk, making two separate layers of liquid milk and froth. Now the most tough part is how you dispense it over the espresso shot. The two need to be ...
... "perfect", that is, the espresso shot and the frothy milk. The latte mug is to be tilted exactly while pouring the foamy milk over the espresso shot to create a special pattern as the foam rises.

An experienced barista will be able to tell you the amount of foam needed to create beautiful latte art. Too much foam will give your coffee a white layer and little foam gives your coffee light-brown homogenous drink with no latte art on it. The milk that you pour to create latte art should be shiny, little thick with tiny little bubbles uniformly distributed. The espresso shot has to be exact too. The time limit for extraction of espresso should be 20-30 seconds. Moreover, you must check the foam on the espresso shot, it must be creamy brown in color. This is nothing but crema. When you decant the foamy milk on this perfect espresso shot, the milk rises and meets the brown foamy layer of the espresso shot, this creates a beautiful pattern in two contrast hues, white and brown.

Rosetta is the most preferred Latte Art which looks like a flower. The latte cup is kept slanted in one direction and due to this skewed arrangement of the latte cup, the foamy milk that is poured, which gathers on one side. Now the barista moves the latte cup side-to-side, simultaneously filling the cup with foamy milk. He or she then finishes the pattern with a quick strike, which makes the stem of the flower. However, one can make amazing patterns on Latte, but your experience and your creativity plays a major role. An experienced hand creates amazing designs. You too can impress your guests with your own unique latte art. Never forget that your espresso shot has to be perfect, your milk froth must be exact and your art of pouring and tilting the latte pitcher must be arty enough to create beautiful latte art.

Want something special on your next Latte? Check out the Latte Art at ratemyrosetta.com and don't miss the Latte Art Gallery Google Gadget!