Latte Art Series: 3-stop tulip

After a record-breaking roasting week last week (over 1300 Lbs!) I am back to a semi regular work day here at the roastery. I'd love to write up a how-to or at least an intro to latte art; until then, I'll post some different latte art designs and how to achieve them.

Today I'm going big with a 3-stop tulip / heart design:



Stop-pour is quite literal: you stop pouring milk at a certain point, then resume, causing a break in your design. You'll notice 2 breaks in the design where there are more dominant hues of the crema between the 3 parts of the design. This pour is unique in that there was very little shake in the pour (which is usually done to create "leaves" for the tulip / rosetta design, as can be seen in the middle part of the design. The heart on top was created by simply pouring in one spot. To end the pour, a very thin stream of milk is pulled through the center of the design to create the final look.

Painting with Milk

I'ts all about presentation when you're serving up a delicious espresso libation. This starts with a clean cup, a perfectly extracted shot of espresso, silky steamed microfoamed milk, and a perfect pouring of the milk into the espresso. This is no easy task to master, these examples were taken a YEAR after I started training as a barsita.

Some argue the necessity for latte art. Yes, it is but an aesthetic addition to a beverage, but it also shows that the barista has had some training; and that separation between white foam and the brown crema of the espresso shows the correct amount of microfoam made it into the cup.