Is there a coffee more beautiful than one adorned with a great piece of latte art?
Truly great latte art comes with practice, not only with the pouring of the milk, but also with frothing the milk to the right consistency. The first step to milk frothing is to make sure the steaming wand is clean and clear. Pulse the steam a few times to ensure there are no particles in the wand. Next fill you container will milk, turn on the steam, and submerge the wand all the way. Slowly lower to milk pitcher so the wand raises and the milk swirls evenly with a slight hiss. If it violently bubbles and hiccups then you have lowered it too much. Practice makes perfect but you want to steam the milk until it reaches 140-180 degrees fahrenheit. Firmly tap the pitcher on the counter after steaming to break up any big bubbles giving the best consistency.
You're now ready to pour some art! Check out this slow motion video by Dritan Alsela to get a grasp on the movements to create these basic shapes, and practise practise practise!
