Latte Art: What is it and how to do it (A guide for beginners)

Latte art is a delightful and aesthetically pleasing facet of the coffee experience, universally appreciated by coffee enthusiasts. If you're interested in learning how to create your own latte art, we've got you covered!

In this guide, we'll take you on a journey to master the art of creating beautiful latte designs, perfect for beginners. The best part? No need for fancy equipment! With just a few basic tools, you'll be crafting impressive patterns on your coffee in no time.

So, grab your favorite Lavazza coffee and let's dive into the world of latte art. Get ready to elevate your coffee moments with your own masterpiece, one delightful sip at a time.

To make latte art, you'll need the following:

1. Espresso or Base Drink: Start with a rich espresso or other bases like matcha or chocolate, providing robust foundation for your masterpiece. While a professional coffee machine is ideal, a French press or capsule machine will also work.
2. Milk of your choice: Full fat milk or skim are the preferred, but soy could also be used. Other non-dairy alternatives like almond, oat, coconut and other alternatives, make sure you choose one that has been made for barista’s, otherwise they can’t be frothed due to the low content of proteins.
3. Milk steamer or frother: This will help you create the desired texture and consistency for your milk foam.
4. Metal milk jug: Choose a jug or pitcher with a sharp pour spout. As a beginner, you might feel more comfortable using a smaller size that fits well in your hand.
5. Coffee mug: If you want to make the pouring easier, chose a cup with a half-sphere shape.

How to do latte art:

Follow these steps to create your own latte art:

1. Prepare your drink base in the chosen cup.
2. Pour milk into your milk jug: 
   1. If you are using a French press or a milk frother, carefully pour the milk in a milk jug to start frothing. Make sure the milk jug has been heated beforehand, pouring the hot milk in a cold jug will reduce its temperature.
   2. If you are using a steamer, pour milk into your milk jug and start texturing the milk. Adjust the depth and duration of frothing to achieve different thickness: thin milk for flat white, medium for latte and thick for a cappuccino. Medium thickness is to be preferred for latte art.
   3. Pay attention to the milk's surface. Latte foam should be smooth with no bubbles. If it's too thin and resembles regular milk with transparent foam, froth it a bit more. If it's too thick and bubbly, you will need to start again. A trick is to froth the milk at the beginning of the steaming process, when the milk is still cold; start the steaming, lower the just to let air get into the milk (this is called stretching or aeration), repeat this process as much as needed to have enough froth. When the jug becomes warm, raise the jug and finish to heat up the milk avoiding any additional frothing. Air added at this stage will not be absorbed by the milk and will result in bubbles.
3. Once the steaming or frothing is done, gently tap the milk jug on the table to pop any remaining bubbles, then swirl the pitcher until you start pouring to make sure the froth and the milk is well blended.
   
4. Hold the pitcher with your dominant hand and tilt the mug toward it. Pour the milk into the base maintaining a steady flow of pouring of the milk, mixing them together. Don't worry if the pattern isn't showing yet.
5. As you fill about one-third of the mug, lower the jug and start pouring the foam to create the desired design. For beginners, it's recommended to start with a basic latte art pattern like a heart.
   1. How to draw a heart. Start pouring your frothed milk with a steady, decisive pour. When the cup is 1/3 or half full, lower the jug closer to the level of the coffee, nearly at the center of the cup. This will create a circle of milk on the coffee. When the circle is big enough or the cup is nearly full, raise the jug straight up, then move it to the end of the cup. When the jug is high, the milk pouring is thin and this will create the line in the middle of the heart.
6. TIP: If you want to fix a disfigured pattern, use a toothpick to stretch and refine the design.