LatteArt - Articles and Posts from Slashfood

Posts with tag LatteArt

Latte Art with the CoffeeMeister

Posted Jun 11th 2009 11:00AM by Erin Meister
Filed under: Coffee, How To

Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is the fifth in a series of tips for the caffeine-addicted.

Baristas are getting increasingly used to people describing their morning fix as "too pretty to drink," and not only because it's their first caffeine of the day. Latte art, a particular way a barista will "fold" steamed milk into espresso to create a heart or a leaf-like design called a rosetta on a drink, has been mesmerizing café goers (and even the baristas themselves) for years, but it's still seemingly a work of magic to most.

Well, I don't want to burst any (milk) bubbles, but latte art isn't magic, it's skill -- well, skill and a little abracadabra. The former because it can take months or even years to master the intuitive art of marrying two liquids, and the latter because a great latte artist can disguise not-great coffee under a stylish surface.

A video of how it's done after the jump!

Continue reading Latte Art with the CoffeeMeister

Raising coffee and milk to high art

Posted Sep 30th 2008 9:32AM by Marisa McClellan
Filed under: Coffee

The first time I encountered latte art in person was at Jim and Patty's in Portland, OR. It was December 2004 and I was out in my hometown, visiting my parents. When I visit them, I make a point of slurping down as much good Portland coffee as possible and Jim and Patty's is always one of my favorite stops. I walked up to the counter, ordered a latte and was totally mesmerized as the guy running the espresso machine made the foam resemble a fallen leaf with a couple flicks of his wrist.

These days, there are many people who spend their days elevating the combination of coffee and milk into the highest form of impermanent loveliness. Check out the video above for some amazing work. For more, check out this amazing Flickr set.

[via Food for Thought]

Latte art: Is it the same if it comes from a machine?

Posted Aug 22nd 2008 2:55PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Coffee

The gorgeous, perfect swirls on top of a latte are an art form. It never ceases to amaze me what a good latte artist can make with the sinfully good coffee drink. But just like pretty much everything in history, a machine is here to up the ante.

The Kitchn has posted a look at a latte printer, one that can give you pretty much whatever art you want on your latte -- from crisp lettering to winged horses. While it's certainly a neat idea, it just isn't the same. What's so wow-worthy about a machine that makes the art? The real jaw-dropping comes from the perfection attained by hand.

But what do you think? Weigh in below!

Latte artists in action

Posted Feb 16th 2008 9:30AM by Ellen Slattery
Filed under: Coffee, Newspapers, America, Coffee shops

This weekend, if you're in the D.C. area, you should check out the Millrock Free Pour Latte Art Championship. It's held three times a year and features the best latte artists in the country battling it out for a top prize of $5,000.

The practice of latte art has been going on for years, and is an opportunity for local, independent cafes to distinguish themselves from chains. The precision and careful technique required for each masterpiece is appealing to many customers used to the "get in, get out" mentality and rushed service of larger coffee chains. Coffee art is like mint on your pillow in a hotel or a soft blanket on an airplane, delivered without being asked - nowadays, it's unexpected but greatly appreciated, and denotes an attention to detail that is often missing from our day-to-day life.

Contestants compete in "free pouring," a technique in which a slight maneuver of the wrist can produce museum-worthy rosettas, tulips, and hearts on the surface of the drinks. If done properly, the dark espresso brings out the glossy designs in the crema, producing a stunning effect that is almost too pretty to drink. However, in cafes, the deconstruction of the drink by the act of sipping is part of the fun.

The baristas have five minutes to make up to three lattes using espresso and steamed milk, and are rated on beauty, balance, color infusion, definition, and creativity.

Check out this cool Washington Post video of two guys from an Annapolis, Maryland cafe who demonstrate this unique talent.

Food Porn: Milk meets coffee

Posted Jun 15th 2007 10:12AM by Joe DiStefano
Filed under: Coffee, Dairy, Hacking Food

I've always found l atte art with its hearts, ferns and even lions drawn in steamed milk quite impressive. The photo above takes coffee art into the realm of otherworldly high-speed photography. This surreal shot is from a set called "Milk Meets Coffee" by photographer Irene Müller. I realize that this is a completely different craft than that of the barista, but the medium is more or less the same. Actually, a bit less. Müller used a pipette to carefully add miniscule amounts of milk to the coffee. This particular shot is aptly named Coffee With a "Drop" of Milk.

Stencils to make you into a capuccino master

Posted Apr 15th 2007 9:01AM by Sarah J. Gim
Filed under: Coffee, New Products, Europe

Let's face it. EVen with your $800 espresso machine sitting there gleaming on your countertop, you're never going to as good at making latte art as this guy.

However, with a little help from Stro-design, you might come close. Stro-design is a design company out of Denmark that makes cute stencils that you can use to embellish your capuccino and other foam-topped drinks. You simply place one of the stencils over the cup, dust with cocoa powder, carefully remove the stencil, and voila! You'll have one of the four intricate designs on top.

Okay, so you won't come close to the latte artist, but at least you'll be trying.

Latte Art - Going the extra mile

Posted Apr 13th 2007 11:32AM by Joanne Lutynec
Filed under: Coffee, Trends, How To, Coffee shops

I want a coffee shop in my hometown that does this. Owner and latte artist Aaron Duckworth creates intricate designs on the top of lattes at his coffee shop, Espresso dell'Anatra in Kansas City, MO.

Now understandably, with line-ups out the door at various times of the day, it would be virtually impossible for places like Starbucks to even consider doing something like this to each individual drink. However I think this is kind of what we are all looking for when we make our way into a coffee shop and sink into the over-stuffed chairs, don't you? Not necessarily the art itself - that is just a bonus - but the time and care that is put into each cup of coffee.

According to Duckworth, the espresso temperature and foam have to be absolutely perfect or the designs won't hold, so you know that they have crafted a stellar cup of coffee for you.

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Slashfood Editor	47	0
2	Alexa Weibel	36	2
3	Sarah LeTrent	34	1
4	Monika Bartyzel	22	0
5	Hanna Raskin	22	0
6	Sara Bonisteel	16	0
7	Emily Farris	11	0
8	Jennifer Lawinski	11	0
9	Lisa Schweitzer	9	0
10	Jennifer Iserloh	9	0
11	Kat Kinsman	8	2
12	Michael Thomas Hastings	8	0
13	Mike Pomranz	5	0
14	Joshua M. Bernstein	4	2
15	Erin Meister	4	0
16	Jose Ralat Maldonado	4	1
17	Max Shrem	4	0
18	LeNell Smothers	3	0
19	John Devore	3	0
20	Brent Ridge	2	0

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Latte Art with the CoffeeMeister

Raising coffee and milk to high art

Latte art: Is it the same if it comes from a machine?

Latte artists in action

Food Porn: Milk meets coffee

Stencils to make you into a capuccino master

Latte Art - Going the extra mile

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