"latte art" news and stories

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.

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.

Source

A well made piece of latte art is a beautiful thing, but when it's combined with chocolate, it enters a whole new level. Dessert Comes First encountered this divine drink at a coffee shop in Singapore called Bali Blends. Not only do they clearly specialize in the art of coffee making, they carry a variety of bean blends from Indonesia and, in particular, from Bali. Balinese coffee was, until recently, only exported to Japan, but it is now appearing in new markets. The coffee is supposed to have a deep, earthy tone to it, so it is easy to see how it would pair exceptionally will with chocolate.

Source

The other day, as I was writing a post about making your own coffee pods, it occured to me that I've come across quite a few websites and forums for coffee lovers. Here are eight of them. As with any list, I'm sure someone will get left out. By all means, let me know of any other great coffee resources online.

• CoffeeGeek.com - Just what it sounds like. Plenty of consumer reviews, articles and a bustling coffee forum with nearly 20,000 users.
• Coffee Review - Articulate reviews of coffees from around the world as well as a huge reference section.
• CoffeeFAQ.com - Got coffee questions? Here are some answers.
• National Coffee Association of the U.S.A. - Plenty of industry info, stats and trends.
• International Coffee Organization - Wouldn't want to leave anyone out. Plenty of info about global coffee trade.
• Latte Art on Flickr - Plenty of frothy swirls to ooh and ahh at.
• LatteArt.org - An Italian guide to creating your own latte art.
• INeedCoffee.com - Another treasure trove of tips, news and other info.