Do you dream of being a barista at home? Making your favorite coffee drink and then finishing it with an impressive piece of art?
You can make latte art! This skill isn’t just for professionals. With some patience and practice, you can make beautiful latte designs using steamed milk every day in your kitchen.
Here are step-by-step instructions for making latte art at your home.
1. To create a soft microfoam, steam or froth 6-8 oz milk
For tips on steaming milk, see our detailed guide. You may not be able to get the silky texture that you need for latte art if you don’t own a steaming brush. Once you have steamed your milk, place the steaming pitcher on top of the milk and stir the milk to break down any bubbles.
2. Start your pour.
Place your pitcher so that it pours towards the cup’s edge. Tilt the cup slightly toward the pitcher. It is important to control the pour speed and height. To ensure that the milk does not sink to the bottom of your espresso, start a few inches above the cup. Move the pitcher closer to your cup until it is about half full. Then raise the speed until you see white foam on top. Depending on the design you choose, your instructions may vary slightly. For beginners, we recommend starting with the heart or rosetta designs.
How to make a Latte Art Heart
To create a heart, pour more foam into the cup. Once the circle is about 60% of the drink’s size, raise the pitcher slightly and then draw a line around the circle to create a heart.
You’ll soon be able to gauge how quickly you can pour milk with regular practice. It is important to pour it slowly, ensuring that the coffee surfaces are uniform. You can begin drawing once the cup has reached 60-70%.
How to make a Latte Art Rosetta
You can create a rosetta by starting your pour at about 3/4 of the cup’s end. Once the foam has formed on top of espresso, you should gently wiggle the pitcher. Allow the movements to come from your wrist and not your hand. A little movement will produce the curves you want in your rosetta. Slowly, while still wiggling the pitcher, move it back until you reach the cup’s end. Next, lift the pitcher and draw a thin line across the middle of the design.
Latte Art without a Steaming Wand
We mentioned that it is difficult to achieve the perfect texture for latte art without a steaming wand. While other methods of frothing milk may produce nice-tasting foams, they are less likely to separate from the liquid milk. You may find that the foam appears as a large glob after you have poured the liquid milk. This can be avoided by using a few tricks.
First, don’t overfroth your milk. This can cause dry foam and a poor pouring experience.
To create a consistent texture, tap the steaming pitcher on the countertop and swirl the milk. To mix the milk further, some baristas suggest pouring it from one pitcher into another.
Do not pour too fast or you could leave thick foam behind in your pitcher
You can “Cheat” with a toothpick after pouring.
To preserve your handiwork, pour your latte art into your Ember Mug2. The milk foam will dissipate as it cools so temperature control can help preserve the milk’s texture. If you prefer plant-based milk for your latte art, check out our Best Non-Dairy Milk for Coffee.