I love art. I love lattes. This one was, therefore, a no-brainer.
It also seemed like something that would be pretty easy for me because I'm good at drawing, musical instruments and video games. 20 cups later, I discovered there is quite an art to pouring latte art - at least artfully.
It started with the folks at the DUMBO General Store, who were kind enough to lend me their facility, a lot of coffee and milk and two kind baristas: Brett Saxon (who is also a great singer/song writer) taught me, and Kacey Markovitz shot the video and provided moral support through cup after cup of failed attempts.
In lesson 1, I learned how to make a latte the right way, from loading and pulling the shot to steaming the milk and cleaning the machine with each use. I won't go into all the details, but just make sure you have micro foam (don't let the milk sit and clump).
In lessons 2 - 30, I practiced pouring the foam and milk into a cup with the hope that it would make a heart or rosetta pattern. (Note that some make latte art by drawing patterns on the foam, but that wasn't the challenge here.)
It seems simple. You just: 1) tilt the cup, 2) pour with the pitcher high at first, 3) then lower it, 3) pour from the center, 4) then draw the pitcher to the cup edge gradually, 4) wiggling it gently left to right, 5) and finishing it off by pulling the milk across the design.
I tried it righty and lefty with the same results...
Twenty cups of crap-looking lattes that tasted amazing.
Eventually, Brett let me practice pouring water into an empty cup. This did the trick. I figured out the right speed and pattern for pouring. After that, I actually made a couple patterns that resemble latte art!
Enjoy the video. And thank you again to the folks at DGS for this one!
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