Espresso characteristics that cause jagged latte art edges

Dense jagged patterns along the edge of a latte art design usually trace back to espresso beans that are too fresh. High carbon dioxide content pushes gas into the crema during extraction, leaving it rough, thick, and slow to blend with milk, so the pattern cannot spread evenly when poured.

Milk foam whipped too thin and steaming temperature that runs too high can produce the same look. Resting beans after roast, controlling foam thickness, and managing steam temperature address the espresso characteristics involved. The crema and foam on coffee settle with a short rest, and the jagged edges often disappear on their own.

Almost every barista who has done latte art has encountered the situation where dense jagged patterns appear along the edges of the design—seemingly harmless from a distance, but quite damaging to the aesthetics when viewed up close. The causes of this problem are not singular; the most common one is that the espresso beans are too fresh, with a high carbon dioxide content. During extraction, a large amount of gas is pressed into the crema, making it rough, thick, and poor in fluidity, difficult to blend evenly with milk, thus creating an unspreadable jagged feeling when pouring the pattern. In addition, factors such as milk foam being whipped too thin and milk temperature being too high can also lead to similar phenomena. This article will analyze these causes one by one and provide practical solutions including resting time, milk foam thickness control, and steaming temperature, while combining Front Street Coffee's experience with espresso beans to help readers systematically understand and effectively address the latte art jagged pattern issue.

Regarding the appearance of "jagged patterns" along the edges of latte art designs, almost every barista who has done latte art has experienced this deeply. Many people feel perplexed when encountering this situation, even suspecting that their technique is off that day; however, after some time, the jagged phenomenon disappears on its own.

There are many factors that cause "jagged patterns" in latte art, but the situation most people encounter is actually related to the freshness of the coffee beans. If espresso beans have just been roasted recently, there will be a large amount of active gas inside the beans. When using such beans to extract espresso, the abundant carbon dioxide will be pressed into the crema layer, making the crema of fresh beans look particularly rich. However, the texture of this crema is quite rough, and its fluidity is poor.

During the latte art process, this thick and rough crema is difficult to blend evenly with milk. When pouring the pattern, it feels like the design cannot spread out. Additionally, the rough crema and milk are incompatible, leading to jagged patterns. Therefore, from a distance, the pattern seems fine, but once observed up close, those dense jagged edges are particularly striking.

Coffee beans that are too fresh not only interfere with latte art effects but also affect flavor expression. When the carbon dioxide content in the beans is too high, it inhibits the release of other coffee substances, resulting in espresso with a thin flavor, often leaning toward bitter or sharp acidity.

To solve this problem, the most direct method is to let the coffee beans rest for a period, which is the so-called resting period. Front Street Coffee typically rests espresso beans for about 10 days before use. However, Front Street Coffee has also encountered some espresso beans that require longer resting periods, with some even needing 15 to 20 days, depending on the characteristics of the beans themselves. This is also why some friends feel confused when jagged patterns appear in their latte art, yet even without doing anything, the jagged patterns naturally disappear after some time.

Of course, besides coffee bean freshness, other factors can also cause "jagged patterns" in latte art. Ultimately, it is still because the milk foam and crema fail to blend fully and evenly. A relatively common problem is that the milk foam is whipped too thin, lacking sufficient foam volume to combine with the crema. During latte art, the pattern tends to be unstable, and jagged edges appear.

In addition, milk temperature being too high can also easily cause jagged patterns in the design. Front Street Coffee recommends controlling the milk steaming temperature between 55 and 65 degrees Celsius.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.