Today, Front Street is here to share a new basic latte art pattern—the "leaf"! This time, the leaf pattern is almost identical in method to the layered heart, both are formed by swinging the milk pitcher at a constant speed to create regular, symmetrical lines. If you've already mastered the layered heart, then the leaf is a piece of cake.

What are the differences between making a leaf and a layered heart?

Of course, from the results, the layered heart and the leaf are completely different patterns, so it's important to note the differences in the process of making these two designs.

The first point is that the pouring point is different. For the layered heart latte art, the pouring point is at the 1/4 point near the side of the milk pitcher, which makes the entire pattern fuller and centered. For the leaf latte art pattern, the pouring point is at the center of the liquid surface. If you use the same pouring point as the layered heart, the entire leaf pattern will be offset toward the top.

The second point is that making a leaf involves a backward swinging motion, which is opposite to the layered heart's in-place or forward swinging motion. It is precisely this change in motion that distinguishes the leaf from the layered heart as two completely different patterns.

Steps for leaf latte art

The leaf, like the layered heart, belongs to the etched pattern category, so both the milk foam and the coffee crema need to be in a relatively thin state with good fluidity. For example, milk frothed from 5/10 full to 6/10 full foam is just right.

First, incorporate until the cup is 6-7/10 full, then pour from the center point, swinging the milk pitcher rhythmically to create lines just like making a layered heart. At first, don't rush to move backward—stay fixed at the center point and swing back and forth. Slowly rotate the cup back with your left hand, allowing the entire pattern to flow back and form an enveloping shape.

Then, with your right hand holding the milk pitcher, slowly swing backward at a steady speed. When moving backward, you can raise the pitcher spout slightly to avoid the milk foam piling up and forming a clump. The height should be controlled at about 0.5-1cm. If it's too high, it will wash away the white milk foam and form a thin, ugly stem

When you're almost back to the edge of the cup, it's time to start the finishing move. When finishing, don't rush to lift up and pull forward. The correct approach is to first lower the pitcher spout, pour out more white milk foam to form a small heart at the end, then raise the pitcher spout and pull forward to finish.

Below are some common mistakes specific to the leaf pattern

The first one is not waiting for the etched pattern to flow back and wrap around before directly moving backward, which makes the pattern look top-heavy and not very aesthetically pleasing.

The second one is that when swinging the pitcher backward, the swing amplitude becomes smaller and smaller, so the lines formed while moving backward don't spread out and become very narrow, looking bottom-heavy and top-light, which is not very aesthetically pleasing.

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