Latte art is the best expression of blending hot milk and espresso. At Front Street Coffee, when making milk coffee, there are always customers who request latte art. So, in latte art,steaming milk is crucial. Only by creating smooth-textured milk foam can the flavor of milk coffee be fully expressed. Today, Front Street will teach everyone how to steam milk and some simple latte art patterns.
How does Front Street Coffee choose?
Front Street Coffee has chosen a blend as the espresso offering for the shop. Currently, they are using a blend of Front StreetSherry barrel-processed coffee beans and Front Street sun-dried Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Plan coffee beans.
Coffee Bean Name | Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Espresso Blend |
Blend Bean Source | Front Street Honduras Sherry Barrel, Front Street Yirga Red Cherry Plan Sun-Dried Process |
Cupping Flavor | Vanilla, cream, fermented wine aroma, citrus, chocolate |
Extraction Parameters
Coffee Powder Amount | 14.5 grams |
Coffee Liquid Amount | 20 grams |
Extraction Time | 28 seconds |
How does Front Street Coffee steam milk?
1. Milk Pitcher and Milk Amount
If your milk pitcher is 450ml, then you can use about 200-250ml of milk; if the milk pitcher is 500-650ml, then the milk amount is about 300-350ml.
2. Open the Steam Wand to Purge
Before steaming milk, purge the steam wand to release condensed water inside the steam tube.
3. Milk Pitcher Placement Angle
Place the steam wand's steam tip at the 2-3 o'clock or 9-10 o'clock position. Insert the steam wand tip into the milk at about 2/3 depth—not too deep, and do not touch the walls or bottom of the pitcher; also not too shallow, otherwise large bubbles will continuously form on the surface.
4. Milk Texturing
Pull surface air into the milk to create foam. At this point, you will hear a "hissing" sound of air intake (if you hear a piercing screech or no sound after opening, it means you are not in the texturing process).
5. Creating Microfoam
Use the vortex to eliminate coarse bubbles and separation. By adjusting the angle between the steam wand and the milk (not the contact point), make the milk form a 【vortex】 in the pitcher. Through the 【vortex】, the foam produced during texturing is stretched and torn apart—coarse bubbles break down into fine bubbles, and the upper foam blends with the lower milk.
Stop the 【texturing】 process at the right time. After the milk reaches 55-65°C, turn off the steam and remove the steam wand.
6. Tap the Pitcher After Steaming
The purpose is to break the remaining coarse bubbles on the surface of the foam, making the surface look smoother and finer.
How does Front Street Coffee do latte art?
1. Heart
① Lower the milk pitcher close to the cup and start pouring from the center of the liquid surface.
② While keeping the left-hand cup upright, increase the flow rate with the right-hand pitcher and slowly straighten it. At this point, you will see the foam float on top and slowly form a circle that gradually expands.
③ When the cup is nearly at 180°, the foam circle is already formed. Raise the pitcher in place while reducing the flow (be careful not to raise and push forward at the same time). Use the downward impact of the flow to push the upper coffee liquid down. At this point, you will see a heart-shaped indentation appear in the original circle, and the flow from both sides converges toward the center.
④ Once the heart-shaped indentation appears, you can push forward, and the pointed tail of the heart will come out.
⑤ A solid heart is thus born.
2. Leaf
1. First, fully blend the milk and coffee liquid. Move the latte art pitcher from the center of the cup backward while swaying to create an onion-heart pattern until the cup is 80% full, then stop pouring milk.
2. Rotate the cup 180 degrees, then slightly tilt your cup. Place the milk pitcher at the back of the original pattern and begin pouring milk.
3. Start pushing forward to create a round arc, then a second, third—raising the angle to form a heart. Pull all the lines to finish, and the reverse-push pattern is complete.
3. Tulip
1. Blend the milk and coffee well.Find the center point of the cup, bring the pitcher close to the cup, and increase the flow to maximum until a white ball appears on the coffee surface, then stop pouring.
2. The second pour point should be slightly further back. Pour with a large flow rate, and stop pouring when a white ball appears.
4. Repeat step 3 several times to make a tulip.
5. After the last heart appears, raise the angle and reduce the flow to a thin stream, and draw it out in a straight line.
For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee: kaixinguoguo0925.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
