Hey Guys

new to the forum. I've been practicing latte art for a few months now and looking for tips for consistent milk frothing/micro foam. Sometimes the milk comes out good enough for me to make a decent design (still practicing) and sometimes I just make marshmallows.

I've posted some pics below. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

it looks better than mine. shame on my latte art

Hey coffeebar,


From what I'm gathering, it's all in the milk.... I just haven't figured it out yet

The dump of foam near the end of a pour indicates too much air, or insufficient integration of the microfoam. Try to be very consistent with the amount of air you add, and work on the roll/swirl. You can sometimes mix microfoam back into the milk by aggressively shaking and tapping the pitcher before pouring as well.

Also, ensure that you are pouring the rosetta from a constant height, sometimes you can unknowingly lower the pitcher spout while tilting it downwards to pour. You can still save a pour even if the milk isn't quite right by altering the height you are pouring from - as soon as it starts blobbing, lift to compensate.

I found that I improved a lot by just "fake pouring" rosettas with plain water into a cup over and over. Carefully watch how consistent the stream is, and ensure that any changes in height are deliberate and controlled.

Hi Jay, I cannot help much here. But Here is a good video to explain on how to make a good latte art Newbie Introduction to Espresso - Latte Art [video]

hope this help

Hey Ryan,

I'm still trying to figure out how to prevent "adding too much air"

I usually stretch the milk, until the jug feels to be about room temp. Then I submerge the tip to try and start the roll/swirl. Here is where I think too much air is being added, as I'm not sure how far in the steam tip should be.

Should I keep it in a spot to hear the "kissing sound" or should it be submerged to keep the roll going or a combo of both?

I see your point about pouring the rosetta from a constant height. A few of my designs have been sinking as soon as I start twerking the milk jug.

Thanks for the reply! Thanks Coffee bar for the video!

A factor here is your equipment and the quantity of milk. It's easier to do a large amount of milk than a little. The temp change is very rapid with 4 oz of milk and I spend only a few seconds stretching, then focus on maximizing swirl. With guests, when I do a large pitcher I can get away with stretching to room temp, then focus on swirl. Everything is slower.

Looking at your picture, it looks like more swirl time, and slightly less stretch will help.

shmakdoz wrote:I'm still trying to figure out how to prevent "adding too much air"

I usually stretch the milk, until the jug feels to be about room temp. Then I submerge the tip to try and start the roll/swirl. Here is where I think too much air is being added, as I'm not sure how far in the steam tip should be.

Should I keep it in a spot to hear the "kissing sound" or should it be submerged to keep the roll going or a combo of both?

Once you feel that enough air has been integrated, submerge the tip deep enough to avoid adding any more.

I just saw you are using a Breville Express. I've never used that machine before, but entry-level machines tend to have a different steaming process than larger ones. Try to find videos of people steaming on that machine, such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdA8lMMD7jc

For micro-foam, you might want to try having the tip near the surface (eliciting the "ch ch ch" sound) for a shorter period of time. That is the portion of the process that injects air into the milk. When I keep the tip near the surface longer, I get drier, stiffer foam. When I keep it there for a shorter period of time, I get wetter, micro-foam. Plunging the tip and swirling/rolling incorporates the foam throughout the milk and brings the milk up to temperature.

Hi Jay,

Finding a few latte art-focused Instagram accounts is a fantastic way to learn how to pour latte art besides just practicing. There are tons out there but a couple of my favorites are @_turner__ and @coffeestation_latteart.

Your microfoam texture looks fairly nice in the pictures, just make sure you're not adding too much texture, especially with rosettas.

Hope that helps...good luck!