Marc wrote:If you have a single boiler machine it is a lot more difficult to do proper latte art, as the milk will rest for about 1min and so have time to separate.

Not always true. I pull my shot first into a nice hot cup. IMHO is the best way to make milk based drinks on a SBU machine (at least my machine). Nice tasty milk will more than make up for any crema dissipation or slight cooling or whatever else you might be worried about with letting the shot sit for a minute or two.

I wasn't refering about the temp lost but more about the fact that the foam is seperating from the milk

I think you misunderstood me. I'm saying I pull the espresso shot first and let it sit while I steam the milk second. So there is no chance for foam separation since you go directly from frothing the milk to your pour.

I'm confused about what you mean by "little milk stream." Pictures!

I can say that from my experience, the height at which you pour is by far the least critical factor. Pouring up high is just for looking cool. Pouring close to the cup is necessary for marking the drink at the end.

I try to offer a lot of advice on latte art because I think it's really cool. My ideas, which I find myself stating a lot, may or may not be good ones. But, when my latte art starts looking "off" the factors I examine are:

Froth volume > how foamy the milk is; "how much volume did I add to the milk?"

Froth consistency > how smooth and incorporated the foam is; "did I get a good roll/swirl?"

Timing > when you add volume is important! "did I increase the volume while the milk was still cool? did I steam too slow, or did I steam way too aggressively?"

I bet you're having a problem with one the first two. If the milk will only let you form a blob vaguely resembling a christmas tree, then you need to add less volume to make it more pourable. (For example when I shoot for a cappuccino froth consistency**, hearts are the only thing I can pour.) If the milk only marks the latte at the last second and can't be shaped well, then the consistency is off and foam is just dumping out at the very end of your pour.

After managing the first two perfectly, my best pours occur when I add foam early in the steaming, but don't force huge amounts of air into the milk too quickly. It's a balance that I still don't understand, but milk does form microfoam the best while still cool.

**A cappuccino might not be the best example since the term is ever evolving. When I make a cappuccino, I want a lot of silky, light froth that sticks to my upper lip and coats my tongue on the first sip. I try to get 3/4" of standing foam after it has settled in my clear cups. My lattes are only defined by the amount of foam that gives me the best art.

ha. we'll turn this into an Idaho thread. maybe it's something about our weather

I was going back and forth this morning about whether to pull the shot or steam the milk first.

I have a lever and it takes a little while to make two shots so I opted to make the espresso first. It did turn out that normally my milk was separating back out while I was making the coffee, making the milk last helped.

There are a lot of great video tutorials on latte art around here. I think the "features" section had a great article that I read a few days ago. I would second the recommendations about frothing pitchers and cups too. The shape of the pitcher, spout, and cup all contribute. I knock mine on the counter (straight up and down) to pop some of the bigger bubbles then pour most of the liquid milk into the cup against the wall as not to disturb the crema too much. When I get down to the microfoam and some liquid then I spin the frothing pitcher a little to re-mix the two together. I also use a wide mouth cup to give myself a little more room. Although I haven't perfected this technique I am making some decent efforts. Good luck!

Hey Matt, thanks. I made some great progress today. It seems that my frothing technique was lacking. I was stretching the milk too much, and polishing too little. Now, I'm moving on to the oscillating and zig zagging stages of latte art. thx again, bz

Take a look at Vibiemme Domobar Super Review, Steaming performance I have a few tips and a video on that page.