How to practice latte art without coffee?

[leonelbego]

Hi all,

I would kindly like to ask you a question, how could I practice Latte Art without having to make an espresso each time? is there any alternative that can replace the "coffee shot"? I will still steam the milk as usual, but I am finding quite a pain having to waste so much beans and make the coffee all the time only to practice Latte Art.

My current set-up is a GS3 AV and the Ceado E37SD and I am wanting to learn how to make Latte Art, but the waste of beans and the workflow is making the learning process quite a pain.

I would love to hear your opinions etc... and please, I know some of you will say, "do the real deal and make the espresso shot as well".... I know that, but still, I want to see if there is an alternative out there.

Thank you,
Leo

[Velospresso]

Dritan Alsela has a couple of videos on this topic. I remember he used ground coffee to reuse the same steamed milk multiple times. Here's the youtube video :

You can skip the part where he textures the milk using a french press since you have more than enough steaming power.

Also the most impactful aspect on the pour is milk steaming. This is key to have great definition in the cup.

[Bluenoser]

You can also practice steaming water with 2-3 drops of dish soap. Latte Art is impossible if you don't have good textured milk.

This is just one of many videos on topic:

[leonelbego (original poster)]

Dritan Alsela has a couple of videos on this topic.

Excellent, thank you very much. Will check the link

[leonelbego (original poster)]

You can also practice steaming water with 2-3 drops of dish soap. Latte Art is impossible if you don't have good textured milk.

Hi, thank you very much for the feedback. Fortunately I have the steaming part fairly under control and can make very good textured milk. Also, whenever I practice latte art I do it with milk... I'm just looking an alternative for the coffee part not the milk. Is quite a pain having to make a shot every time I practice a pattern :-/

Thanks

[cafe102]

Try soy sauce.

[leonelbego (original poster)]

Oh this could work actually! Have you tried it?

[HB]

See Latte art practice: espresso substitute?

I searched on latte art coffee base to find it. Turns out it was already in the FAQ, too. I thought someone reported using water/cocoa powder, too, but didn't immediately find a reference.

[MB]

So, I put a heaping Tablespoon of instant coffee (purchased specifically for this purpose) in a cup and added 27g of water, then steamed it for both the temperature and "crema" head on top (splashy, so maybe better to do in a second pitcher or coffee mug first). Then steamed the milk. I also tried pouring into room temp soy sauce, but that didn't work near as well.

Here's my first quick try with the steamed instant. It poured pretty similar to espresso FWIW.

[shanewiebeftr]

The instant coffee thing is brilliant. I used to practice with old coffee pucks mixed with water. It gives a little definition but it always looked a bit weird.