How to practice latte art without coffee?

Beginner and pro baristas share tips and tricks for making espresso.
leonelbego
Posts: 166
Joined: 5 years ago

#1: Post by 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
Posts: 17
Joined: 7 years ago

#2: Post by 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.

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Bluenoser
Posts: 1433
Joined: 6 years ago

#3: Post by 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)
Posts: 166
Joined: 5 years ago

#4: Post by leonelbego (original poster) »

Velospresso wrote:Dritan Alsela has a couple of videos on this topic.
Excellent, thank you very much. Will check the link :)

leonelbego (original poster)
Posts: 166
Joined: 5 years ago

#5: Post by leonelbego (original poster) »

Bluenoser wrote: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
Posts: 131
Joined: 10 years ago

#6: Post by cafe102 »

Try soy sauce.

leonelbego (original poster)
Posts: 166
Joined: 5 years ago

#7: Post by leonelbego (original poster) replying to cafe102 »

Oh this could work actually! Have you tried it?

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HB
Admin
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Joined: 19 years ago

#8: Post by 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.
Dan Kehn

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MB
Posts: 792
Joined: 10 years ago

#9: Post by 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.

LMWDP #472

shanewiebeftr
Posts: 112
Joined: 6 years ago

#10: Post by 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.

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