What exactly is latte art, which goes by names such as coffee designs, coffee art and barista art. However, what it really is, is steamed milk that is passed right through espresso, which is then used to make patterns. That is the short answer, but the long answer may be something you want to learn more about, and you can by reading the rest of this article.

1. How is it made

Latte art started to become popular back in the 80s. However, only baristas who held a certain rank could make coffee art. The whole things started with an espresso shot, as well as steamed milk.

As time went on, coffee technology improved and baristas started to learn how to use steamed milk with traditional Italian espressos. This basically allowed baristas to create a sweet tasting drink. It also led to the production of micro-foamed milk. Best to use freshly roasted green coffee beans, that will make the art easier.

Baristas eventually figured out that patterns could be made. They actually found out by accident, thanks to the new technique. As time went on, techniques became better and more improved and now many people judge baristas on their ability to make latte art, which there are two main forms of it, with one being free pour art and the other being etching.

2. Free pour

This type of coffee art is quite technical. People will need to pour milk from a jug and right into a cup of coffee. The person will need to do some wrist and hand movements in order to shape how the milk goes into the coffee.

This type of art will require a person to have good hand dexterity, and they need to have patience, as they will need to perfect the art form. In matter of fact, a person will likely have to make hundreds of cups of coffees before they master free pour. Even though it takes patience and time to learn this, it is worth it because coffee will taste that much better. Heart and Rosetta are the two most basic forms of free pour art, and the most advance ones are the Swan, as well as the Wave Tulip.

3. Etching

This type of art form doesn’t require a lot of technical skills, which are needed for free pour art and you don’t need freshly roasted and ground green coffee beans. However, a barista will need artistic talent, as it is required in order to draw on coffee with objects such as a toothpick. A barista will use such an object to draw images in the coffee. These images can be anything, including anime characters, faces, portraits, animals, and pretty much anything else you can think of, and this is why baristas need to have great art skills.