# Latte Art - do you?



## Glenn

Latte Art kind of divides the coffee community.

One one side are those that can pour a rosetta and those that can etch.

On the other side are those that cannot even get milk steamed well enough to do either, or do not have the confidence to deliver a consistent finished product.

Preparing your drinks with 'Latte Art' as standard has the potential to set you apart from your competition.

Latte Art 'should not' cost you anything and can greatly add value by creating customer loyalty (but your coffee still has to be good as well as Latte Art is not a replacement for bad coffee!)

Does your cafe have a policy on Latte Art?

Do you personally pour rosettas when your colleagues don't (or can't) ?

If so, does this have an impact on people waiting to be served by you?


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## chrisweaver_barista

Latte art gets me through my day to be honest. When you're in a coffee shop, where you know the coffee goes under appreciated, and the skill of barista can be very under appreciated, and then you pour a fantastic rosetta. It's the one thing where the customer and the barista can really be allied in appreciating the beauty of it.

I know a lot of coffee chains will not allow any latte art, in the same breath that bar managers will not allow bar flairing, but I think if done well, and responsibly, then there's nothing wrong with the lack of repeatibility. It creates an atmosphere with the customers whereby there is a greater bond between them and the barista. There is encouragement and support for the new guys who can't pour so well, and the deserved respect of the people who have put their hours in to learn the fantastic skill.

Of course the rosetta tatooed to my chest might show my level of bias


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## Glenn

chrisweaver_barista said:


> Of course the rosetta tatooed to my chest might show my level of bias


Well it certainly sets you apart.

I have not come across bar flairing in the cafe scene but in nightclubs it is featured regularly.

What sort of 'moves' are (or could be) done for coffee? (without affecting the output and quality)


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## chrisweaver_barista

just simple working flairs, spinning the tamper, flipping the portafilter (with the puck in if you're brave) working with the soft drink bottles (they are glass) and even a nice little move whereby you can throw the pf from behind your back, over the shoulder, and catch









all fun and games !


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## SeamusMcFlurry

I love latte art. I find it helpos to break down the wall between the customer and the barista. Especially working in a train station it's difficult to spark up conversation with someone who just wants to catch a train, but show them some latte art and nine times out of ten they'll stop and chat if they're not in a hurry, or at least crack a smile.

I've also found that it can help develop inter-barista competition within an café. Sincew I've tried it, my co workers have upped their game and the quality of cappuccino and latte milk has soared, as we try to outdo each other!

As for basrista flair, Chris, did you see the guys doing the flair in Copenhagen? They did a bit of a performance on the last day, during the WBC finals. It was amazing. Throwing saucers behind his back and catching them on his arm, etc. The closest I get is spinning the portafilter in my hand lol.


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## ben_drury

I try my best when i can, ive poured a few Rosettas, but at somepoints i feel that im either too tired or in such a rush to get everything done.

I think a good few hours getting some practice in and I could do it second nature!

I've actually landed some pretty good Tulips! On my first go aswell, i was very impressed with myself


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## SeamusMcFlurry

I was taught how to do tulips in Copenhagen (at the workshop), but my milk was, to put it nicely, crap. Totally new milk, machines, and I was shattered and jittery. Not a good combo. I even managed to spill milk all over the floor at one point....hm...

On the other hand my rosettas are pretty nice. And I did a rabbit once, in the top of a macchiato.


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## TimStyles

If I ever walked into a cafe and saw a barista 'flairing', I'm pretty confident I'd walk straight back out again.


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## Hugo

I watched a few of the Russian Coffee in Good Spirits heats in Moscow last year and there was a fair bit of flairing going on. It's an impressive skill, but completely out of place in a barista comp, a little too showoff.... and it adds nothing to the coffee.


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## SeamusMcFlurry

I think a little bit can help bridge the gap between the barista and the customer. Not throwing the portafilter around your head, but little things. Latte art is a fantastic example of this.


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## chrisweaver_barista

I think in a shop a little bit of working flair can give a great show of your experience making coffee, as long as the coffee doesn't get forgotten in the process.

However in competition I agree entirely. During the WBC I think that some of presentations were too arrogant. I enjoyed the more modest, but professional presentations, like Steve's, or Daniel Remhaden.

Good to see you here Hugo by the way









Chris


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## acousticcoffee

i feel it's all about context. free pour latte art is beautiful and shouldn't slow you down (says an amateur) and certainly (IMHO) etching or anything that prevents a drink being served when it's at its best should be dropped from a cafe environment.

however... extra flair has it's place, like trills in a piece of music it can add individuality and an organic element to the 'art' of making coffee - I was amazed the first time i saw someone roll a pf whilst making a drink. it took no time and no thought on the baristas part, just a natural flowing movement as he went to insert, but it looked the dogs bananas. i still can't do this...

also we can learn from great mixologists (like the word) and bar staff. Flair (when done as part of efficient working) can add to the customers experience of buying a drink and further warrant any premium charged whilst also building a relationship leading to repeat custom.

my biggest problem with latte art is most people within the industry can pour or are familiar with it, most people outside have never seen a rosetta... what can we do to change that?


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## chrisweaver_barista

We should all get it tatooed to our chest... like yours truly!

Chris


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## acousticcoffee

my wife would leave me!


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## Glenn

As would mine ...

There are a few pics of Chris's tats floating around cyberspace

Anyway, back on topic

Latte Art creates a great talking point.

You could gain exposure for your cafe by inviting customers to vote for latte art pours that are photographed and displayed in your cafe.

Perhaps have a match the pour to the barista competition where the winner gets free coffee's for a week...


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## Glenn

An example of Latte Art and Etchings from some of the most well known names in the industry...

Latte Art

Etchings


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## adamfahn

My views is - Let's get serving the coffee right and making a good quality drink then worry about farting about for everyday customers. Artistic yes, practical no.


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## chrisweaver_barista

ohh yeh, I don't agree with pouring latte art in bad coffee, but I think if you're coffee is damned good, and the milk is, the extra ten seconds to pour a rosetta certainly does not detract from the practicality or the efficiency of the barista.


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## SeamusMcFlurry

To be honest, I've just found that I do latte art as second nature these days. Not that anyone ever really sees it. It goes straight into a 12 or 16 oz cup, and a lid goes straight on. So unless it's quiet no one ever knows









Mind you, it has had it's advantages. I've served up a couple of bits that looked like aborted fetuses, a penis, and a couple of sperm...latte art in a paper cup ain't easy...


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## ash_porter

I can make something that vaguely resembles the milky way&#8230;well, that or a Rosetta gone wrong


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## LeeWardle

I love latte art. I train it and I think it's a quality indicator (in most cases). There are instances of course where the barista concentrates too much on learning and pouring the art than learning the intricacies of espresso. But generally speaking I would say that's rare.

As for flair, it's a barista's job to work with flair. Throwing porta filters about however is a step too far though.

Bridging the "gap" between barista and customer should be done with your mouth.

Regards

Lee


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## awlred

Latte Art

If you've got your coffee going out at a high quality then there's no reason not to top off a latte or capp with a heart/rosetta/tulip etc. I try and pour latte art aslong as it won't compramise the drink (i.e. I won't try pouring a rosetta on a 21oz Capp[Yes I know thats obcenely huge but my BM won't drop the sizes down])or anything else, its the garnish to the rest of the process; It won't be missed if it isn't there but its deffinatly appreciated when it is.

In my view its the penultimate sense to please. The smell, taste and mouthfeel of a good coffee are all gorgeous, a beautifully poured latte art, in my eyes shows that the barista has done their best to make this drink excellent. Ofcourse the problem is now that some baristi have rated latte art higher than any other part of the drink.

This boils down to a cultural issue partially. People rarely comment on a good coffee, but latte art, especially in starbucks annalogues is completly unexpected and may have never been seen before, people will comment on that, and that reinforced the barista's confidence. But if the espresso underneath is acrid crap then what is the point, and people are less likely to comment.

Flairing

While incredibly impressive; showing the co-ordination of the barista, does nothing for the coffee, and can be frustrating for people who just want their coffee. Personally, anything I do that could be called "flairing" is merely for my benefit as a barista rather than for anyone else to see. I'll flip the PF between my hands to make sure the spouts are clean and toss them between hands to save a second when i'm serving lots of customers, but going for "Cocktail" style flairing is just too much. PFs get cold, things can get knocked over, and I can only imagine the pain of getting smacked in the head with a uncaught PF.

That's just my opinion I could be wrong


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## RolandG

I usual pour hearts in the latte mugs I make. I'm the only one who does - my reasons:

A) practise - I haven't got a machine at home and any skill I can practise whilst I work is good.

B) milk - it means I'm making okay milk - if I start to not pay enough attention to my steaming, and make bad milk, I notice immediately.

C) I can't change the company espresso, but I can make the best of what I have - which means well steamed milk, latte art and good presentation of drinks.

D) Hearts only because I can't practise at home and only on actual customer drinks when at work. I need a home machine


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## jonnie d

Latte art is like your own signature on the customers drink, it sets you apart from the other baristas, creates a good talking point with customers and so many other positives. I work on a very busy coffee bar and we still find the time for latte art on every coffee.

Sometimes a bit of friendly competition between baristas can help to get you through the day, especially when your focussing so much on extraction its a nice visual distraction.


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## CC&E

We feel this always adds value to the 'coffee experience' as a customer. It shows a passion, a care for your craft and (hopefully) a reflection of the respect to a superior espresso that a barista uses. Some chains discourage this for a brand standard purpose. With the introduction of the Flat white to the UK coffee chains, there seems to be a loss in 'awe' for simple designs like the rosetta and the heart. Now competition seems to lie in more wild and memorable designs, or just a notable passion in the barista who's serving you.


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