How to draw on coffee? Latte art: training, stencils

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Each era has its own distinctive features: somewhere great artists appear, somewhere legendary musicians glorify their name, and somewhere real professionals achieve great results. The overseas word "barista" literally 5 years ago was not yet known to a simple layman. And today he can show how to draw on coffee.

A little about the profession and art

In Italy, local residents created a separate culture of coffee several centuries ago, but the profession itself - coffee bartender - appeared relatively recently - about 50 years ago. Who is a barista? This is a professional coffee bartender who prepares all types of espresso, including lungo and ristretto, as well as all types of coffee drinks and cocktails (cappuccino, machiatto, latte and coretto).

How to draw on coffee? A professional barista will say, "Very simple." The art of drawing on coffee has appeared quite recently, and in order to master it perfectly, it is not at all necessary to complete professional courses.bartender.

Professional requirements or what a coffee bartender should be able to do?

An interesting feature: in Italy, most often men become baristas, since latte art requires the greatest skill honed over the years, but in the domestic restaurant industry, ladies become coffee cup decorators.

Coffee bartender is not just an attractive appearance and the ability to create unpretentious squiggles. The profession has special requirements that a real barista must fulfill:

• Know thoroughly the rules and techniques of making espresso, its varieties and coffee-based drinks.
• Great understanding of coffee, how to grow it, varieties and features of preparation.
• To master the gourmet's flair to perfection - to be able to determine the type of coffee from half a sip.
• Know how to make the most delicious coffee in the world, as well as draw unimaginable patterns and unsurpassed patterns on the foam.

To create a small masterpiece that will disappear with the visitor's first sip, the master hones his art for hours, or even weeks, tries, experiments and enjoys the amazing result. Understanding how to draw on coffee is not difficult. It is much more difficult to put theory into practice.

Master class from a real "barista"

Latte art - the art of creating patterns on coffee foam - requires a certain level of skill and skill. Any beginner can draw a simple heart, andhow to create three-dimensional images or drawings with small details - you need to learn this.

First of all, you need to whip the milk well and pour it into the espresso correctly. The image itself is created in two ways:

1. Regular drawing with a toothpick.
2. Infusion of frothed milk in a special way.

In one case or another, a wide variety of patterns are created on the surface of the drink, ranging from simple figures to true masterpieces of coffee painting.

Drawing technique

There are several of them, but to perform any of them, you should know a few secrets that will allow you to achieve an excellent result. How to draw on coffee:

• You need to create a thick base for the image (cappuccino or espresso).
• Use high fat cream. They should not be whipped for a long time - a slight thickening will be enough.
• It is recommended to whip cream in a special pitcher. The device was created specifically for latte art and, thanks to its design features, allows you to create great drawings.
• For best results, sprinkle cocoa powder on the surface of the drink.

These small but very important secrets form the basis of coffee art. Everything else is a skill honed over the years.

How to draw on coffee?

There are several basic techniques that are usedto create original decorative elements on the coffee surface. These are the basics of art that even a novice barista can master.

• Pitching. This is the main and most difficult drawing technique. To create it, a special stainless steel pitcher is used - a pitcher. With it, you can draw a heart or a "rosette" - this is the base of latte art.
• Etching is a technique derived from pitching. For drawing, not only a special jug is used, but sticks, toothpicks or skewers, which allow you to create more detailed images.
• Mixed media - the name speaks for itself. It is a combination of the above two techniques. A distinctive feature is the ability to decorate the picture with cinnamon, syrup or chocolate.

Art is developing rapidly. Currently, there are special courses that provide latte art training and today various competitions and competitions are held in this area, where professional baristas demonstrate their skills.

Stencil and 3D painting technique

This is the simplest technique for drawing a pattern on the coffee surface. To create a pattern, special stencils for latte art are used, with which you can make complex and detailed images. The technique is available even to an unprepared beginner - stencils are commercially available. Having tried several times to create original drawings on coffee foam foam, you can surprise your family and friends with an unusual drink decorated withwhimsical decorations.

3D technique is the most spectacular and impressive way to create a picture. Barista from Japan Kazuki Yamamoto has achieved the greatest skill in this area of art. It easily creates unbelievably voluminous and lifelike images of whipped cream that you can't take your eyes off.

From simple to complex

Everything is clear with the theory. It remains only to put the knowledge into practice and figure out how to make drawings on coffee. It is worth recalling once again about the pitching technique - the basis of all the basics - and about the two main shapes - the heart and the rosette. To get a simple floral pattern, you need to whip the milk in a special jug and carefully pour it into the espresso, while rocking the pitcher from side to side. This is necessary in order to obtain petals of various sizes. The coffee cup must be held at an angle - this is necessary so that the coffee foam does not fall. At the very end, all that remains is to pass a thin stream of milk - a stalk of "rosette".

Drawing a heart is even easier. To do this, you need to direct the milk flow to the center of the cup, and then, swinging the pitcher from side to side, form a small circle. After filling the cup, lift the jug and cross out the circle along the diameter with a small stream of milk. So the circle is slightly extended in the direction of the last movement and a charming heart is created.

Latte art is art in its truest manifestation, which is perfectly mastered by professional baristas. However, to create small masterpieces cananyone who wants to touch the art of coffee.