Latte art seems deceptively simple, doesn’t it? Almost two years ago, fueled by enthusiasm and perhaps a touch of naiveté, I dedicated an entire afternoon to crafting lattes. Fifty lattes later, made on my trusty home espresso machine, I thought I was making progress. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and the desire for dedicated practice returned, stronger than ever.
This time, however, I decided to level up my practice environment. Trading my home Rancilio Silvia for a professional-grade La Marzocco machine in the Modernist Cuisine lab’s break room kitchen was a game changer in terms of speed and capability. The sheer power of professional equipment, exponentially more advanced than my home setup, shouldn’t be underestimated when pursuing latte art perfection.
Yet, despite the upgraded machinery, achieving latte art that rivals what a seasoned Seattle barista casually pours – perhaps even blindfolded – still feels like a distant goal. While this session was intended for focused improvement, the results weren’t exactly Instagram-worthy. In a misguided attempt to conserve premium beans, I swapped my familiar Espresso Vivace beans and precise grind setting for a generic, commodity bean. Adding insult to injury, I also exchanged my usual whole milk for 2%. This cascade of substitutions completely derailed my established routine. All the subtle timings, auditory cues, and ingrained instincts honed during countless mornings of latte making vanished. My well-intentioned effort to avoid wasting “good beans” backfired spectacularly. It took nearly thirty lattes just to recover some semblance of control, and even then, the results were far from impressive.
Despite this humbling experience, I’m pleased to note that the overall quality of my everyday latte art has been gradually improving over the past couple of years – slowly but surely progressing beyond even the mediocre level captured during this particular practice session. But it’s abundantly clear that the journey to consistently beautiful latte art requires significantly more practice and a profound respect for the delicate balance of ingredients and technique, something that Seattle’s top baristas clearly understand intimately as part of their renowned Seattle Food and coffee culture.
And no, I definitely did not consume all fifty of those practice lattes.
