Here’s a secret – latte art is pretty straightforward. Is it easy? No way. Does it take months or years of practice to “perfect?” Yup. Can it even be perfected? Nope. Think of latte art like playing the clarinet. I have an idea of how one works, sure. But when I play it I sound less like Brahms Clarinet Sonata No. 2 and more like a cartoon donkey’s bray.

This is all to say, some conceptually simple things are a bit more difficult to pull off. Still yet, I hear frequently from guests in the shop wondering what kind of magic is responsible for making bright white lines appear amid a sea of caramel foam. So let’s take a moment to break down what latte art really is and how it’s made. Maybe you aren’t going to change career paths and become a barista, but hey, it’s fun to know how stuff works, right?

What is Latte Art?

Latte art can be a bit of a misnomer, particularly since it isn’t always created in a latte. And there’s that whole “what is art?” thing. But in practical terms, let’s consider latte art to be steamed milk poured as some design into a cup that holds espresso. It also goes by the name “free pouring,” but that’s mostly to discern latte art from designs created by stencil or etching.

Does it mean my drink tastes better?

Big no on that one. It’s an aesthetic enhancement – pure and simple. You can have some real baller latte art in a terrible drink, or get a life-changing experience from a beverage with no “art” whatsoever. But the existence of latte art can tell you a thing or two about how your drink was created. It communicates that the barista has received at least a basic level of drink-prep training, and they’ve steamed the milk to some range of texture capable of producing latte art. But always allow taste to be the ultimate factor, no matter how elegant or impressive latte art is.

Milk Steaming 101

I can’t stress enough how important proper milk steaming is to pouring latte art and making great drinks. It’s not the sexy part of latte art, but it’s critical to practice sound technique if you want to excel in making delicious beverages.

Start with a chilled steaming pitcher and cold milk. The low temperature helps keep your milk and pitcher clean and safe, but also extends the steaming time before the milk heats to the desired temperature (i.e., you have more time to perfect your milk texture). Purge your steam wand of any collected water or milk residue and now we’re off to the races!

Submerge the steam wand into your milk pitcher and activate steam pressure. Gently begin to pull down on the pitcher and watch the steam wand appear just slightly, rising above the surface of the milk. You’ll hear a crackling noise as air gets pulled into the milk, and if your hand is touching the side of the pitcher you’ll notice an increase in temperature. How long this lasts really depends on the desired outcome and the volume of your beverage, but 4-10 seconds is a good guide.

Now tilt the pitcher slightly and wait for a swirling motion to appear in the milk. This is called a vortex, and will be accompanied by a low, rumbling noise. With practice you’ll get an idea of when to stop this step, then deactivate the steam pressure and remove the pitcher from the steam wand and clean the steam wand with a towel and purge it of excess milk residue.

Finally, swirl the final product in the pitcher. It should appear smooth with a glossy shine. Vigorously swirl the pitcher to integrate the top layer of milk foam with the rest of the milk body. If you notice any large bubbles, tap the pitcher on the counter to release trapped air in the milk.

Are We Finally Pouring Latte Art?

Okay, and now for the fun part. Latte art may take many forms, but it’s typically based on the same three basic designs: the heart, tulip and rosetta (the fern leafy thing). There are other designs, but for the most part they’re just combination of these three elements.

Start by creating a base. Tilt a cup of espresso toward the pitcher and begin pouring with a high, thin stream. The idea here is to make the milk dive beneath the surface of the espresso. Too forceful and the milk will wash out, rising unpredictably from the espresso. Too thin and it may not appear at all, or start to bubble.

Continue to pour milk into the center of the cup until the cup is roughly half full. At this point, move the pitcher close to the cup, lowering the spout so that it is as close as possible to the liquid. A small white dot should start to emerge.

How to Pour a Heart

Continue pouring into the center of the dot until the drink is almost full. The dot should increase in size. You can manipulate the shape and texture by slowly wiggling the pitcher from side to side. When the cup is nearly full, raise the pitcher and pour a thin, high stream once again. Lastly, pull through the design to sculpt the finished heart.

How to Pour a Tulip

Create the white dot in the center of the cup. Now stop pouring. Pull the pitcher away from the cup, then dive back in right behind the first dot. Another white dot will appear. Stop again. Create more white dots as desired until the cup is nearly full. Raise the pitcher and pour a thin, high stream, then pull through the design to drag the white dots, making them resemble leaves of the tulip.

How to Pour a Rosetta

Once again, create the white dot in the center of the cup. Now begin to wiggle the pitcher from side to side (just like with the heart). Now start to move the pitcher toward the back of the cup. The design at this point will start to resemble a zig-zag line. Stop when the cup is nearly full and raise the pitcher to pour a thin, high stream. Lastly, pull through the design, closing the zig zag lines to reveal the leaves of the rosetta.

And that’s it! Now just practice these pours a few thousand times and you’ll be a pro! Just remember that everyone is so terrible when they start practicing latte art, and it is in no way an indicator that a drink will taste better than one without a fancy design. It’s an aesthetic. One that should be appreciated in the right context, for sure. But nothing beats flavor.