You’ve all seen the amazing patterns that appear on cups of coffee all across the world. Flowers, hearts, and countless other patterns and words on show.
But how are they made? The basic requirement is a steady hand, and a frothy drink – so espresso fans may struggle a bit!
Stencils
Having a range of stencils on hand is a very easy way of making an ordinary coffee that bit more exciting.
Cappuccinos and Lattes are great for the art work, as it can really stand out and make the coffee that much more inspiring. Hold the stencil about an inch above the top of the froth (making sure it doesn’t make content, or the froth will disappear quickly), and use a shaker with chocolate powder to create a thick and evenly covering.
Freehand
A more advanced technique, so don’t expect to get it perfect straight away, it takes a great deal of time practising and practising to make sure that you don’t shake too fast, or move too far, and different heats of foam will re-act differently – unless you have a real coffee addiction!
To begin, froth up to make a latte as normal, but only fill it up to from the bottom of the cup, before either shaking the pitcher with froth in back and forth, whilst moving the jug further to one side (to create a flower) or keeping shaking the pitcher back and forth, whilst keeping it in the same place to make a heart.
To write in the foam, there are a couple of different ways – the first being to use an item such as a pin-head to drag the foam around to make the desired words or shapes (great for Cappuccinos as it’ll create a lighter space), or by dipping it in melted chocolate to make a darker area (more suited to lighter Lattes)
Photo Courtesy of Journeys Coffee
Originally posted on November 2, 2010 @ 9:30 am