Latte art guide

This is a new blog and if you have found yourself here because you read all the advise at coffee geek, home barista and watched the same youtube videos on how to pour latte art a thousand times. So here are my quick instruction on how to steam milk and pouring latte art.


First some things you need

1. Don't use a ridiculously large pitcher, keep it small no bigger than 20oz, even better use 12oz. The shape of the pitcher isn't too important. It also needs to be steel.
   
2. More importantly for latte art get a pitcher with a fine tipped spout. google for photos.
3. A machine that can produce a good strong pressure that swirls the milk around. If your machine is cheap like mine get a stove top steamer from Canada. Most cheap machines make reasonable good espresso, but the steam is pathetic.

Steaming milk- I suggest you read coffee geek for an to depth guide but here are the key points you try when steaming milk

1. Use cold milk, for latte fill the pitcher to just above the starting of the spout. For cappuccino a little more than half what you used for latte. Adjust for taste, but don't over fill the pitcher.
2. Flush water vapor out the steam arm, called purging in the industry.
3. Sink the steam tip bellow the surface and position the tip right at the back of the pitcher. I can't stress how important this is. By doing this you stop the milk getting push out the front and causing loads air to be added. when its in the middle the milk usually gets pushed out of the way and loads of air gets slurped in. By having the arm positioned at the back there is no milk in front of the arm so no milk can be pushed out the way and therefore you lower the risk of loads of air being added.
   
4. Turn the steam on, not to fast, but just enough to get the milk rolling. You need make sure its not too fierce, but rolling with out a splashy sound.
5. Now lower the pitcher (which raise the steam arm to the surface) you should here a ch-ch-ch sound. This is adding the air, most people say to do this until pitcher feels about the same temperature as your hand or when it gets to 80F, but you should also pay attention to the look of milk and thick it looks. 80F is really a target this should have been done by and if possible try and do it quicker with out adding big bubbles.
   
6. Now you want to sink the tip just bellow the surface, to stop air being added. Most people will tell you to roll/wirl the milk in a circle motion around the pitcher. I find that if you make it roll vetically it works better. Its crucial you don't put the steam arm right to the bottom of the pitcher as this allow foam to settle on the top and loose moisture and become stiff and horrible.
7. Do this until the pitcher is too hot to hold or when you get to 140-150F. Don't go beyond 150F as most of thermometers have a 10F lag and when it says 150F it will be about 155-160F. This does also depend on how fast you have your steam going. Shut the steam off
8. Wait a second or so to allow all steam go out the wand.
9. Remove the pitcher and purge the steam arm and wipe it off.

Pouring the art- I will tell you know I'm still learning this and although I have properly steamed milk I'm not cosistient with pouring art. But heres my guide

1. I find using a wide mouth cup works best even for latte, just get a bigger wide mouth cup.
2. Most people start by telling you to pour a Rosetta, but I find this harder to achieve than a heart, so we will start with a heart.
3. Pour the milk starting high up and then lower down the pitcher until a white foam dot appears.
   
4. Then start to shake the pitcher, but don't move it forward or backwards, just in the same position. Then towards then end move the pitcher forward to turn it into a heart.
5. For a Rosetta (fern leaf) do step 3 then as the white dot appears move forward towards the back of the mug, then as the leafs appear start moving backwards with the same side to side motion.
6. Once you get to the back lift the pitcher up and move it forward to drag the leaves together.

That is my first post and guide to getting latte art.