The Key Latte Art Shapes

What is Latte Art?

Latte Art was invented by the Italian Piero Merlo and then spread all over the country thanks to Luigi Lupi from the roasting company Musetti. Later on, in 1988, David Schomer, an American barista, studied latte art in Verona and brought the technique back to Seattle. That was the birth of latte art in the US which led to its popularity in Specialty Coffee. Today, you can see this art practiced at many coffee shops all over the world. But what is latte art? It’s an artistic technique that incorporates pretty designs into milk-based drinks. It consists of pouring the hot milk froth into a cup of coffee in order to create pretty shapes. It is commonly done with a cappuccino, but latte art can even be done with a flat white, a latte or even a hot chocolate.

How to Make Latte Art?

Now onto the technique! There are actually several different methods of making latte art. The most common, and the most complex, is without a doubt free pouring. It consists of frothing the milk in a milk jug and then pouring it directly into the cup using the spout. The movement of the milk jug will create the different shapes.

The second way to create latte art is painting. As its name suggests, you can paint or draw in the cup after the milk has been poured. This technique requires tools such as a stylus, a metal rod that normally has a spatula at one end at a tip at the other, which is also known as a “latte art pen“. The third and final way to create latte art is topping. Here you can add an additional element: chocolate sauce or cocoa powder for example. You can use the stylus to create shapes and be more precise, or you can simply use a stencil.

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The Key Shapes

There are a lot of different shapes in latte art, but some are key and timeless: the heart, the tulip and the rosetta.

Latte Art Heart

The heart is the classic emblem of latte art. It’s normally the first shape that a barista will learn. Mastering the heart technique will allow you to create other shapes, such as the tulip. The heart is a way of wishing someone a good day in a coffee shop, or even at home to show someone some love!

Tulip latte art

The tulip, a flower that symbolises a declaration of love and the arrival of spring, is a shape derived from the heart. You will need to master the heart to be able to create a tulip. You need to intertwine several hearts to create a tulip. An experienced barista is able to make a tulip with 2 or more branches. Many shapes are derived from the tulip: the wing tulip, the inverted tulip and the vortex tulip.

Rosetta latte art

The rosetta is inspired by the Italian rose. Today it’s also an emblematic shape in latte art. You need to be gentle and precise to create this shape as it is more detailed and fine than the other two.

Of course there are many other latte art shapes, and like all artistic practices, the only limit is the artist’s imagination. If you want to learn latte art, the only way is to practice a lot! Get the complete barista set-up on MaxiCoffee!