People started drinking coffee as early as the 10th century, but the separate profession of "coffee bartender", i.e. barista, appeared only half a century ago. Read the full history of coffee Here.

A barista not only knows how to prepare all types of coffee drinks with additives, but also masters the art of latte art.

Find out more about coffee art: how it changes the taste of a drink, whether it can be made at home, what kind of coffee is suitable, and the secrets of the best baristas.

What is latte art?

The word "latte art" is translated from Italian as "milk art". Italian monks are considered to be the founders, and this drawing technique was popularized in the 80s of the 20th century by American barista David Schomer, owner of the Espresso Vivace coffee shop in Seattle. He also wrote a large manual for coffee bartenders.

Now most coffee shops and cafes in the world offer to draw milk on coffee. Some limit themselves to classic rosettes, apples or hearts, others create 3D drawings and colorful portraits.

Every year, barista competitions are held where the most skilled bartenders demonstrate new techniques.

How are coffee designs made?

Latte art is created using properly whipped milk. Thick milk foam, consisting of small bubbles, is prepared from cooled milk under pressure. A properly made drawing lasts for more than 10 minutes and does not deform while drinking.

There are several latte art techniques:

1. Milk is poured into the coffee using a pitcher – a special jug with a sharp spout. The barista immediately draws a swan, tulip or bear with foam.
2. The Australian method, or etching, is when the image on the coffee is made with a pointed object. For example, a toothpick or a special tool called a “pen”. The tip of the stick passes through the foam and comes into contact with the drink.
3. Stencil. The simplest latte art is a drawing or inscription applied to the surface of the foam through a ready-made stencil using cinnamon, cocoa, powdered sugar, chopped nuts or grated chocolate.  
4. Engraving. Beautiful designs on coffee are made with syrup using a pastry syringe with a thin nozzle.

In addition, we can highlight 3D art, the use of food coloring and the combination of several techniques.

At home, you can make easy designs on coffee using stencils or engraving.

What kind of coffee would be suitable?

Initially, coffee art was made on cappuccino and latte. Now they also use flat white, raf and espresso with crema foam.

Interestingly, for latte art on cappuccino, foamed milk is poured into the coffee, but on latte, everything happens the other way around - a stream of coffee is poured into the milk foam on the surface. On flatuillat, the design is very contrasting due to the darker color of the drink.

Does the design affect the taste?

The short answer is yes. Now let's look at it in more detail.

Baristas say that coffee drinks with beautiful latte art seem tastier to coffee shop visitors than usual. But is this really true?

An experiment was conducted: subjects were offered to drink cappuccino with and without art. It turned out that coffee with art had an unbalanced taste: the sweetness of milk foam abruptly turned into the bitterness of black coffee. But regular cappuccino had a pleasant, soft taste.

However, some resourceful baristas add a little milk to black coffee, stir it well and only then draw on the surface of the drink. This allows you to avoid a sharp change in taste.

The conclusion of the experimenters was as follows: not only the senses of taste and smell, but also vision participate in the formation of taste. The visitor to the coffee shop is confident in the high quality - after all, the barista worked so hard on the image, which means he paid special attention to the drink.

Fun fact: Barista competitions pay little attention to the taste of coffee drinks. In fact, many competitors use the darkest roast beans to create a striking contrast.

Professional secrets of a barista

Many bartenders and coffee lovers can create a beautiful drawing on coffee. Everyone has their own secrets and signature techniques. See how easy it is to draw with foam.

• Use medium-fat milk – about 3.2%. It will create the foam of the desired density.
• First of all, learn how to make simple drawings: rosette, heart, apple, tulip. It is on their basis that complex coffee art is created.
• A large number of small details worsens the taste of the drink. The most delicious coffee is obtained with latte art "tulip" or "heart".
• You need to pour the milk into the drink quickly enough so that it does not separate in the pitcher.
• Do not lift the pitcher too high, otherwise the milk will immediately drown in the cup.
• And finally: try, experiment and just have fun - this way you can learn to make milk art no worse than the professionals.