Putting all the pieces together

I'm trying to get all the basic elements of a good latte pour together in a single attempt, but it's really hard. Making one "cupped" latte a day or only 3 per week makes it difficult for repeatability (my other daily lattes end up in a travel mug for work enjoyment/survival). Oh to be a barista at a European cafe...

I've decided that to make a perfect latte...

The Silvia has to be spitting out very dry steam (not the furious steam when the heater is cranking) and you can only "stretch" the milk for about 5 seconds or you get WAY too much foam - which makes for a ruined pour. The crema has to be thick and dark and not extract too fast. But it's still the swirl of the pitcher and the pour speed as well as the shake and drag that are of the utmost sensitive. Granted unless you have good crema AND good microfoam, a good pour can't even occur.

Yesterday I got most of the elements just right. Thick dark crema - check. Good textured microfoam, but not too much - check. Slow relaxed pour - partial check. Shake and final drag - partial check minus. Somehow my rosetta, though rather nice in shape turned out a bit too small. I think I should have been tilting the cup slightly during the pour but I usually mess this up when I attempt to pour this way so leaving the cup on the counter is what I tend to do. I also may have been pouring TOO slow.

But enough of all this technical jargon. Sometimes it's just about flavor and I admit I cheated and had Starbucks today mostly because I'm low on beans and need to roast - but I also have to wash the roaster first. So many chores. Ugh. Until next blog.

-Naug

Late but great

This is another great pour that has been hiding on my small digital camera for some time now. It was made right around thanksgiving and is one of my best to date. I have been having really bad microfoam issues recently and so I have nothing respectable to submit these days. Either I have too much and it's a white blizzard of a mess, or too thin and doesn't stand up well to the crema.

Speaking of which, I have discovered - and I had read this a while back but didn't put it into practice until now - that you should heat the portafilter attached to the machine as it warms to operating temperature. Thus the thick brass portafilter is roughly the same temp as your extraction water. I have been getting TONS of wonderful crema by just adopting this simple change when pulling my shots.

Seriously... Wow!

I wonder much like Julie (what's-her-name, from the movie Julie & Julia) if anyone really reads this silly latte art blog. Oh well. It's fun for me to write.

Thanks for all your support! Send payments of appreciation to my Paypal account. Ha ha.

-Naug

I never posted this one...

Sorry all. I kinda thought I had posted this blog entry months ago, but I guess I was wrong. It was a pour from October and it was rather nice. Guess good things come to those who wait. And a good cup o' joe never goes out of style.

-Naug

4 respectible pours and yet I find myself wanting to do better

Too much froth

Almost perfect microfoam - pour needs work

Crema and froth not quite right hence a weaker pour

Best pour of the group - It looks a little "fuzzy" because I couldn't photograph it right away until I found fresh AA batteries. Oops.

These have all been pours in the last few weeks. I'm getting some consistency and have a decent pour greater than 50% of the time. I just wonder what's preventing me from getting a much "crisper" rosetta design. I think my crema is decent enough, but the froth is USUALLY too thick and you get no detail or too thin and you can't even make a design.

I have noticed that every attempt I've make into latte cups that are not "cupped" shaped on the bottom almost always result in a lousy pour. I've seen baristas make pours into tall to-go cups, so I'm not sure what technique I'm lacking.

Anyway... I'm gonna keep at it cause it's fun and only takes an extra few seconds so, why not?

Naug out!

I'm getting good at this...

Nearly perfect

Good form but EXTREMELY wee

Looks like a pine tree?!

So I've been having some pretty darn good pours recently and besides getting the frothing just about right, I've changed up my pouring technique. Instead of holding both the cup and the pitcher in the air I've started putting the cup on the counter and resting the spout of the pitcher on the edge of the cup. This lets me do a slower more consistent pour before I begin the rosetta "shake".

As you can see the results have been very good. Not master barista good, mind you. Just good enough that I'm pleased with the look I've achieved before it goes in my belly. After all, it's kind of a stupid thing latte art, because once you enjoy the drink the art is all but a memory. But yet it's still fun to do! I'm odd, what can I say.

As a side note, I'm getting MUCH better crema now that I have some robusta beans in my home roast once more. I don't know anywhere in town that carries them so I had to order online - 3 lbs to be exact and since I only use about 25-30g at most per roast I think I'm set for quite some time. :)

Happy ending of summer!

-Naug