Bottom 3

These are my last 3 latte art attempts. I guess I'm exaggerating when I say bottom 3 because I've had many worse pours than these. I didn't even get very good pictures of them - mostly because I could tell they weren't so spectacular. I am about sick of the pre-roasted espresso beans that I still have a half bag of which came with my Silvia. The sad thing is that I HAVE all the green beans to iRoast it up AND a new digital scale to weigh them out, I've just been preoccupied recently and can't be bothered to roast them.

As an aside, my old digital scale now displays EEE no matter what I do - even with fresh batteries (which were 2 of the CR lithium type that cost over $6 and weren't even the issue). My advice? Don't waste your money on a Salter scale. :-)

Rant over.

So I will trudge on and hopefully have some better, less-watery crema soon and maybe a beautiful pour in the not so distant future. This is DEFINITELY not a good hobby for a generally lazy person with perfectionist qualities... it's very easy to get frustrated.

Hoping your lattes are always tasty...
-Naug

I love you too!

Well... It seems that I can make a heart now. :-) My wife will be happy since she's been asking me to do some other type of design. I pretty much over packed my portafilter and the espresso was barely dripping out - this is a pretty hard thing to do on the Silvia with all it's power. I also frothed the milk first since the machine hadn't heated up its usual 30 minutes in advance and I wanted coffee bad!

I had a really dark small shot in the cup and with the milk frothed already I only had to swirl the pitcher for about 15 seconds and tap it before I was ready to pour. I again poured kinda quickly circling the outside of the cup trying to slip the milk in. Then I did a little bit of a shake but this time ended up more with a heart. I think this was because of the vigorous pour at the start. Either way, it's really pretty and tastes good and I'm quite satisfied with the results. I will have to try to replicate my result and pour the heart again.

I suppose if I ever lose my day job I could pass for a minimal barista at some non-Seattle non-Italian cafe. Ha ha.

Y'all come back now, Y'ear?
-Naug

Still trying to work Miss Silvia's magic

When I look at this briefly, it reminds me of the Rebel insignia from Star Wars. In fact it is just a good pour finish with a bad start. The Silvia definitely has more steam power, but I have less time to control it than with the Saeco. This means I have to be careful not to pull too much air into the froth to get a good microfoam.

I also have to remember to keep the milk swirled while pulling the shot so that the foam doesn't form a thick layer on top of the milk and make for a difficult pour. I did finish well, but as a whole I give myself a 4 out of 10.

I should call this blog "Rate My Latte Art" but since no one visits, there would be no votes.

I have been using the free roasted beans that came with the Silvia package. They are decent but I miss my fresh roasted beans for their crema content. I hope to purchase some green beans soon and once more have my own fresh roast.

Anyway, happy tamping and visit soon!

-Naug

Quick pic...

...before I head off for work. I just got my Silvia machine Monday, and this was my 2nd morning latte attempt. The SUPER POWERFUL steam made way too much foam and I got no art from yesterday's coffee, but today's wasn't too bad. Still a lot to learn about this new powerhouse of a machine.

I actually had better art in my wife's soy latte but didn't photograph it. I have a baby on my lap right this minute... so I am tired of typing with one hand - and she's about to FREAK on me!

Thanks for reading and thanks for all the fish. -Naug

Last best attempt

So it seems this may be my last attempt with my old Saeco Classico machine. I have had many great drinks from its innards but its eminent retirement is nigh. Also, I just missed the UPS truck (I was upstairs with my sleeping newborn when it came). Fortunately, they are going to redeliver my Silvia as I write this.

I'm not sure exactly what you'd call this design... a leaf-heart? I like the way it looks, but it's so frustrating that I only get usually one chance per day to practice this challenging art form. A true barista (coffee person) can make several 100 lattes a week - talk about time to practice!

But I plug away and hope that someday I'll perfect this fun but frustrating art form. After all, shouldn't coffee be enjoyed in all its various dimensions?

-Naug

As a side note, the amazingly talented Katie Reider passed away today. She will be dearly missed and I am fortunate to say that I knew her and was able to enjoy the voice that blessed many an ear. What a loss.

Two wrongs don't quite make right

It's currently Sunday night and my Silvia machine is due to arrive UPS tomorrow. I'm excited about this, but also a bit apprehensive. I SHOULD be able to create much more consistent microfoam with this new machine and get better pulled shots and crema. My fear is that if my lattes aren't better then maybe I just can't improve. I'm sure I'm overthinking something as silly as coffee, but it's a hobby that (thanks to my latte-loving-brother Glenn) I've become rather passionate about recently - yes I'm a bit odd.

Besides the Silvia, I've also had to order a new tamper (my 49mm Reg Barber is no longer helpful with the Silvia's 58mm basket). I couldn't justify a $71 RB replacement (they were closer to $50 a few years back). I'm going with the Lava Tamp (~$22) but not the LT Deluxe which runs >$50. I also considered the Bumper Tamp $40 but instead went cheap with the optional upgrade to a Reg down the road.

Since I didn't plan my orders well, I will probably have my new machine before the tamper arrives. It will be hard to NOT give Miss Silvia a test run, but with its stock lame plastic tamper, I may just pass. :-)

Above are my last 2 art attempts. I'm not sure what was going on with the microfoam on the 1st - probably more of a MACROfoam if anything. Ha! The 2nd example is decent but I didn't time my pour very well and got a pretty small leaf but it was ALMOST the start of something good.

Happy 37th Birthday Big Bro!!

-Naug

Oh happy days!! :-D

I've made the leap!!! I just ordered a Silvia machine and it's to arrive on Monday. I've held out ever so long because I couldn't justify the expense since my Classico still produces decent shots and ok microfoam. But the Silvia is in another class altogether. Not quite as expensive as dual boiler machines, it is about as good as you can get in a single boiler home user espresso machine.

Why did I finally break down? I was dreaming and shopping around online when I noticed the price of the Silvia at $699. I thought... what the heck? This was a $499 machine just 2 years ago or so. The more I looked I kept seeing this $699 price. Then I noticed a site that stated order before July 1 to get the $599 price. I couldn't believe it. It was July 9th and I missed a major price increase (obviously due to the strong Euro and weak Dollar at the moment - the machine is made in Italy).

Luckily I found an espresso site that still offered the machine at the $595 price and asked my wife nicely if I could order it (she likes the soy lattes I make for her). She agreed and I quickly placed the order before their price increased as well.

I'm excited to see how my art will improve. I think I will get much stronger crema and more consisitent microfoam with the Silvia. I'm also sure there is a learning curve, but I did make a nice leaf art when using my friend's Silvia some months back.

I will keep you updated when I get the machine. Now... to find a 58mm tamper deal. My super nice and super $$$ Reg Barber 49mm tamper will have to be retired - or ebayed.

-Naug

My problems with pour-centric art

So this may be my best pour since the inception of this blog. It's a bit off-center and still doesn't have the best white froth to truly show good contrast with the crema, but MAN did it taste good! My friend Mike is also trying to make some latte art and I'll include some of his pours should he send me pictures. (He has the Rancilio Silva machine I long for, so he should have no excuses making nice art.)

Happy cupping! -Naug

Starting a new blog is fun! :-)

This is my first official Latte Art post... I am a newbie and only have a Saeco Classico espresso machine, but I've been able to get some decent leaf art I suppose. I hope to someday get a Rancilio Silva machine which gives much more consistent steam for making good latte art. I'm also currently out of robusta beans so my crema is somewhat lacking - yes, I roast my own espresso blend as well.

If you've stumbled upon this blog, feel free to comment how bad I am or what not... even encourage me if you like. I have no formal training. I just like to make my own coffee and I figured it would be something fun to blog about.

Cheers!

-Naug