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

3 back to basics

I've really been having such bad latte art recently that I pretty much gave up even blogging any of my attempts. I have been more addicted to origami and somehow lost touch with the preparation and technique of a good pour.

Then I read again how to properly create microfoam and how to pour. The foam is SO important. So much so that without the right consistency you might as well just not even bother. I've been frothing the milk FIRST recently and when finished have made sure to continually tap and swirl the pitcher while I'm both cleaning the steam wand and cooling the machine down to pull a shot. I also am swirling during the 25ish seconds to draw the shot.

I have been getting better crema recently but it too has a fine line. Over pack the basket and the water barely comes out producing more sludge than caramel colored crema. Slightly under pack and you've got a real mess of a thin watery shot.

The pour has to start slowly and right in the middle letting the milk (hopefully) cut through the crema and only when ready can you slowly shake the pitcher to get the rosetta started.

I feel like I'm back on track to perfecting this art but the success is in the details. Keeping the pitcher in the freezer before frothing gives me more time to create good tight foam. Also bleeding ALL water out of the steam wand until you have only the driest steam possible has been VERY beneficial to producing tight foam with no big bubbles.

I'll keep you posted if I have more good pours. (I'm not sure who "you" refers to since no one subscribes to this blog.

-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