The beginner’s guide to latte art: Tips for perfecting your pour at home

A picture-perfect latte ordered at a specialty coffee shop always has a fun design. The aesthetically pleasing nature of latte art is part of the experience of ordering a latte at a coffee shop. But what if you could bring the latte art home and create a stunning latte yourself?

As it turns out, you can. According to Michelle Kawahara, West Coast Regional Trainer, and AST Authorized SCA Trainer at popular coffee brand Lavazza, “Anyone can learn how to make latte art at home with patience and practice. Although it can seem challenging the first time you try it, it truly becomes easier once you understand the correct technique for milk frothing and pouring. Consistency is key when it comes to latte art.”

With this reassurance in mind, I interviewed Kawahara to learn her best tips for perfecting the art of latte art at home. Here’s what she shared to help beginners and non-artists develop their latte art skills.

How to create latte art

Kawahara shared her method of how to create latte art with us, which is simple enough for even beginners to understand. Here’s how she recommends making one of the most common shapes people want to learn when starting to make latte art: a heart.

What you’ll need

• Espresso machine – A machine that can produce espresso and steam milk

• Milk frothing pitcher – A stainless steel pitcher to steam your milk

• Espresso beans of choice

Note: While you can use any milk for latte art, whole milk is ideal due to its fat content and proteins, which create stable and creamy microfoam. For plant-based dairy, look for milk specifically for baristas, such as oat milk varieties.

Method

1. Pull a shot of espresso.

2. Froth your milk, creating a beautiful microfoam.

3. Tap and swirl your milk.

4. Pour about an inch away from the cup at medium speed. This is where you lay a milk base into the cup, and you know if you’re doing it right if the milk goes under the espresso. You want to create a brown canvas to lay your latte art. Be sure to pour enough milk so your cup is about 30% to 40% full.

5. Tilt your cup at a slight angle so the liquid of the espresso is at the lip of the cup. This allows you to have more room to pour, with the spout being very close to the espresso to create art.

6. Bring the spout of your milk pitcher toward the lip of the cup, allowing the pitcher to make contact with the side of the cup. Then, pour at a faster flow rate while straightening your cup and pitcher until the drink is 90% full.

7. By now, you should have created a large white circle. Lift the pitcher a little higher as you continue to pour, and then you will slow down your pour speed and cut that circle in half, and now you’ve made a heart!

Making a latte without an espresso machine

Surprisingly, Kawahara tells us she doesn’t have an espresso machine. As such, she’s tried various ways to make a latte using other tools. If you also don’t have an espresso machine, her crafty method involves using a capsule espresso machine, such as the Lavazza Classy Mini machine or a Nespresso machine. Alternatively, a Moka Pot can also be used to brew espresso. These capsule-variety espresso machines don’t have a steam wand, so you’ll need to use a handheld milk frother instead. Here’s how:

1. Start by brewing your espresso shots using any method.

2. Heat your milk between 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit and pour it into your pitcher.

3. Submerge the frother into the milk and turn it on, then use the tip to create some air (about two pulses). Then, submerge the frother and spin the milk for 20 seconds.

4. Continue with other steps of how to make latte art as usual.

Practice, practice, practice

As we learn to make latte art at home, Kawahara urges us to “Practice, practice, practice.” She recommends that aspiring baristas practice pouring speed to improve their art. She also suggests practicing making microfoam every time you want to make yourself a latte, as “Repetition is key to master latte art.”

Perfecting microfoam is essential to making a latte, and it requires unique practice. Per Kawahara, “Microfoam milk should be smooth and silky with no visible bubbles. It should resemble wet paint.” For those struggling to perfect the art of microfoam, she recommends using cold, whole milk, which is more manageable for beginners. 

“You can also watch online tutorials or even take a workshop if one is available. I learned by being a barista at a cafe, and I got better by watching my fellow baristas and practicing with every drink I made. Have patience with yourself, as it’s a learning curve if you’ve never done it before. The progress might be slow at first, but with time and practice, you will improve and impress all your friends,” she told us.

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