Learning Latte Art with South Coast Roast

Whenever you order a coffee, the latte art is always looks pretty impressive. But how hard is it to do?

South Coast Roast is my go to place when it comes to getting a good coffee in Bournemouth. I’ve been lucky to chill with Luke after hours and learn some more about coffee and things like how to make a good espresso. This time I wanted to try my hand at latte art.

When I order a coffee I’m always impressed with the latte art baristas manage. There are loads of different shapes than can be made with the standard ones being: hearts, rosettas and tulips. I was trying to recreate a heart, but with the difficulty of it all, I was going to be happy with anything that resembled something at least.

The first thing I had to do, was to see whether I was still able to remember how to use the machine and make an espresso shot. Then, Luke had to teach me how to froth milk. To froth milk properly it’s a case of angling your jug correctly, knowing how far to dip the steamer into the milk and letting the right amount of air in. I actually turned out to be good at frothing milk, a talent I didn’t think I’d have or share.

Then came the pour. I already knew, regardless of how many times Luke was saying it was tough, that my first attempt would look like a mess. And it was. I had no real idea what the aim was and how to do it. In simple terms the aim was to pour the milk at a height at a steady speed, then when the cup was half full you have to bring the jug close to the cup and with slow motions moving my wrist from left to right and whilst doing so, tilting the jug further forward.

So my first attempt was a mess and admittedly my second, third and fourth ones weren’t too great either. It was just a case of getting the milk right and getting into a rhythm with pouring. Eventually, it came together and I managed to create some coffee’s that slightly resembled something, photographable at least! I was slowly getting somewhere with it, but we had to call it a night. Being back home for the summer now, I won’t be back in Bournemouth until September, but as soon as I’m back I’ll be heading down to South Coast Roast for another lesson with Luke.