Five heart tulip in a strict 5 oz competition cappuccino cup from Intelligentsia. I’m using matcha green tea.

Decided to start a new series of pours. If you haven’t checked out my Rancilio Silvia Latte Art Diaries series, it documents my journey from the very beginning. The first couple days are painfully bad, so viewer discretion is advised. At the very least, it can serve as comedic encouragement for those who wish to learn latte art. It doesn’t happen over night, but over tons of practice (and gallons of milk). As always, I’m gonna keep pushing myself to learn new patterns. The Latte Art Chronicles series will showcase intermediate to advanced designs. Hopefully, I’ll continue to improve.

I haven’t uploaded anything in a while, because I recently got my first ever gig as a commercial barista. I pretty much make and drink coffee all day, so when I come home, I’m not necessarily making the mad dash for more coffee… I’ve been hesitant to upload these bits, because I don’t think it necessarily showcases my current capabilities. I feel like I’m improving to the point, where even the new uploads are outdated for my current skill level. Due to my newfound job, I don’t think I’ll be uploading new videos for a while… this is why I decided to unload what was left over. When I do get around to uploading another installment, you can expect major improvement from this video. Thanks for tuning in.

As always, I’m just experimenting with different pours, cups, and milk texture. In case you’re wondering what the green stuff is, it’s matcha green tea. The cup used is a strict 5 oz competition cup from Intelligentsia. Very little margin of error with a 5 oz cup, ’cause you just don’t have any time to mess up. I prefer pouring into a bigger cup, ’cause you have more real estate to goof around. There isn’t much you can pull off in a 5 oz cup, when 2 oz is already taken up via espresso or matcha. Let’s just say, time is not on your side when you’re pouring into one of these…

These are just a few of my recent efforts at latte art. So what’s changed since the original diary entries? I don’t stretch the milk as much, anymore. In the past, I’d stretch the milk to 80 or 90 degrees. Now I don’t even exceed 50 F. From there, I’ll texture to around 130 degrees F. Also, I’ve experimented with several gripping techniques, and I’ve found one that’s pretty comfortable. Finally, I start marking the surface a lot sooner… about a quarter way into the pour, if not earlier. And I try to get as close as I can to the surface.

Decided to chronicle my embarrassing efforts to create “latte art,” using 2% milk. I cut out everything in between and just left the meat of the process – the pour. If you wanna see how I steam milk, check out my Day 1 and 2 videos. First pour, I actually made the best rosetta, since I started this diary. But the leaves still weren’t as “crisp” and “defined,” as I’d like them to be. Second pour, I had too much milk in the pitcher. The result was froth city. Even before the milk reached 140 (I usually steam to 150), it started to overflow out of the pitcher, during the texturing process. Yes, my milk continues to expand, long after I finish stretching and I sink the steam tip deep into the pitcher. Anyway, I couldn’t get anything more than an ooze of froth to coat the surface. By the time everything settled, it looked like a froth pie. BTW camera angles were a bit off on this go-round. Equipment used, include 16 oz Rattleware pitcher, 20 oz Espro Toroid pitcher, doserless Rocky grinder, 14 oz Bodum latte mug, double shot of Metropolis Redline espresso

Decided to chronicle my embarrassing efforts to create “latte art,” using 2% milk. I cut out everything in between and just left the meat of the process – the pour. If you wanna see how I steam milk, check out my Day 1 and 2 videos. First pour, I think I got a crop circle. But that’s being generous. Second pour, I was almost there, but again, the art just stopped radiating, halfway into the pour. Third pour, the art gets stuck in “quick sand,” again. For the life, I cannot get that “wet paint” texture that’ll just glide and radiate on the surface, like scattered marbles. And yeah, I know the pitcher’s not a gavel. Bear with me, plz k thx. Equipment used, include 16 oz Rattleware pitcher, 20 oz Espro Toroid pitcher, doserless Rocky grinder, 14 oz Bodum latte mug, double shot of Metropolis Redline espresso

Hey I got a new espresso machine and I can’t seem to steam the milk right. I put the steam wand just below the milk and I made the whirlpool action. The milk comes out looking perfect with a nice micro foam but whenever I pour it it never turns out right! I see these videos of the milk being even and the latte art comes out perfect but when I do it the milk just poars and micro foam sits on the top. Any suggestions?

P.S. The espresso shots are good and they are put in a preheated mug. They have a nice crema!

Focus, focus, focus…. Jess pouring a 6oz flat white at Prufrock Coffee in London.

There is nothing wrong with a cheap Espresso Machine if you know how to use it and get around. I’m not professional, nor this video. I just want to show people how you can make Espresso at home at very low cost. Basic Ingredient: Coffee, Milk, Chocolate Syrup. Tools: Espresso Machine (Mr.Coffee ECM250), Coffee Tamper, Homemade Can-raiser, Milk container, Shot Glass, Wet Towel. Note: 1 shot = 1.5oz (usually for 1 person) Remember: – Always use distill water (forgot to mention in video). – MUST use a coffee tamper! – Wait for water to get real hot before inserting coffee. – Clean nozzle RIGHT AWAY after steaming the milk. – Always release the pressure after used by opening the nozzle.