Latte art, sometimes called cappuccino art, is an art form that involves creating patterns or miniature sculptures on the surface of milk-based coffee drinks like cappuccinos or lattes using steamed milk foam. It's commonly known as coffee art.

Latte art involves drawing simple decorative patterns directly on the surface of the milk foam. Creating latte art is particularly challenging, requiring specific espresso shots and milk qualities.

The art quality is influenced by the barista's experience and the quality of the espresso machine. Achieving beautiful latte art poses a significant challenge for coffee makers.

The development of latte art varies across different countries. Considering the need for espresso, microfoam, and specific steps in creating these patterns using coffee crema and milk foam, the origins of latte art may lie in Italy.

In its early stages, coffee art only featured simple designs like hearts or leaves. However, with the rise of speciality coffee, baristas worldwide began to pay more attention to this skill. They started designing more intricate visual effects and even adopted a sculpting technique, using milk foam and additional ingredients to create bolder shapes.

Initially, baristas focused more on the visual presentation of the patterns. However, with industry advancements and heightened consumer demands, latte art not only emphasizes visual aesthetics but also continually improves the velvety texture of milk, the integration techniques with espresso, and the overall enhancement of coffee flavour. David pointed out that high-quality espresso and premium milk are crucial for creating exquisite latte art.

The popularity of drinks like lattes and flat whites on social media and among friends owes much to including latte art. Who wouldn't appreciate a coffee that tastes rich and boasts an eye-catching, high-quality pattern?

In a world where aesthetics reign supreme, even coffee isn't exempt.

Latte art has become integral to milk-based coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. Watching a barista create marvellous patterns using milk and frothing techniques on top of espresso is akin to witnessing a spectacular performance.

While the judgment of latte art quality has moved beyond just the visual aspect, focusing more on the texture and integration of milk and coffee, its impact on the coffee taste remains somewhat limited. According to renowned barista Matt Perger's blind taste test of cappuccinos with the same coffee-to-milk ratio, some suggest that the flavour seems slightly less balanced after the latte art.

The reason lies in accentuating the pattern in latte art, often leaving a ring of coffee oils around the cup's edge, providing a solid visual contrast but resulting in a more intense and bitter taste due to higher coffee content at the edges. Stirring the milk and coffee mixture eliminates this issue, producing a more balanced and smooth flavour.

As a solution, influential figure Scott Rao proposed pouring the dense milk foam into the espresso first, stirring it evenly, and then creating the latte art on this prepared milk-coffee mixture. This resolves the issue of intense flavour at the sip's beginning while maintaining exceptional visual appeal.

However, for most people, being able to appreciate charming designs before sipping their coffee isn't a bad thing, right?