Chapter 07 : Section 02 Best Conditions for Latte Art
Hello. Nice to meet you, everyone at Unspecialty Edu
This is onewayElly barista Ji-yu Lee
When people are opening their new cafe
or when they want to buy some cups for latte art
I get often asked
Which cups I recommend them
So today I'd like briefly talk about cups before we continue on
This is actually popular among baristas, even among foreigners
A cup from Daiso. It became so popular, somewhat of a national cup really
But sometimes I get asked
What cup they should buy when they can't find that Daiso cup
The reason why people use this cup a lot is
related to how the pattern like a heart or a rosetta come out.
When we pour the milk from a specific point
the milk flows and split into left and right
So because the milk twirls like this
This is how we create the rosetta
and the same goes for the heart, twirling in like this to get that layered heart
Therefore because of the flow
that is created inside the cup the milk can twirl naturally like this
So if the cup is too deep, the depth becomes deeper
so the flow of the milk tends to slow down a bit
The capacity doesn't matter.
This cup is 8 oz
1 oz is 30ml. So this one is 240ml
But let me compare it with another one since I run a cafe
They seem similar, right?
This one is from Bellacera and it looks similar
And this one, I bought it from Japan and if we look at it
It's a bit shallower and when you look at it from the top, it's a bit wider
If you ask me what's the advantage of a shallower cup
The shallower a cup is, the faster the flow appears
Think about the ocean and the wave,
the shallower the water is, the bigger the wave is
Deep inside the water,
there are smaller waves because of the depth
When the cup is shallow, it can create a faster flow to the surface
But this doesn't mean that shallower cups are always better
According to the curve inside the cup, the vibe of your art can be different
So the basic coffee cups
like this one, are all okay
A cup like a small rice bowl
Let me compare the cups for you
Let's say this is the one I usually use
But if this one is a bit sharper like this,
then the gap between the bottom and the top gets bigger
and the surface gets less rounder
so the flow of the curve can be faster
or it can be delayed
So, rather than buying a structured cup like this at first
it'd be better to get a cup with a slightly softer curve like this
Also, a cup that many find a little difficult is
called a tulip cup
As it goes down it gets narrower
Because this one is a little deeper than the other cups
You may find it a little more difficult
For us, when we look at difficult patterns or when we increase the difficulty
Rather than cups that a deep, we prefer cups with wider rims
as it allows us to draw various patterns
So, in the case of a large cup, if you look here
It's similar only in a bigger size
So with a soft curved like this on the top
If the curve of the side of the cup falls smoothly without any significant irregularity
then it doesn't matter which cup it is
Because in fact, among the cups that I use in our cafe
I also use angled cups like this
However, the depth is similar, so there is no problem with drawing
But when drawing more difficult patterns
I prefer cups with curves over this one
So this is what many have asked me but it's not like you need to buy specific cups
If the cup is a little more smoother and softer looking
It will be alright to use for practice
But a 10 oz cup is 300ml
With the 300ml cup, when practicing with a french press
I normally use a 350ml french press when practicing, but the cup is a bit bigger
So like this, around 7oz, 8oz
240ml, this amount, is adequate for a 350ml french press
And one more, many of you ask about milk
Many ask what milk they should get
Most of the milk sold in the market is fine
Since most of the milk sold in Korea has a similar consistency
If you have a preferred brand, you can purchase that
For practice, you can also use cheaper milk
I use Australian milk in our cafe
But this one is sterilized a milk
Many have also asked about sterilized milk
But it doesn’t matter at all, even sterilized milk is fine
Then what kind of milk is a bit more difficult?
When you draw something of a higher level of difficulty, there is a difference in milk
The first is if its too low-fat
Low-fat milk is not a big problem for basic patterns
But as the difficulty increases, stability is a little weak because of the low-fat content
Then, in milk with low fat content,
Plant milk may also be included
It's not that you can’t make latte art
But you may need to pay a little more attention. In what aspect?
There can be a little more sensitive reaction to the temperature of milk
Since it has a slightly lower fat content than regular milk
So if you steam it too little, it doesn’t work well
It also doesn't turn out well if the temperature is too high
But when I tried different ones
All of them could be used for basic latte arts
Additionally, among low-fat or other plant-based milks
Almond milk is a very light type of drink
It is very low in fat and has a very watery feel
So for me almond milk was difficult to work with
So if you have a choice of milk
I personally think that almond milk is not so suitable for latte art
I don't know about newly launched brands
But with the ones that are already in the market
I found them a bit difficult to do latte arts
So you can use ordinary milk that are commonly sold in the market
To practice doing latte art
If the milk is one or two days past its expiration date
You could use it for practice
And one of the commonly asked quetion is
If you must use the customized pitchers or not
Many of you have asked if it is necessary to use customized pitchers
As many others are using it
So I thought I should explain the roles of what the customized pitchers have
Today I brought three different pitchers
I'll show them up close one by one
The basic store-bought pitcher
This pitcher is has not been customized at all
The spout is quite rounded here
But these days there are ones that are also store-bought
But has slightly narrower spouts, like this
There is a clear difference, right?
These days these are basic spouts you get from the store-bought pitchers
Then I'll show you what customized pitcher look like
This is the pitcher I use
If you compare these two
This one has a much narrow spout. You can easily see with your eyes, right?
The reason why people use narrow spout is
We draw a lot of things on our canvas
and we get some from this narrow spout
They help when making more detailed drawings
Out of the pitchers I showed you
The second one, the basic store-bought pitcher with a bit narrow spout
If you get that one
There would be no problem when you practice in the beginning
So if you ask whether you should use a customized pitcher
I would say
that it is not absolutely necessary
However if you plan on practicing more difficult latte art in the future
I would also recommend getting used to customized pitchers from the beginning
So that is it
But again it is not an absolute must
Use a medium-sized basic pitcher first
then if you want to increase the level of difficulty
It’s a good idea to purchase a customized pitcher to practice that then
These three pitchers have different pouring thicknesses
Although you saw it already, let me explain
The first pitcher has a large rounded spout
Then the second one is a little bit narrower than that
But the spout is still pretty large
Lastly, the third one, the one I'm also using
has this pointy spout
So with the basic store-bought pitchers
it's well suited to draw patterns
like a plain heart
Or if we look at the patterns, there are patterns like this
that would work well with this pitcher
If we look at the shape, to get wide pattern like this
it's good to use this pitcher that could pour more wider range of milk
Then this middle pitcher
Can do basic hearts as well
As well as layered hearts
Also, we can draw layered tulips
I’m not saying we can’t achieve this by handling
But this one will provide a little more help
Also to draw the rosetta
to draw the rosetta with small handling
It'll be easier with this one
What about this customized pitcher?
You can think of it as depending on the pitcher you get
the more range of patterns you'll get
You can draw a heart or a layered heart
or even a pattern like the triple tulip
There’s something called a wing tulip where there are many more additional patterns
Since it has that pointy spout it can also be help to draw pattern like this one
Also, rosetta with a lot of layers is possible
Because the spout is pointy
In terms of calligraphy, for the pitcher that I'm using
It’s like a small brush used to write names
Beyond that, the difficulty level increases
You can draw swans
Or add a flower pot at the bottom
which has wings like this, and
Five Rosettas
Small things that require delicate strokes
can work much better with this customized pitcher
So yes, depending on the spout of the pitchers
The delicacy of the drawing can vary
So the range of what you can draw will expand
So you can think
when your skill improves and
continue challenging yourself, a customized pitcher
would be considered a good investment
So, let me compare these three pitchers
by drawing rosetta with it
The first one is the chunkiest version
Let me try it with the roundest spout
Like I showed you here, I also use this one
when I need to push in the froth or when I do specific patterns
So tell you the truth, with Rosetta or more complex patterns
I don't necssarily practice with this one
Because I have various types of pitchers
so I use them according to their purpose
But let me show you how it turns out
It would be better if you know and understand whether you have to use this or not
I believe there's no pitcher that doesn't work for latte art
But depending on the pitchers, the lines of the design may change slightly
The vibe on the art can also be a bit different
So, depending on the vibe I prefer
I choose which pitcher to use
I'll extract the same amount of ingredients and steam them for all three
So that you can compare them
Let's try the first pitcher
Stabilizing it first
Draw all the way to the tip and there
The spout is wide but it still makes a nice rosetta, right?
If you're surprised that this pitcher can create a nice rosetta like this
and wondered why it doesn't come out like that for you
Then probably it's because of the height of the drop
Why that is, if you look here
No matter how wide the spout is, the milk
falls and becomes thinner like this
So, ultimately, at what point it meets the milk
that becomes the thickness of this milk
But this one inherently has a wider flow from the spout
With such a wide spout, when you draw more complex patterns,
more milk may be wasted compared to pitchers like this one
Why? Because the wide spout itself
spills more milk
So, with this pitcher with a big spout
We don't usually use it for highly complex patterns
But the reason I'm showing it to you now is because
I want to clear any doubts you might have about it
Any pitcher can create latte art
No matter what you have for practice, it doesn't matter
Depending on the final destination you want to achieve
You can mix all your pitchers
Now, the second one I showed you eariler
The one with a slightly smaller spout than the first one
When you purchase a pitcher, it's usually labeled that
it is for latte art
So, the customized pitcher I use and
most of the customized pitchers sold in stores are handmade
I also customized it myself
For this, you can also use this one when dealing
with highly difficult patterns
Let me show you the second one
Depending on the pitcher, the outline of the milk may change slightly
Let me explain that part
I'll going to draw using the second pitcher
Fill till the tip of it and cut
When we compare with the one before
They are both beautiful rosettas
However, the end of the outline of this one is slightly sharper
While this one is little more rounded
Let me explain this by drawing
That's because the spout here is wider
When the milk moves from left to right during handling
it gets affected by the spout here
That's why the structure of this pitcher
results in more of zig-zag type
And when the spout is slightly more rounded like this
It results in more smoother pour
Then, for customized pitcher that can draw difficult patterns
even though it's small, it comes out in this curved S-shaped line like this
So that's why many people use it
We can see some differences with the rosetta
Now let me show you this time by using my customized pitcher
Don't forget that practice is more important than pitchers
However, when we are practicing
choosing one specific tool and sticking with it can be more psychologically comforting
If you want to start with a good pitcher, you can start with the customized ones
But if you want to get the basic steps down first
and decided on the pitcher later, that's fine too
That's why I am showing you this now
I like equipments
So for anyone like me I'm sure
you'll prefer the customized pitchers
But you have to remember that it's a little harder to control the flow rate
because the milk can comes out in a narrow and sharp stream
So, when practicing from the beginning,
you might feel like it is more difficult
When using the coffee machine, it's the best when steaming and espresso extraction
finish around the same time
Because they are both temperature-sensitive ingredients
So, if you extract it first
there might be some impact because of that
If you look at this, you will notice that the lines are slightly clearer and cleaner
This pitcher is great for drawing a rounded outline line like this
Can you notice the difference?
If you were curious about pitchers,
Now, if you look at the simple drawings that I've provided
You will notice that depending on the structure of the spout
There could be some changes to the line at the end of the stream
And how much you express it on the same surface
can be helped by a slightly thinner brush
In other words, to start from the layered heart
whichever pitcher is, as long as it can contain hot milk
it doesn't have a big impact
So you can think, later when your skills improve
you can invest in customized pitchers
Then let me show you using this customized pitcher
I'm sure you are all curious
How the art will turn out
if the milk poured in a thicker stream
So I'm going to show you that as well
The froth basically has a fixed thickness for a good drawing
If we have to put that in words
From the initial amount of milk, when the frothing is done
I say it's up about 1cm of froth
Then, if it is less than 1cm or over 1cm, does it not make latte art?
No, it does
But the reason why it is harder to draw when the froth change
Think about it
When the thickness of the milk is thin like this
Medium-sized thickness or when it's thick
These three can change the way you paint
If we compare it to noodles
It's like when I wiggle cold noodles
Or ramen noodles
Or thick noodles like a udon noodle
The line comes out differently
The little one is a material that can come out like this
While this one looks like this and this one looks like this
When you think about it, the thickness of the drawing changes depending on how thin it is
Because it is thin and thick, it could come out thinly
Or maybe come out thick
But some of you may say that it still doesn't come out
even if it's thin or thick
This is because depending on the thickness, the height at which you draw changes a bit
Because from the height you drew ramen noodles
If you try to draw with udon noodles
The udon noodles fold and stick together
There has to be a fall for the crema to go in between
If it’s too thick, the milk sticks like this
So, because there is no crema in between,
it doesn't work well
In other words, the reason why it is more difficult to draw when
the thickness of the milk change is
As the thickness changes, the drawing height needs to be slightly changed
So you need to check if you only
poured in one specific height
And one more is
I'm always telling you to make the whole process smooth
But if the froth becomes thicker, it's more affected by time
Why is that? Because there is a lot of air inside the milk
Then it quickly become slow
And when you stabilize it slowly
Then it becomes even slower
And the drawing comes out all clustered
In contrast, when it's very thin
And you mix it very fast
if you move those which are already thin and weak fast
it'll be harder for that to float on the surface
So when the froth is thinner the slower it should be
and while when the froth is thicker before it slows anymore down
you need to increase your speed
So for all of you who are listening to this class
I need you to check if you've tried to
change your speed and the height of the drop
when the thickness of the froth changed
So don't forget to check that!
So now to show you guys that
I'll create a very thin froth, a normal froth
And as well as a thick froth
and I'll explain it to you guys so pay attention
First up, skinny froth
Since the froth is thin, we'll have to be super careful, right?
But if you're careless about your speed regardless of its thickness
Then it wouldn't result very well
Of course excessive thin froth isn't great
But it does happen
So in fact, if you froth it much thicker it's easier
to handle and to create latter art
If it's too thin, there's a limit to what you can do
because there isn't enough froth to work with
and because you try to be careful with it, it tends to slow down the speed
When you turn off the steam it makes that noise
because there's less air in that milk
It's a skinny froth so you have to be gentle
Wait for the crema
It's really thin so once you gently draw it
This is what you get
If you wonder if this is in fact a skinny froth
Let me show you again
by drawing it not in this speed but in my normal speed
If it's excessively thin
You need to focus on drawing the smallest heart
It won't be very suitable for a rosetta
Then in my normal handling speed
Let me do it on the same drop height
I mixed it slowly because the milk is weak
and gave more time to the espresso
So it gains a bit of strength and be able to float on the surface
If there’s enough froth, by moving the espresso more to make it flexible
helps create larger picture
If you question why it turned out pretty good
even though it was a skinny froth
That's because the quality of froth can affect it
Milk froth with very fine particles
have more supportability even though it's thin
So keep that in mind
Now I'm going to put more force to the skinny froth
If you are unsure whether your froth is thin or thick
If you are either drawing it with great effort
or if you are handling powerfully
Then often your milk froth would be likely be in a thicker side
Stabilize it while putting more strength to it
Going down and moving it a bit more roughly
This one with a kind of slithering feel is the thin froth
So you need to move slowly and gently so that the thickness comes out a little thicker
There is a clear difference, right? Yes, this is what I wanted to show you
So at this time, stabilizing the froth a little and
If you do it a little slowly, they have the time to push the foam up
Then this time I'll show you with the thicker froth. So that there’s a clear difference
Of course, the normal froth will result in great art
So that's why I'll show you what happens with thick froth
The milk froth is thick meaning I added a lot of air into it
and if you move little by little, these don’t work on top of the espresso
So, because you have to move bigger
Those who normally practice with thicker milk froth
will find it a bit difficult when they have to draw patterns
that are more difficult as you need to draw more
and they are already so used to moving in bigger motions
So if you don’t know whether your froth is thick or thin
Then try drawing the rosetta or the heart as you usually do
Then try drawing with less air inserted than before
When you do that and if it doesn't create any art
Then you need to reduce the handling width a little
Try reducing the width and try drawing a bit slower
and if you get your pattern
Keep practicing it that way with that width
because even at a higher difficulty level, your body will be less overwhelmed
If you think your froth is usually thick, as I'm showing you what thick froth looks like
Try comparing the shapes of the drawing
If it’s similar, then you have thick froths
But instead if you see more brown in yours
more brown in between the milk
and if the line is a little thinner than the one you're seeing
Then your froth is fine
Of course, as thick as the milk is, the white color in the picture comes out thicker
This time, I’ll steam the milk thicker
When I do lessons, those who have large handling motions
Like existing baristas or those who originally make coffee
when they have big handling motions
they tend to use thicker froths
Now time time with thicker froth
It's much quieter compared to earlier, right?
The quieter the steam is the thicker it is
The noisier the steam is the thinner it is
Here watch
The milk is a bit bulky, so please mix it a little faster
After coming down, move it
by making big moves
So it's not that it won't create it but the handling just gets bigger
So because I moved bigger with this one
let me show you how it changes when I try it with the original handling motion
If your picture comes out similar to mine
and your froth is a bit thick
and comes out looking thick and big like before
Then it means you could be making big handling motions
with your thick froth
Then, in that case, it would be a little risky
for you to draw multiple little leaves
Because the motions are so big
Now again with thicker froth I'll try it with my normal height and speed
and my handling width
Like I just said,
I have my own standard height and speed when I draw
So it'll be great for you to train yourself
The speed, position, and height of your drawing
and make your own standard
Because once you do it'll be easier
to realize what the problem is
Okay, we have thick froth. Let me stabilize it with the speed I normally do
Get close and my usual handling
Because this is thick the picture comes out small
The flow has also reduced because it's thick
With the original thickness, this would have rolled in like this
But since this is thick, it’s more densely stacked covering up the all the crema
So for this, the handling motion needs to be bigger
So it can look like this. You can see it, right?
Now, I'll show with the same handling motion and from the same height
by using my normal froth
Then, as I mentioned before, because this milk is soft
The movement on top of the crema becomes bigger
Let me show you again
If you’re purposely making big handling motion
because that's the only way you can get your art
It's properly because you have thicker froth so
I want you to try injecting less air into your milk
And you need to train your body so that you can move in much smoother motion
Good froth is without big movements
you get art that moves smoothly
Let me try again
Smoothly pour the milk in
So that this naturally comes toward you when you move it
Have a lot of crema between the milk
If you ask what a good milk is
The milk needs to move well above the crema
And the crema needs to be well placed when you draw, like this
Of course, you need to match the height
So by doing this, we can see the difference
in the thickness of the froth
If your movements and handling are consistent,
You can tell what result it will bring
When you use a thick or thin froth
So when you are practicing
You must learn what different in thickness
could result into
Not knowing why it turned out the way it did is extremely frustrating
So watch the examples I showed you today
And compare it to your drawings
If it is too thick or too thin
It would be good to check these things
Then, see you in the next class