AT-HOME TIPS
How to Make Latte Art at Home
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
It’s time to take your latte game to the next level. Follow this guide to steam, froth and pour your way to latte art that’s worthy of your favorite café drink. Once you’ve mastered how to make latte art at home, try creating different shapes like hearts, flowers or any other beautiful patterns you feel inspired to make.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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Espresso maker with a steam wand
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Metal steaming pitcher with a pointed spout
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Wide, shallow coffee cup
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Whole milk or your milk of choice
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Whole Bean Starbucks® Espresso Roast or Veranda Blend®
How to Make Latte Art at Home
HOW TO MAKE
STEP 01
Make espresso shots.
We recommend brewing Starbucks® Espresso Roast Whole Bean coffee via an espresso machine. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can use a stovetop moka pot to make espresso-like coffee. To learn more, read our stovetop moka pot guide here.
You can also brew Starbucks® by Nespresso® Espresso Roast capsules for authentic café-style espresso.
STEP 02
Fill pitcher with cold milk to the bottom of pour spout dent.
STEP 03
Aerate milk for about 3 seconds by keeping the tip of the wand near the surface of the milk. You should hear a paper-tearing sound.
STEP 04
Submerge wand toward bottom of pitcher to get milk to spin in a whirlpool motion. Make sure the wand is in the middle of the pitcher to help swirl the milk completely.
STEP 05
Heat milk to 150°F. Use a thermometer, or stop when you can’t touch the pitcher for more than an instant.
STEP 06
“Groom” the milk by tapping pitcher on counter and swirling gently by hand. This will pop any big bubbles and maintain micro-foam.
STEP 07
Pour high to start. Tilt coffee cup as you pour a pencil-thin stream of milk into the center of the espresso.
STEP 08
Pour low when your cup is half full and pour just a little faster to help guide the foam out of the pitcher.
STEP 09
Focus on the middle of the mug as the foam begins to fall. Continue to focus on the middle until a dot begins to form.
STEP 10
To make a heart, slowly tilt the pitcher back and pull stream through the center. For a rosette, once the dot starts to form, continue to gently rock the pitcher side to side while increasing the volume of the pour. The side to side motion will create the rosette design. Once you reach the far end of the mug and the top of the rosette, start pouring a little less milk and pull the stream through the center.
STEP 11
Finish. Slowly tilt pitcher back and draw the stream back through center of the design. Snap a picture of your hard work, and take a sip.
DID YOU KNOW?
Latte art is made possible only with correctly steamed and textured milk. Milk is made up of a complex mix of three components: sugars, fats and proteins. Each of these plays an important role in milk steaming, contributing to the milk’s ability to froth and foam. Whole milk is the best to use for latte art since it creates a smoother, more luscious foam.
RECOMMENDED COFFEE
Espresso Roast
A classic and time-honored dark roast with notes of molasses and caramelized sugar that’s perfect for making classic espresso drinks.
