Latte art has permeated café culture. Many delicious lattes are now punctuated with a rosetta, swan or heart. It is only for a few moments that the temporal showpiece floats atop your porcelain, ceramic, or cardboard cup: a beauty that mimics life’s impermanence. Latte art is the evening flambe, the star on the tree, the cherry on top.

 

The final touches of the latte art come at the long end of a magical chain of events. The planet gifts us coffee naturally. Farmers have added their own techniques of cultivation to produce the highest quality coffee bean possible. Once the beans are handpicked (a task modern technology does not have an invention for), the fruit is washed, dried, and shipped. The roaster takes it from there. Much like a great movie in the editing room, a great bean can easily be destroyed by a bad roast. 

 

The beans are finally left in the hands of the baristas. They too bring something to the table. The good ones calibrate first thing in the morning and stay on the machine throughout the day. Once everything is in proper working order, a savory latte can be prepared and served. Then light the candle; hit the switch; steam the milk and lay it down softly and rhythmically. 

 

A latte art stamp atop of your espresso drink rarely disappoints. The process is a pleasure to watch and if the café offers me a vantage point to check out the barista in action I always observe. It is fascinating to see the heated milk ooze out of the pitcher and merge with the espresso, magically lying on top to form something exquisite. Latte art has caught on and is no longer rare, but that doesn’t mean it is any less beautiful.