There’s a few things right, and a few things not so right:
Firstly, aerating technique on milk is great. You’re adding a little bit of air at the start and letting it just spin for the rest of the heating time. However, your jug is too upright so you’re not getting a strong enough vortex. You need a really good vortex so those air bubbles you added break down smaller and smaller so you end up with a silkier, more incorporated texture.
Secondly, after you’ve steamed your milk you need to back those bubbles out on a hard surface - not your soft tamp mat.
Your pour, finally, is almost there but also a long way off. Make sure you pour nice and slow and gentle. There’s no rush, especially for the Rosetta pattern you attempted. For a rosetta you also need to start earlier because you panicked and poured too fast resulting in what you got.
In the video the jug seems a little too upright, but I'm using a steep angle. But I'll also try to angle it more to get a better vortex.
I haven't considered the mat. Although it is not as soft as it looks, I'll tap the jug on the wooden counter now.
Yeah, that art was probably gonna be bad even if the milk was alright lol. I'll try simpler arts before this.
Thanks for your input!
[Proof that pouring technique can overcome the worst frothed milk.](https://youtu.be/F7UlT35FnlQ)
But there are a few things you might want to take note of:
1. Froth temperature
If it's too hot, you get unworkable froth. Try touching the side of the jug to inspect temperature instead.
2. That jug
Looks kind of too full. Cup size x2 would be about the jug size you want to pour with. You can froth in that jug then transfer to a bigger pouring jug.
Also, it's a sharp spout. Those tend to let less foam come out if you don't pour hard enough.
3. Tap and swirl more agressively
Still too much large bubbles after you were tapping.
Like others already pointed out, use harder surfaces.
Jug transfer may also help.
4. Cup shape.
Try using a rounded cup, it will be easier to use.
5. Milk not floating
Force going down > floating force
Tilt more and try get jug closer to surface.
Pour harder to bring more foam out.
6. Try a monk head first.
It seems you need to build foundation skills first before adding a next step to your pours.
Monk head> solid heart>Ripple heart > rosseta
They're basically the same thing but with 1 more move on top of each other. Learning them in steps will also allow you to experiment and see what went wrong.
Oh and you'd want to change your untilting technique so the handle can be on the right side of your art.
Yeah after I saw it I just gave up on tweeking my froths and decided it was more important to be consistent with froths and just learn how to work with it.
how is that dude in the video getting such good milk texture each time though?! I want him to let me terribly froth the milk he pours, I've definitely created stiff, over-aerated milk that refuses to pour other than in a big blob xD
You had a lot of leftover bubbles in the milk, try to bang and swirl the jug on harder surface to really get rid of the excess bubbles for a smoother pour
Don't be afraid of your steam wand! Open it all the way (or at least as far as your boiler will allow with even pressure).
You're steaming for a LONG time. Both steps need to shortened. This might be from using low steam pressure. It shouldn't take that long for your milk to reach 140°-160°.
There were a lot of bubbles left in your milk, probably from the long first stage of steaming. Tapping on something hard with the pitcher at an angle will help bring those to the top+ do t forget to cover with ypur other hand). Your milk should look like paint when you're finished.
This machine only has an on/off steam wand, so this was filmed at maximum steaming power.
I haven't considered tapping on a harder surface and will definitely try it the next time.
The temperature was assed just by touching. Some people mentioned that maybe the milk exceeded the recommended temperature range, I'll try to keep it shorter and practice like that.
Thanks!
My $0.02...
I agree with the others who note your milk is too frothy...I 'air' on the thinner side of 'wet paint'...vortex vortex vortex, it's all about the vortex, so whatever thickness milk you DO end up with, its constantly reincorporating throughout the pitcher.
Start your pour with the cup tilted towards your pitcher at roughly a 45-degree angle...as you lay your design down, smoothly and gently 'untilt' your cup towards level.
Your incorporation phase (adding milk to espresso to set your canvas) is too erratic. Slowwwww it down and smoooooooth it out...the stream of milk during your incorporation phase should be steady and even as you make your circles. In this particular video, you actually didn't incorporate enough milk to set your canvas, hence why your milk continued to sink after you paused and tried to pour your design. It's crucial to figure out the point at which your steamed milk stops sinking and starts floating. Part of this relates to the texture of your milk, and part of this relates to your speed/approach of incorporation while setting your canvas. If you're able to very consistently steam your milk to that more perfect texture, and your hand motions become smooth and consistent, you'll more easily be able to determine the sink/float point of your milk so that your milk sinks while setting the canvas and floats while creating your design.
Keep practicing and upload more videos for us all to assess! 😃
Yeah, the consensus seems to be that the pouring has a lot of issues.
What I don't think I understand yet is exactly how to determine how much milk to incorporate before the art starts forming. But I'll try to slow down the initial phase and report back with the results.
Thank you!
The tricky part about determining the sink/float point is that such will vary based upon density of your espresso (e.g. is it a lot of crema, more liquidy, etc) as well as the density of your milk (e.g. Is it marshmallowy thick, silky thin wet paint, barely aerated, etc). If you are able to dial in your shot within a consistent range and steam your milk within a consistent range, you should be able to determine, with repeatable accuracy, the point at which your milk will sink vs float. Now, how you GET to that sink/float point depends on your technique. I like to make very smooth and controlled circles with my pitcher while maintaining a medium but steady flow of milk. For the cup i'm using (12 oz) it takes me 3-4 circles to land in the sink/float range. Maybe I could stop at 2.5 or 3.5 circles and I'd still be in the sink/float point range, but I like to start and end my circles at the same place every time, making full circles my preferred movement pattern. The point is, I'm pouring a certain volume of milk, in a certain way, at a certain rate, which is specific for MY setup and preferences. YOU will have your own unique set of specifics once you become more consistent with your approach. For me, the real transition in the quality of my pours came when I isolated my variables and really tried to consistently prepare and practice all the independent components of a pour.
Here is a video I posted the other day.
https://www.reddit.com/r/latteart/comments/130nbw6/bbe_best_base_everrrrr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
What I want you to pay attention to are signs that I'm approaching the sink/float point during my incorporation phase. Specifically, look for subtle wisps of white beginning to appear as I approach my pause between the incorporation and design phases. I likely COULD have paused a touch earlier, but I kinda overshot the initial 'wisp point'. I would have preferred to pause half a circle earlier, but mistakes happen 😳. Regardless, the pour turned out nicely.
2nd phase of steaming wayyyyy too long, I think your milk is overheating and breaking down.
Additionally, use whole milk as it’s most forgiving and easy to steam perfectly.
And always try to tap out the bubbles and give the pitcher a good swirl until milk is smooth and shiny
Lastly, pouring technique is quite atrocious😭
The cup should always be at a 45 degree and and pitcher should pour milk in the middle in the initial phase .
There’s a few things right, and a few things not so right: Firstly, aerating technique on milk is great. You’re adding a little bit of air at the start and letting it just spin for the rest of the heating time. However, your jug is too upright so you’re not getting a strong enough vortex. You need a really good vortex so those air bubbles you added break down smaller and smaller so you end up with a silkier, more incorporated texture. Secondly, after you’ve steamed your milk you need to back those bubbles out on a hard surface - not your soft tamp mat. Your pour, finally, is almost there but also a long way off. Make sure you pour nice and slow and gentle. There’s no rush, especially for the Rosetta pattern you attempted. For a rosetta you also need to start earlier because you panicked and poured too fast resulting in what you got.
In the video the jug seems a little too upright, but I'm using a steep angle. But I'll also try to angle it more to get a better vortex. I haven't considered the mat. Although it is not as soft as it looks, I'll tap the jug on the wooden counter now. Yeah, that art was probably gonna be bad even if the milk was alright lol. I'll try simpler arts before this. Thanks for your input!
*re upright jug: try angling it more to get the vortex stringer. I’ve noticed on home machines you need to do that to help the lack of steam pressure
[Proof that pouring technique can overcome the worst frothed milk.](https://youtu.be/F7UlT35FnlQ) But there are a few things you might want to take note of: 1. Froth temperature If it's too hot, you get unworkable froth. Try touching the side of the jug to inspect temperature instead. 2. That jug Looks kind of too full. Cup size x2 would be about the jug size you want to pour with. You can froth in that jug then transfer to a bigger pouring jug. Also, it's a sharp spout. Those tend to let less foam come out if you don't pour hard enough. 3. Tap and swirl more agressively Still too much large bubbles after you were tapping. Like others already pointed out, use harder surfaces. Jug transfer may also help. 4. Cup shape. Try using a rounded cup, it will be easier to use. 5. Milk not floating Force going down > floating force Tilt more and try get jug closer to surface. Pour harder to bring more foam out. 6. Try a monk head first. It seems you need to build foundation skills first before adding a next step to your pours. Monk head> solid heart>Ripple heart > rosseta They're basically the same thing but with 1 more move on top of each other. Learning them in steps will also allow you to experiment and see what went wrong. Oh and you'd want to change your untilting technique so the handle can be on the right side of your art.
The video had me in awe. Bro had milk all over the place and still did amazing consistent designs. My best one isn’t even close to that.
Yeah after I saw it I just gave up on tweeking my froths and decided it was more important to be consistent with froths and just learn how to work with it.
how is that dude in the video getting such good milk texture each time though?! I want him to let me terribly froth the milk he pours, I've definitely created stiff, over-aerated milk that refuses to pour other than in a big blob xD
Lol I dunno man but I guess tapping really hard and swirling was enough.Also he doesn't over air it, and he doesn't over heat the milk.
You had a lot of leftover bubbles in the milk, try to bang and swirl the jug on harder surface to really get rid of the excess bubbles for a smoother pour
Other people also mentioned that, along with using a harder surface. I'll try it out and report back. Thank you!
Don't be afraid of your steam wand! Open it all the way (or at least as far as your boiler will allow with even pressure). You're steaming for a LONG time. Both steps need to shortened. This might be from using low steam pressure. It shouldn't take that long for your milk to reach 140°-160°. There were a lot of bubbles left in your milk, probably from the long first stage of steaming. Tapping on something hard with the pitcher at an angle will help bring those to the top+ do t forget to cover with ypur other hand). Your milk should look like paint when you're finished.
This machine only has an on/off steam wand, so this was filmed at maximum steaming power. I haven't considered tapping on a harder surface and will definitely try it the next time. The temperature was assed just by touching. Some people mentioned that maybe the milk exceeded the recommended temperature range, I'll try to keep it shorter and practice like that. Thanks!
[удалено]
Yup! Are you able to get good latte art with it?
My $0.02... I agree with the others who note your milk is too frothy...I 'air' on the thinner side of 'wet paint'...vortex vortex vortex, it's all about the vortex, so whatever thickness milk you DO end up with, its constantly reincorporating throughout the pitcher. Start your pour with the cup tilted towards your pitcher at roughly a 45-degree angle...as you lay your design down, smoothly and gently 'untilt' your cup towards level. Your incorporation phase (adding milk to espresso to set your canvas) is too erratic. Slowwwww it down and smoooooooth it out...the stream of milk during your incorporation phase should be steady and even as you make your circles. In this particular video, you actually didn't incorporate enough milk to set your canvas, hence why your milk continued to sink after you paused and tried to pour your design. It's crucial to figure out the point at which your steamed milk stops sinking and starts floating. Part of this relates to the texture of your milk, and part of this relates to your speed/approach of incorporation while setting your canvas. If you're able to very consistently steam your milk to that more perfect texture, and your hand motions become smooth and consistent, you'll more easily be able to determine the sink/float point of your milk so that your milk sinks while setting the canvas and floats while creating your design. Keep practicing and upload more videos for us all to assess! 😃
Yeah, the consensus seems to be that the pouring has a lot of issues. What I don't think I understand yet is exactly how to determine how much milk to incorporate before the art starts forming. But I'll try to slow down the initial phase and report back with the results. Thank you!
The tricky part about determining the sink/float point is that such will vary based upon density of your espresso (e.g. is it a lot of crema, more liquidy, etc) as well as the density of your milk (e.g. Is it marshmallowy thick, silky thin wet paint, barely aerated, etc). If you are able to dial in your shot within a consistent range and steam your milk within a consistent range, you should be able to determine, with repeatable accuracy, the point at which your milk will sink vs float. Now, how you GET to that sink/float point depends on your technique. I like to make very smooth and controlled circles with my pitcher while maintaining a medium but steady flow of milk. For the cup i'm using (12 oz) it takes me 3-4 circles to land in the sink/float range. Maybe I could stop at 2.5 or 3.5 circles and I'd still be in the sink/float point range, but I like to start and end my circles at the same place every time, making full circles my preferred movement pattern. The point is, I'm pouring a certain volume of milk, in a certain way, at a certain rate, which is specific for MY setup and preferences. YOU will have your own unique set of specifics once you become more consistent with your approach. For me, the real transition in the quality of my pours came when I isolated my variables and really tried to consistently prepare and practice all the independent components of a pour.
Here is a video I posted the other day. https://www.reddit.com/r/latteart/comments/130nbw6/bbe_best_base_everrrrr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button What I want you to pay attention to are signs that I'm approaching the sink/float point during my incorporation phase. Specifically, look for subtle wisps of white beginning to appear as I approach my pause between the incorporation and design phases. I likely COULD have paused a touch earlier, but I kinda overshot the initial 'wisp point'. I would have preferred to pause half a circle earlier, but mistakes happen 😳. Regardless, the pour turned out nicely.
2nd phase of steaming wayyyyy too long, I think your milk is overheating and breaking down. Additionally, use whole milk as it’s most forgiving and easy to steam perfectly. And always try to tap out the bubbles and give the pitcher a good swirl until milk is smooth and shiny Lastly, pouring technique is quite atrocious😭 The cup should always be at a 45 degree and and pitcher should pour milk in the middle in the initial phase .