Latte Art Exhibit A

I find latte art fascinating. To a real barista, it is merely pencil sketching; but to me, an over-the-top wannabe, it is oil on canvas. The finesse with which a barista must operate is one that I can only aspire to. This morning, I decided to dabble with my Saeco Via Venezia espresso maker. The results are as would be expected from an amateur among amateurs. Please note that I used skim milk and Starbucks Gold Coast blend for my espresso. Oh, and all of these were achieved by 100% accident, but you can believe that I planned them with thorough artistic insight. The aftermath is as follows:






This one I call the dancing alien. It was my first endeavor. With this attempt, I had the best crema on my espresso and the best foam with my milk. That's probably how this turned out to be something vaguely cool. If you look in the center, you can see a face--something that all aliens have on their bellies (common knowledge). This alien appears to be doing the running man, though it could be some extraterrestrial break-dance technique that we earthlings have not yet picked up on.









This one I call cloud #1. It is my second attempt and looks like nothing but a white blob--a cloud, if you will. But hey, I think clouds are beautiful, don't you? This was the worst crema that I had as can be seen by the fact that there is virtually none visible through the foam. Go ahead and laugh, I'm proud of my cloud.










I must confess that I didn't see anything in this one at first. I just made such a colossal mess with it that I wanted a broader shot. When I looked at the picture, though, I realized I had made something extraordinary. This masterpiece I call 'Cat Peeing.' You can see the kitty's head poking out through the cup and its tail sticking out underneath. Behind the tail, you can see that this foamy cat didn't quite make the litter box.




Okay, so these pics aren't that impressive. I still had fun. I'm hoping to get better with practice--perhaps wishful thinking. If you want to see some real latte art, though, check out Phoenix Coffee's Blog. They know how to throw down!