Beauty In Beverage

Apart From Aesthetics, Is There Any Value to the Art on Your Brew?

- Pauline Miranda

Though the exact origins of latte art has not been traced (many attribute it to the Italians who created the espresso), a number of people credit its popularity to David Schomer, a known barista and café owner in Seattle, Washington. It was reported that the now ubiquitous latte art pattern, the heart, was born at his Espresso Vivace in the late 1980s. Since then, this fancy method of preparing coffee designed with steamed milk has turned into a craze, evolving from rosettes and tulips to animals and personalities.

In the Philippines, latte art is still a relatively new practice. Allegro Beverage Corporation president Leo de Leon dates latte art’s emergence in the country to be around the same time American and European coffee chains opened. “When they started, the skill level was very low, [but with these Western coffee shops], the level improved. Because these chains have a standard to make espresso, cappuccino, café mocha, and café latte, the skill level [of Filipino baristas] immediately improved,” he relates. “And to distinguish themselves from other coffee shops, they produced latte art.”

IDEAL INGREDIENTS

The café latte, made with equal amounts of espresso, milk, and foam, requires certain characteristics and a particular set of tools to be transformed into a masterpiece.