Latte Art Dilemma

Latte art for as far as I can remember has been a visual symbol or a way to differentiate specialty coffee from a regular high street chain coffee. Latte art has now become associated with a better quality coffee no matter where its served allowing a higher price ticket even if a lower quality/tasting coffee is being used.

Latte art has a different level of importance from both barista and customer. For baristas it is a platform to showcase skill, a skill that takes time, effort, focus and a lot of milk to learn and perfect. What a skilled barista is able to pour with latte art can be a way to really make someone’s coffee experience extra special. A basic level of latte art is a must for any barista working in a specialty coffee bar without a doubt.

A customer is paying a premium price for what they expect to be a better looking and better tasting cup of coffee. Without a basic skill level mastered its hard to charge a ‘premium’ price without the finishing touch of latte art. The general standard of coffee quality both visually and taste of what a customer expects in London is quite high, customers are will know if they are served a poorly made cup of coffee.

If a customer is served a coffee with extraordinary latte art, there becomes an assumption it may expected every visit. This expectation is very unlikely to be met by every barista working on a team, moreover for this level of skill to be presented in every drink can generally be inefficient or unnecessary in a busy café setting.

We have been fortunate to have baristas on our team who can pour the most intricate art to the most simple. If executed well and at the right time, latte art can 100% make the customers experience memorable. The importance for us has always been placed more on achieving properly steamed milk first so the drink you are serving will taste at its best.

latte art is important but should always be secondary to taste and its place in service efficiency.