It’s one of those questions purist ponder on. Why? Because taste is king. If anything gets in the way of diluting that taste experience then get rid of it. However I think we should employ a middle ground. If something gets in the way of taste let’s try and understand it and make it better. So here are the steps to great #latteart milk based drinks;
- Make great #espresso,
- Froth great microfoam (the frothed milk with tiny bubbles you cannot really see)
- A good latte artist ( I didn’t say a good barista for obvious reasons).
Easy? Well, a Purist may have another opinion. Does the bitter crema on top of great espresso affect the first taste?
Sometimes you can have a great cappuccino, latte or flat white with bad looking latte art (I confess). A middle ground would be to mix the espresso beforehand or what my previous barista used to do, pour a little bit of milk, stir it with the crema and continue pouring your latte art.
Before signing off, you should know that in marketing people fall in love with what they see first, so sight, smell and taste could influence your taste experience.
Do you love latte art in your coffee?
From Coffee With Love 
I will have to give it a try sometime. My times as a barista for Starbucks occurred really before latte art was a thing. At the early locations I manned the 4-group espresso machine, a morning rush meant 1,000 transactions by noon! I do think we “eat (and drink) with our eyes first” so I will see what happens on my next trip to any coffee house. Thanks!
Oh wow! That must have been the time they had a manual machine, the good old days I heard off. The days that inspired a generation to fall in love with coffee.