Barista Secrets: Creative Coffee at Home

Includes five ready-to-use stencils and a gallery of latte art. You cannot go into a specialty coffee shop these days without a barista performing creative magic in your cup while you wait. On a bad day, you might get a flower or a 3D heart from a sympathetic barista, but fancy coffees are not cheap. Coffee-lovers are buying home cappuccino and single-serve machines in record numbers, yearning for the fancy flourish. Now readers can learn how to give their homemade brew that barista touch. As well as showing the how-to, this book curates the work of some of the greatest latte artists on the planet, from the froth sculptures of Kohei Matsuno to the works of celebrity barista Michael Breach, Instagram star Alan Chan, and others. Latte art is the subject of local and international competitions where baristas compete to create designs on the cup's frothy surface. The book opens with Make Mine a Latte, a photo gallery of latte art from some of the world's best latte artists, each cross referenced to the how-to techniques later in the book. The chapters are: 1. Barista Basics: This shows how to brew rich dark espresso, steam the milk creamy smooth, and the importance of pour height, rate, and angle, and the correct milk thickness for success. 2. Using Stencils: Five ready-to-cut stencils with instructions on how to use and make stencils plus information on flavored powders. 3.