Straight from The Horse’s Mouth

Laura St. John Only occasionally do we experience moments that are extraordinary. Last week I had one, and maybe it wasn't earth-shattering, but it was pivotal. I poured a rosetta on a latte at THM. I had been working on this for well over a year. I fussed over the espresso and carried on about the steamed milk. Day after day I tried with little success. It drove me crazy!

You might need a primer to understand why this budding piece of art is important, here's some history. When THM opened we were a bookstore with a coffee maker. Folks came in asking for espresso drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. I had absolutely no idea how to make them. I read all the books and watched instuctional videos and bought a home espresso machine from Walmart. I'm not really sure how latte art arrived in my consciousness, but there it was, the holy grail for a barista.

A barista is a person who works in a coffee bar making and serving espresso drinks. ESPRESSO (not EXpresso) is 14-21 grams of finely ground coffee beans, packed with 20-70 pounds of force, then brewed by filtering 203 degree water under 9 bars of pressure for 20 seconds, resulting in one to two ounces of strong coffee and delicate crema. A latte is an espresso with velvety steamed milk and perhaps an added flavor.

After one year of trying and one training session at Cuvee Coffee in Austin, this is Barista Laura St John’s first success at free pouring a latte art rosetta. Horse’s Mouth photo Eventually we bought a professional machine and I began my quest to make latte art. One important thing about latte art is that it is not possible to create on an inferior shot of espresso or with improperly steamed milk. Therefore it is a sign of superior barista skills. Now, there is a lot more to it than the looks, but that's all we'll get into today.

During our cafe tour on the West Coast I spoke to many professional and seasoned baristas. They understood my frustration but said it took them up to two years (after training and practicing with a mentor) to perfect latte art. So, when we got back to Buffalo I found a training center and signed up. Last Friday I drove to Austin and was totally shocked to find that I was the sole student and my instructor was Clancy Rose, a winner of the United States Ultimate Barista Competition.

You can imagine how nervous I was, little old me, so green and intimidated, alone in a room with a world renowned star in the espresso universe! We toured their roastery and the lab. He drilled me on what espresso was, sussing out my level of knowledge.

We pulled some shots and I learned things I hadn't found in books. Then we worked on my nemesis, the steamed milk. The first time I tried on his machine it WORKED. This was not good news in my brain. I was certain that I had done everything the same way I do it at home, so it must be something about our machine that is prohibiting the creation of perfect, velvety, micro foamed steamed milk. I even made one little rosetta, not quite developed, but you could tell what it was. I was absolutely vibrating with excitement and anxiety.

At the end of the day I rushed home to give my new knowledge a try on our machine. To my utter astonishment it worked. I tipped the pitcher over the cup and poured. I gave my wrist a little wiggle and OH MY GOSH there it was! A rosetta. Agghhhh!

So, at this moment, I have to get up from this chair and get over to the espresso machine. I have to try again. And again. And again!

Please remember the "Promote Your Business" seminar Sept. 11th. I'll give more detailed info on that next week. And be sure to put the week end of Sept 18th on your calendar. Be in town for The Buffalo Stampede! I'll be out there with our iced coffee...maybe I can find a way to bring our espresso machine and make latte art in the park!