How to Make a Latte Art Rosetta – Casa Espresso Barista Tips

Welcome to the first in our new series of Barista tips. We’ll be providing step by step guides and useful information on a variety of coffee making techniques to help those new to the Barista world improve and develop their skills and knowledge.

In this post we overview how to draw a Rosetta using professional latte art techniques. The Rosetta, also known as a fern in resemblance to the type of flower it mimics, is the most common form of latte art in the UK.

This guide picks up from the point where you have steamed the milk and are ready to introduce this with the espresso. Subscribe to our blog to get the latest barista tips direct to your inbox.

Factors that Determine the Outcome of your Rosetta

Three factors have a major impact on the design of your latte art Rosetta. Influence pour speed, distance and location are highlighted below.

Speed – how fast are you pouring the milk out of the pitcher? The faster you pour the more texture you’re going to create, and likewise the slower you pour the more liquid you’re going to get out. You want to spread it out evenly so that you get an even amount of texture and liquid the entire time that you’re pouring to make this design.

Distance – the further you are from the surface of the coffee, the more the milk is going to dive underneath the surface of the coffee. The closer you get the spout of the pitcher to the surface of the coffee, the more that white is going to want to snap out right on top of that coffee.

Location – this simply refers to where you are pouring. Are you in the middle of the cup, are you on the side of the cup, are you pouring on the counter and missing the cup entirely.

How to draw Latte Art Rosetta

Step 1 – Pour & Drop

Start by pouring from a decent distance above the surface of the coffee right in the middle of the cup. The pour speed should be steady, not fast nor too slow. When the cup is around half full, take the spout and drop it in, getting as close to the surface of the coffee as you can.

Step 2 – Introduce the Wiggle

Whilst the spout is within the cup, maintain a medium pouring pace that still enters into the middle of the cup. When you reach the bottom this is the time to add a wiggle style movement to your pouring. The wiggle is simply a little tiny back and forth motion and is not to be confused with a shake.

Quick tip: It is very important to have a good grip on the pitch. Sometimes if you’re watching a barista it can look as though they’re holding the jug really loose when they’re doing the exact opposite. It’s best to be in total control so it’s not floating around, oscillating or wobbling.

Step 3 – Build up the Layers

During this wiggle motion you will see the development of the layers that form the rosetta, radiating from the spout of the pitcher. If you don’t see this happening just yet continue with step 2.

At this point the layers are going to stack up and up, and they are going to reach a point where they almost catch up with the spout of the pitcher. Once you get all that space filled and all those layers are stacked up to where you’re at, start to slowly move the pour position to the back of the cup. When you reach the back of the cup your cup should be almost full, if not you have backed up too fast. If your cup is overflowing, thats a sign you have gone too far.

Step 4 – The Chop

Once you reach the back of the cup you are ready to draw a line through the centre of the design. Slow down your pour a little and raise the pitcher up away from the surface of the coffee. Once raised swipe through right in the middle to give it the symmetry associated with all great coffee Rosetta drawings.

Common errors associated with Latte Art Rosetta

Deviating the pour from the middle of the cup – Many junior baristas hate to stay in the middle of the cup. You have got to be in the middle of the cup. If you start too far in the front of the cup, you’re going to push the design against the front of the cup and you’re going to lose that nice centered symmetrical look. If you back away from the middle too fast, you’re not going to get the full cup effect, you’re going to get like a twig kind of look.

Failing to maintain a medium pouring speed – A lot of times when people drop in, and start wiggling, they decrease the speed at which they’re pouring the milk without realising they’re doing it. If you slow down, that white is never going to snap on top, which means you’re never going to create a design on the surface of the coffee.

Quick Guide to Pouring a Latte Art Rosetta

• Start high, right in the middle of the cup
• As the cup fills up, lower the spout whilst maintaining position & pour speed
• Drop the spout and begin a controlled wiggle movement
• Stack the layers and back it up high
• Drop the pour back a little bit and slice it through to create the symmetrical design

Learn from the best at our Barista Training Courses

Would you like to learn how to pour the perfect rosetta in every cup? Our expert Barista Training Courses enable you to hone your latte art skills under the guidance of our experienced trainers. With a selection of courses tailored to the different skills involved with becoming a professional barista, you will learn from a leading industry expert with many years training experience.

Credits

Photography – Giles Smith
Barista – Carl Fleischer