DIY cafe-like-coffee @ home

Initially, I did admire myself a little while thinking that I've been very innovative to sort of "invent" my own way to brew espresso-like coffee without the sophisticated espresso machine. (I've written all about it at RM10-for-cup-of-espresso-coffee-is-expensive?) But that didn't last long until I saw this page of a Coffee Book that my sister bought from Taiwan.

Basically the theory I've used is almost the same with what was described and depicted in this book, but the tools I've modified from is quite different from this one... but anyway, to cut to the chase, if it takes only an average mind like mine to thought of this way of brewing the espresso-like coffee, it really didn't take a genius to figure that out. Although feeling a little off the mood, I have to admit that I really do enjoy the process of discovery, the trials and errors, until finally manage to pull something in the form of espresso-like.

Other than getting the right taste to suit my own preference, the other part I enjoyed the most in DIY espresso coffee is the latte art.

It's not as easy as it seem. I used to thought that drawing latte art shouldn't be hard, until I got myself splashed with milk and having to clean the table and floor most of the time for spilling the milk, and still couldn't get a proper art done.

I've tried out a few types of "pitcher" because I didn't know where to get the proper latte art pitcher. So I've got my first "milk pitcher" from Daiso, which is actually a measuring cup...

Which I naively thought could do the same because it got a tip mouth (it took me a tiring way to find out this is very wrong concept).

Then I finally found my second "pitcher" which is actually a milk pitcher from Daiso as well, but didn't quite look like the average latte art pitcher with a nice sharp and long tip, it has instead a short-rounded mouth that slightly bent outward. This pitcher actually gives me a better control than the first one, but still, the milk is going everywhere and beyond my control... but also probably because I didn't know the right technique to pour the milk yet :-P

Having countless unsuccessful latte art attempt as my experience, I finally decided to move from consulting the Coffee Book to consulting the youtube, which is definitely much more illustrative and helpful aid for a latte art dummies like myself.

So I humbly share some of my progress of latte art practices here...

This is the first time I managed to pour a faint white dot then sink the point in to give it a bit of the heart shape head, unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to cut it through to complete the heart shape as I got nervous and lost control of the flow.

As to this art... actually I thought of shaking the pitcher a bit to draw the rosetta art, but unfortunately... it didn't go the way I've imagined it, so instead of the rosetta art, it looks like a christmas tree or a fish bone X-(

Then I've thought of using the remaining foam milk to make some 3D coffee art... so I've created something like a bear's paw and a crocodile... XP

Then I try to move back to pouring latte art, back to the basic heart shape art...

This art was rather unsuccessful because I've used too little milk, so by the time I wanted to cut it through, the milk is literally dripping... so loosing the velocity of the flow means loosing control of the art as well :-(

Then I struggled to finally draw something like heart shape but it's not very neat like I would want it to be :-/

So after some failure, I've decided to go back to the basic, to pour a clean white dot at the center before I attempt any art.

Then after I managed to control the dot at the center, I finally manage to pour a neat heart shape latte art!!! :-D

Then in the first attempt to pour rosetta art... I actually lost control of the milk and accidentally poured something like the totoro or chinchilla :-P

After some trial & error, I finally manage to pour my first rosetta art that at least look something like it. Although it's not very neat and clear, I still think it's some achievement given that I'm not a trained barista nor latte artist :-P

In short... it's really not easy to make your own espresso coffee at home without the sophisticated espresso machine and gadgets, it's even harder to get the milk froth correctly to get the right foam milk to pour the latte art. So I've concluded that paying a cafe for that nice cup of coffee is still really worth it as it will save me from a lot of trouble and effort.