Christmas Latte Dot-to-Dot

Barista Hustle, Dec 24th 2021.

Have you noticed over the last three or four years, latte art has gone to the next level? Free-poured patterns are more photo-realistic and detailed than ever. Of course, the rapid advancement has happened alongside people's willingness to share their work online. But it also has a lot to do with the emergence of one particular pouring technique. In our latte art course we call it 'dragging' the pitcher, because the spout needs to glide across the surface of a latte, like you were in a sleigh, gliding across freshly-fallen snow. So, for the purposes of this Yuletide greeting, and for at least the next 12 days, let's agree to call this pouring method 'the sleigh 🛷 technique'?

Have you seen a barista pour a swan (these days quite a standard classic pattern)? That's the first latte art pattern that employed the so called 🛷 technique. The neck of the swan requires you to move the spout of your pitcher backwards almost as though you were using a paintbrush. But after some incredible innovators like Dhan Tamang, Caleb Cha and Jibbi Little took things to the next level, you'll now look at some designs and think the barista just grabbed a Posca. (If you're not Aussie, that's a paint pen). Swiss barista Dario Pieber has really perfected this technique.

So, inspired by all these people, and many more besides, we've put together a little holiday activity to help all our BH Unlimited subscribers dazzle their friends and families with some Christmas-themed latte art. The Latte Dot Art poster is free to download and share with others in high res.

Last tips: Just remember, you'll find the 🛷 technique easier to perform once your milk pitcher is almost empty. The idea is, you need to get the rosetta (fishtailing) parts of the pattern poured first. And the numbers on the dot-to-dot will show you the best order to approach the pattern. The little icons at the bottom of the poster show you which method to use where.

Note: Fishtailing is a variation of what we call the shaking technique. Fishtailing employs the same side-to-side shaking movements but it also calls for a gradual backwards shift of the pitcher position. This requires a high degree of relaxation at the elbow. The wing of the swan design is poured with this technique, as are the final petals of the rosetta.

Merry Christmas to you all,
Team BH