Latte Art Lexicon
The Swan
Let’s contemplate some advanced designs to really put this lexicon through its paces. Here is six-time UK Latte Art Champion, Dhan Tamang pouring a swan with a ripple base.
Shaking — From the bulls-eye, Dhan begins shaking, just as though he were pouring a rosetta.
Fishtailing — He then fishtails his way back to the base of the cup, drawing a slight arch at the west end of the canvas to form the swan’s wing.
Dragging — To form the bones of the wing, Dhan does a forwards drag which then takes a U-turn and reverses to the south of the cup to shape the swan’s neck.
Placing — To form the swan’s head, Dhan stops his drag and shapes the beginnings of a heart.
Cutting — To form the swan’s beak, he quickly cuts through the head, using the placing manoeuvre to create a heart shape.
As you watch Dhan Tamang pour, keep an eye on the width of the flow coming out of his pitcher. You will see that he uses a higher (wider) flow rate to form the first section, when he is shaking. He slows the flow down for the fishtailing manoeuvre. The dragging begins with a slow flow that increases as he draws the base of the neck, and then it slows down again. Dhan pours more quickly again to form the placed head, and his pace slows down again for the cutting.
The Peacock
Caleb produces a unique, free-poured version of the peacock, which you can view in this link from his Instagram account. As you watch the video, try to keep count of the manoeuvres and the order in which he applies them.
Four pushes — Caleb makes the tail feathers.
Dragging — He shapes the neck.