The barista at a coffee shop in Austin told me my latte art looked 'too perfect'

I was seriously proud of my rosetta patterns after practicing for 6 months straight. One morning this barista named Carlos watched me pour and said my art looked like a sticker. He told me to stop overthinking the pour and just let the milk flow naturally, even if it makes a wobbly line. I tried it the next day and got this messy but somehow beautiful abstract shape. Now I focus more on the texture of the microfoam than making it picture perfect. Has anyone else gotten feedback that actually made your accidental art better?

2 comments

2 Comments

coleman.christopher15d ago

Man that's a great story because it reminds me of my buddy who used to do pottery. He spent months trying to get these perfect symmetrical bowls on the wheel and one day his teacher just smashed one in front of him and said the wobbles give it soul. He started making these lopsided mugs that looked like they were melting but people loved them way more than his perfect ones. There's something about letting go of control that brings out the character in things. Your rosettas probably looked amazing but that messy abstract shape is what makes coffee art actually feel human. I bet Carlos was trying to tell you what took my friend's teacher a smashed bowl to teach.

barnes.jamie15d ago

Huh, that's a nice story and all but I feel like we're giving a lot of meaning to a barista being in a hurry. Sometimes a messy pour is just a messy pour and not some deep lesson about the human soul.