Etched Latte Art or How To Draw a Bear: Basic Barista Training

Along with free pour, etching is a popular latte art design method commonly used in mochas. In the previous article, we discussed basic barista training and free pour designs. Comparing to the free pour, etching might seem easier because it requires less manual skills. Even if you are not very comfortable with pouring hearts and rosettas, etching is a perfect way to unleash an artist's creativity within you.

To create an etching design, you will need a sharp-pointed tool: it can be your thermometer, a toothpick, or an awl. You will also need chocolate topping sauce and steamed milk.

Etched latte art with chocolate syrup

For starters, pull an espresso shot and pour hot milk into it, leaving a nice amount of silky foam on top. Draw a few straight lines of chocolate syrup on the surface. Insert your toothpick in the drink, starting on one side, and draw some swirls up to the opposite side of the cup. It takes you only a couple of seconds to create your first beautifully-decorated drink.

Let’s try another latte art design that many baristas call “A Fan.” To do so, you need to leave some milk foam on top of the drink and draw 4 thin lines with your chocolate syrup across the cup so that they look like a star. Put your thermometer in the center where all the lines meet, and start moving it around the center outwards. This way, you will get another impressive drink for your customer.

If you want to impress your regulars, make them a “Heart” with your etching technique. Like in the designs described above, leave dome foam on top of the drink. Draw a small circle in the middle with the chocolate sauce. Use chocolate to draw a vertical wave pattern between the circle and the rim of the cup. Don’t connect the ends of the waves. Make it only ¾ of the cup. Use your tool to draw through the wave to create soft petals. Then cut through the circle in the middle to create a heart.

Ran out of chocolate? You can still impress your customers

The etching technique doesn’t always require chocolate syrup. You can paint with your toothpick just by dragging milk on top of your coffee drink. For these designs, you pour milk under your espresso's crema, use your spoon to take some milk foam from your pitcher, and leave four drops of foam on top of your coffee drink. With one smooth motion, cut through three drops with your toothpick to create a leaf pattern. Cut through the remaining one to create a small heart.

To create another impressive natural pattern, cover half of the surface of your drink with milk foam. Take your tool, dip it into the foam, cut through the drink on the brown side, and draw a wave across the border where two colors meet. Then cut through the wave to get nice petals.

There’s also a variation of “A Fan” design but without chocolate syrup. Basically, you draw 4 crossing lines with your spoon and milk foam from a pitcher. After you draw the lines, insert your tool in the middle and circle it around the center outwards. If you feel like there’s not enough milk in the drink, you can pour some more milk into the center after drawing your design.

Use your creativity and etch any design or write any short words like “Hi” in the foam. Lately, it has been very popular to create animals' images, like a bear or a cat, on top of your drinks.

Basic Barista Training: How to Draw a Bear?

To draw a bear, first, start pouring a soft heart with a free-pour technique. Don’t finish your heart but lift your pitcher and pour another small bubble underneath it. Don’t cut through them with milk.

Use a spoon to put two drops of foam on both sides of a bigger bubble and make them look like ears. Take your pointed tool, dip it into the brown, and draw two dots in the bigger bubble to make it look like eyes.

Draw one dot in the smaller circle, which will resemble a nose. Draw a little smile out of the nose. You might want to put a couple of dots in the ears. Your customers will be delighted, especially if you serve a cocoa drink for kids.

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