How to Bundle your Espresso Machine
If you're shopping with Whole Latte Love, you should know about our Bundler.
Flow Control: The New Era In Coffee
Flow control is all about controlling the flow rate of water during pre-infusion.
Pour Over Brew Method Demystified
Learn the art of pour over. The end result is balanced, complex, and—if you’re lucky—a meditative state.
What is Drip Coffee?
Discover the nuances of coffee brewing and get the right brewer for you.
A Beginner's Guide to Coffee Grinders
Get a grasp on grinders. Know their burr type, materials, and the features your machine needs to brew a consistent shot.
Coffee Flavor Affected By Grinders
Learn about coffee grinders affect the taste of your coffee.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHOOSING COFFEE
Start your journey into the wonderful world of specialty coffee and espresso with this diverse collection of beans.
Shop Lavazza Coffee!
Today, Lavazza is heralded as "Italy’s #1 Coffee" and, with over 75% of Italy drinking their coffee, it’s hard to argue.
Scale in Dual-Boiler Machines
For proper machine maintenance, we stock genuine parts and premium care products.
Support Library
Don't know what part you need? Check our support wiki for part diagrams and guides to help troubleshoot issues.
BWT Water Filters for Espresso Machines
Build the perfect coffee bar and make sure it stays that way with a state of the art water filtration system.
The Importance of Espresso Tampers
Choosing a quality tamper is often overlooked as an important consideration of brewing good espresso.
Technical Support
Discover useful specs, troubleshooting guides, and brewing tips from our huge support library.
Whole Latte Love on Youtube
With over 1,000 videos, our channel has everything from espresso machine reviews, tech and maintenance guides, coffee recipes, and more!
Machine Video Library
We’ve taken our expert YouTube videos and carefully collected them into specific playlists for each machine.
WHAT ESPRESSO MACHINE BEST SUITS MY BUSINESS?
Peruse a collection of powerful super-automatic and semi-automatic machines designed for professional use.
Whole Latte Love Blog
Advice, staff picks, mythbusting, and more from the Internet’s leading coffee experts. Let us help you.
by Whole Latte Love Updated: January 26, 2021 1 min read
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive promotions and regular updates on everything coffee!
When it comes to coffee and espresso, a lot of lines get drawn. One of those lines has to do with latte art.
Most people would agree that latte art formed by a free pour, where a skilled barista carefully introduces steamed milk into espresso to create the image, is the ideal crowning touch for a latte. Whole Latte Love blogger, Randy Orlando, even asserts in his blog, “What’s The Deal With Latte Art?” that the presence of a delicately formed Rosetta is an indication that a beverage is well made. I don’t disagree.
However, art can also be created using a method called “etching.” Dismissed by some latte art purists as a cop out, etching involves drawing an image into the latte with a thin, sharp instrument (sometimes, even a toothpick). Many etchers, as I call them, will add flavored sauce to the surface of the beverage, to give their latte art dimension.
As I mentioned, etching is considered by some to be, for lack of a better term, “cheating.” I don’t necessarily see it as such. While it may be easier to learn than the traditional free pour, etching does require a steady hand and a certain degree of dedication. I’ll admit it; I enjoy an etched latte, on occasion. And, I’m not the only one. In fact, etching is even rearing its head in some barista competitions. The Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), for one, lets World Latte Art Championship contestants etch images onto their drinks in the “Designer Beverage” category. (The “Designer Beverage” portion of the competition allows the barista to make his or her drink of choice.) Is this an indication that the stigma surrounding etching is slowly dissipating?
Sign up to receive Whole Latte Love emails and take advantage of our biggest sales of the year before anyone else, as well as receive email-exclusive coupons, content, and more.