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Permalink Reply by daniel on August 22, 2008 at 2:18pm

i gotta agree with benza on that, a bombsky shot with that "oh so sweet" steamed milk can hold its own, no sugar needed

Benza Lance said:

I'm going with what mike said, about making something beautiful and offering it to the world. If they want to put sweetner in it, then they're more than welcome, but I must say that latte's made with killer spro and awesome milk are sweet enough on their own. They shouldn't taste like a soda

For Now said:

I remember the day I saw my first sweet heart latte art in a cup, I didn't know if I should drink it. I'm now going into this business and I love it. I to am still learning to make that great latte art sweet heart. I just started working for Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf I'll sneak a latte art when ever I can... one thing I started doing and let me know what you think of this... I ask the customer if they want a sweeter in their espresso, then I'll add the milk... how does that sound to everyone.

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Permalink Reply by daniel on August 22, 2008 at 2:21pm

sorry sarah, been there, done that, still sucks face!!!

Sarah said:

I feel your pain! The best rosetta I ever did was on a non-fat latte, (go figure) and just as I finished it off, the customer goes "Oh, no foam on mine." I literally had to take a spoon and scrape off my beautiful art, my achievement that took so many hours of work and practice, and dump it into the sink. It was painful, but I've made better art since then. Plus I have a really good horror story to share ;)

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Permalink Reply by Mary Dally-Muenzmaier on August 22, 2008 at 3:32pm

The beauty of art is in the process and one cannot control the actions of another. Your work lasted for as long as it needed to.

To paraphrase the awesome '80s band ABC:
Everything is temporary
Written on that foam

(Okay, I changed the last word to make it fit this situation, but it still holds true.)

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Permalink Reply by Chris on August 23, 2008 at 3:23pm

daniel said:

i gotta agree with benza on that, a bombsky shot with that "oh so sweet" steamed milk can hold its own, no sugar needed
Benza Lance said:

but I must say that latte's made with killer spro and awesome milk are sweet enough on their own. They shouldn't taste like a soda

For Now said:

sweet I ask the customer if they want a sweeter in their espresso, then I'll add the milk... how does that sound to everyone.

I dunno, if it's sweet enough for you, don't add sugar, but I find myself adding just under a half-teaspoon to my doppio and three ounces of foamed milk. I'm thinking that suggesting that I'm not supposed to have any sugar in it is about as valid as suggesting that real cappus, as they drink them in Milan and Venice, Rome and Florence, Vienna and Paris, at least as much as I remember, have always had some sugar in them. To suggest that they need to have that as an ingredient to be 'real' coffee is as silly as to suggest that putting sugar in them makes them less 'real.
That said, I've foamed that half-teaspoon in the pitcher for years, and usually ask the person I'm constructing for how they take theirs. They won't destroy the art if given the option, but, having forgotten on occasion, I've destroyed my own by adding a bit of sugar. Stirring without junking the art is pretty tricky.
It works really well with syrups, too. Of course, always (whether using syrups or sugar in the milk or not) clean and clear the steam wand after steaming. More sugar (milk contains sugars, too) means more horrible things to happen if it gets sucked into the boiler, or left to crust up.

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