You're welcome. I have a lot of respect for you. It's a shame that you have to dodge security cams just to get a good drink out! Yeah,... running back and forth makes it very difficult to do things well. Also, your milk is quite good. I have to say that it is probably the best milk I've seen in at a *bx. With the equipment you are using you are doing a great job.

Secondly, you will certainly be able to pour with one hand. It is going to be a bit harder at first probably, but I've also seen some people throw out some amazing art with the pitcher still on the counter. I had no idea that you were limited to one hand. Sorry about that. I have the gift of putting my foot in my mouth while still having the best of intentions.

So, when you graduate (by the way,... what are you graduating with?) are you planning on staying in coffee? Are you going to be moving anywhere that a 3rd wave shop may be located? what's the plan? With a passion for coffee like you are showing I know that any good shop would want you on their payroll. Let me know if I can help you out there as well.

Aaron. I saw your video. I also see that you work for Starbucks. First of all I would like to really encourage you in your quest to be good at what you do. I always get excited when I see a *bx employee on the exchange. This is a great place to gain a lot of knowledge about coffee and turn your Starbucks start into a coffee career. So, keep learning.

Secondly, latte art is a very difficult thing to learn. So, I don't know how well you will be able to learn it over the internet. This is a great place to start though. Eventually you will want to get into a relationship with a really good barista who can teach you hands on, or work at a high quality shop.

Thirdly I'll give you some insights into what I saw from your video. 1.) Your milk was a bit to foamy. You're going to want a nice smooth micro foam throughout your pitcher of milk. This is achieved by stretching the milk from the time that you begin steaming it until it is about 90 degrees. At this point you slowly, very slowly, bury the tip of the steam wand more deeply into the pitcher and create a vortex, (world pool) with the steam. You continue the vortex throughout the rest of the process, which is over when your milk hits 150-160 degrees. (I prefer 155.)

2.) Your espresso looked more like coffee than espresso. This is not a dig at your barista skills. This is just the reality of what I saw. I do not know how much more you are going to be able to do with the *bx coffee and equipment, so this correction may have to wait to be made until you are at a good machine and using a good grinder. I can walk you through all of that if you need me to. Anyway,... Your espresso needs to have nice thick crema on the surface. This is what your micro-foam is going to lie upon. It allows the whiteness of the milk to really stand out against the darkness of the espresso, giving the drink a very distinct beauty.

3.) You really need to hold the cup in the hand that you are not pouring with. Get right down to the espresso once you have broken the surface tension with your initial pour. Allow the milk to slide out of the pitcher onto the surface of your espresso. When you begin to see the white circle form, begin to sway gently back and forth. Let the milk and the pitcher do most of the work. You'll know what I'm talking about once it begins to happen. It's just like riding a bike. It feels awkward and clunky at first. Once you begin to get the hang of it you get all excited and want to ride really fast. But, when you get really good everything smooths out and it has a rhythm to it. You'll get it. Just keep practicing.

Starbucks eh, ouch. Well, at least you know and or want to advance your skills!

Yes I am up in Midland Michigan training for some competitions later in 2008 early 2009.