taste? bah!
August 14, 2008 – 7:30 pmand so now we have seen the apocalypse: latte art, and its machine-produced permutations, on page one of the nation’s second-largest newspaper — and by far its most austere.
and who’s this hoffmann person named therein? an espresso champion of some sort? naaaa. he’s merely the creative spark behind the mouth pour!
2 Responses to “taste? bah!”
No offense to Baca (i think he is an amazing coffee professional, and i totally look up to him), but i’m sick of people complaining about latte art!
I know my view may be slanted, seeing as what i tend to be currently associated with, but latte art is such a great medium to promote the world of specialty coffee. Sure people can pour latte art and still have the drink taste like crap, but in order to pour really good latte art, you have to be able to at least two things: pull a shot with some good crema and be able to steam milk really well. Both of those are positive qualities! We shouldn’t be resenting them.
Latte art is also an amazing bridge to form relationships with other shops and baristas that don’t focus as much on the coffee itself. Trying to pour latte art is only make one ask questions about how to make it better.
I don’t know, maybe i’m just being hypersensitive…
By Ben on Aug 19, 2008
well, yeah. agreed.
the only thing that annoys me is the fixation on latte art in a vacuum, that results in design-producing machines. blarg.
when it comes to the overall aesthetic, however, the art is no doubt an eye-grabber, a relationship-starter, a signal that what you’re drinking just might be better than most.
good points.
don’t let me get philosophical here, but it’s like anything beautiful — as part of a larger experience, there’s intense value. as a fetish to itself, it loses function and meaning.
By bz on Aug 20, 2008