Kung Hei Fat Choy! According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is the Year of the Rabbit. In Hong Kong, rabbit-related decorations are everywhere in shopping malls and commercial and residential buildings. Can the rabbit appear on the milk-based coffee as well? Of course.
Recently my girlfriend challenged me about whether I could make a rabbit latte art. I have been making rosettas and rippled hearts for more than 2 months. I wanted to try something new, so I accepted the challenge.
After that, I watched a couple of videos demonstrating rabbit latte art. It involves multiple skills, including wrapping, stacking and rippling. Precise control of the milk flow is essential for drawing the foam lines on the surface of the coffee. If the flow is too strong, it will create a sinkhole. If the flow is too weak, only the liquid will come up from the pitcher. Both cases don’t draw the foam lines.
Another problem is controlling the amount of milk poured throughout the process. This often frustrates me, especially for latte arts require wrapping and stacking like tulips – I use too much milk. When I complete a tier of wrapped hearts, there is no space left for another – the coffee starts spilling over. A rabbit latte art contains several tiers and layers of shapes and requires horizontal rotation. Failure to control the amount of milk poured during the wrapping and stacking can never make the rabbit latte art successful.
These days I made 3 attempts. Although they could be barely seen, none is a concrete rabbit.
3 attempts – none is a concrete rabbit.
Making rabbit latte art reveals my weaknesses in different areas in making latte art. I have to practise more on the basic skills to make stable latte arts – at least for rippled hearts, tulips and rosettas. Luckily, rabbits aren’t only the representative of the Year of the Rabbit but also Easter. That means I have 3.5 months to practise the pouring skill.
Let’s check on Easter.