Mercury’s co-owner Matthew Taylor pours a fire-breathing dragon in a cup (Image: Jon Sufrin)
Ten years ago, latte art was virtually unheard of in Toronto. Today, finding a rosetta, heart or tulip swirled into a latte is as common as, well, an indie coffee shop on Queen West or College. While latte art is essentially just a garnish, it’s also telling of a barista’s competence. As Bulldog’s Stuart Ross—who helped bring the craft to the city—notes, it just won’t work unless the espresso and the milk are done right. And as the city’s coffee scene broadens, so does the complexity of coffee presentation. We hit the streets to find some of the more unusual, intricate and interesting examples of this culinary art. Click here to start the show »
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- Inspiration can come from the strangest of places: Harbord’s espresso guru came up with this tulip encased by a wreath as he was watching water patterns while doing the dishes one day. He’ll often serve the same design over and over again in order to perfect it. James learned about latte art about five years ago while he was earning his stripes at Cherry Bomb.
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- After stints at such coffee chains as Second Cup and Starbucks, Manic barista Patrick Chilvers learned how to free-pour this swan the new-fashioned way: YouTube. For him, the secret to pouring latte art lies in patience. Often, beginners will pour too quickly and end up with a “blob monster,” he says.
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- Capital’s co-owner Damien Zielinski whipped up this tulip with laurels for us on the fly. After all, he says, latte art is about living in the moment and improvising. He sees a certain Zen in accepting the transience of his creations: “It’s already wilting,” he notes, shortly after pouring this latte.
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- During off-peak hours, it’s not unusual to see Sense Appeal’s resident barista Sameer Mohamed serve some intricate latte art, like this phoenix—even if he’s got the shakes from drinking too much coffee (eating a banana is a great antidote for over-caffeination, Mohamed says). His trick to getting detail, aside from having good milk density, is keeping the nose of the milk jug close to the espresso at the end of the pour, to avoid a “swan dive” effect.
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- Sometimes, recognizing the shapes in latte art can be like spotting constellations in the sky. Mercury’s co-owner Matthew Taylor admits it might take a little bit of imagination to see the fire-breathing dragon in this design, but the extra-intricate garnish is a technical feat requiring four separate pours. He’s one of the true veterans of latte art in the city, having learned about it eight years ago while he was working at Balzac’s. Taylor hones designs like this one during informal, underground latte art competitions.
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- This is a relatively new design for owner and Toronto espresso godfather Stuart Ross. The bulldog’s face is based on a standard rosetta, with a heart forming the chin. Ross then takes a wooden stir stick and draws in the eyes and mouth.
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- While this isn’t technically latte art, the folks at Red Rocket have been known to personalize their drinks by playing around with syrup and other garnishes. They’ll form happy faces or write out customers’ names atop the foam, and once, co-owner Liako Dertilis managed to draw a baby for a new mother. This creation by Matt Shortill is a play on the London Underground symbol.
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Buldog Coffee, Capital Espresso, coffee, Damien Zielinski, espresso, latte art, Manic Coffee, Matt Shortill, Matthew Taylor, Mercury Espresso Bar, Patrick Chilvers, Red Rocket Coffee, Sam James, Sam James Coffee Bar, Sameer Mohamed, Sense Appeal, Stuart Ross, Toronto
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