Latte art and milk jugs. Which one do you find best to draw with?

What is the right milk jug?

If you've gotten to this article but you're still groping for the technique of whipping milk and the basics of latte art making, even the best milk jug won't help you. First you need to understand the principles of how milk behaves when whisked and poured, and practice pouring milk into your coffee. So go ahead, read the articles at on the barista basics of working with milk.

Read on, so you have a foundation in theory and practice. Now you need to choose the right tools. What determines this rightness or suitability of a milk jug for latte art? They are:

Material,
the shape of the handle,
the sharpness of the beak.

Material plays a role: stainless steel milk jugs

The quality of a milk jug starts with the good material from which it is made. The most suitable one has proven to be well-crafted stainless steel. These stainless steel milk jugs can be multi-coloured, polished, printed,... just decorated in any way. A teapot is a barista's everyday partner, so it's clear that you want not only a functional but also a nice piece of that quality stainless steel.

Grab the teapot - by the handle?

Choosing by appearance is a result of everyone's individual taste. As far as the practical properties of the material are concerned, a good stainless steel teapot differs from an unsuitable one primarily by the thickness ofthe stainless steel. And then the quality of the joints - some teapots take so much inspiration from van Gogh that they also lose their "ear".

At that point you may find that you end up drawing really well with the deaf teapot (meaning without the eye)! On purpose, sometimes try not to hold the teapot by the ear, but under it.

You may discover that this is just the right grip that will make it easier to handle the teapot and draw better latte art. Changing your grip on the teapot can sometimes work wonders. And you don't have to tear the tabs off the teapots, we have them already prepared that way from the factory.

ⓘ Have you heard? We also sell Barista Hustle Tools

Led by world-renowned barista Matt Perger, this brand's products are among the top coffee accessories on the market. Of course, Matt sent the stainless steel teapots out into the world, too, and made sure they last for thousands of beautiful latte arts.

The feather-light steel teapot

Don't complain about working with a heavy teapot. Send it into retirement, perhaps to water the flowers. You get one that - although it's also made of steel - is lightweight and so pleasant to handle. I don't think I'll ever stop enjoying drawing with thin-walled stainless steel teapots from Barista Space. A looser wrist also means a more comfortable milk line when creating Latte Art. Well, that's about it.

They're all stainless steel and yet they're all different. Like the Teflon finish or the strength of the material.

Do you prefer to draw rosetta latte art?

The common feature of all rosettes in coffee is a thin, zigzagging line of milk that's eventually cut through by the stream from above. A fast or slow rocking motion distinguishes the classic latte art rosetta shape from the slow rosetta. This technique is very often used when drawing more complex and elaborate patterns.

For these thin lines, as well as for detailed milk drawing, it is useful to have a precise tool - a teapot. The desired precision is ensured by a straight and sharp beak. So look around the range of barista teapots and choose one with the sharpest possible beak angle. Again, I must highlight the Barista Space teapots, which are perfect for detailed drawing.

ⓘSmalland large. Sharp and wide.

The larger the volume of the teapot, the flatter the beak. It's no coincidence that baristas are better at creating precise latte art shapes with smaller teapots.

Does tulip latte art suit you better?

A heart of milk on the surface of the coffee and multiple hearts stacked behind each other in a latte art shape called a tulip is created in a slightly different way than a rosetta. A teapot with a slightly wider angle in the beak is more pleasing for gradually drawing the milk spots into the surface. Here too, however, the processing of the teapot needs to be exactly straight. Cheap versions of "latte art" teapots may have a skewed beak shape. This will also skew your milk tulip. No matter how hard you try.

An interesting venture by the coffee-loving designers at Barista & co was the unique teapots with a beveled top. The atypical shape attracts attention and has proven itself in practice for better control when placing milk in the coffee level - creating latte art. And Barista Space has not been left behind and has come out with their new super teapots version 2.0 and also with a sloping top.

Modifying the top edge of the teapot can also mean such barista UX slanting. Image source: Spa Coffee

Which latte art teapot draws itself?

We can't stop progress, so it's not surprising that even teapots will soon be drawing themselves into coffee. That is, with the help of a robot, a mechanical arm, or something like that. The first prototypes of "baristobots" have already appeared in Asia.

A human barista is still indispensable for a good coffee shop and I believe will be for a long time to come. So don't be afraid to invest in some proper latte art equipment. Get yourself some teapots, with which you can make many beautiful cappuccinos.