Caffe Latte / Latte / Cafe Au Lait

In all the excitement of the colourful walls, the twinkling lights, the mirrors, the golden frames the mexican tiles, the wallpapers and chandeliers (rest assured, I will get around at some point to guiding you through them...) It's easy to forget about the products of our beautiful building.

So I thought I should probably start introducing you to a few of them, and the journey we've undergone to find or create them.

We begin with a simple and humble drink thats becoming perhaps one of the most exciting coffees;

Latte (noun) :  a coffee, made with espresso and steamed milk

We had to first decide on a vessel, a beautiful drink deserves a beautiful cup. Whatever people might say, size does matter, we don't do a small medium or large (Tall, Grande, Venti / Primo, Medio, Massimo) Our drinks are all in traditional sizes - our latte comes in our largest cup - "Kebaya" a 390ml / 13oz colourful stoneware mug, inspired by Dutch fabrics. 

Gone are the days of the Layered Lattes, coffee in chunky glasses has always reminded me of those back room of a church glass mugs, and as with Prawn Cocktails in Ice Cream Sundae glasses, I'm glad to see the back of them. 

A latte as I think we all know, is mostly milk, it should be steamed to create a light shine, which when poured into the crema creates a shocking contrast. The white on golden brown has led to something truly creative, something which really lets the barista shine, where flair and skill can be etched out for everyone to see. Amongst other reasons, I think the growth in Latte art is the driving force people now see coffee as the art form it truly is. 

You see some wonderful 'pieces' if you begin to look through the depths of the internet; kittens creeping out of cups, faces or flowers floating against the creamy backdrop, elephants etched, hearts, Harry Potter and so much more.. The Rosetta is possibly Latte Art 101, the leaf that sits on top of flat whites at a certain chain, a delicate and simple pattern which has made it so accessible for all to enter the game.. 

We encourage our Baristas to try something new and get creative, and if you fancy a go, we'll be running a competition before christmas to win a training session with a previous world barista champ, now coffee trainer. 

I could talk about latte art all night and I could attach a whole host of my favourite shots, but I'll leave you with just one, and maybe I'll have inspired some of you to go out and look for more, please share your favourites with us, on facebook, twitter or instagram..