Cub holding a hearth
by Katsura Kawate
When looking at someone doing latte art, it is easy to tell whether it is an inexperienced individual, a person who has trained hard or an expert but that has a natural talent at the base. Katsura Kawate, originally from Tokyo, in our opinion falls into the latter category. It's difficult not to remain enchanted by the gracefulness with which he creates his designs and those who follow his videos are well aware of this. On the steam wand of his La Pavoni he mounts a particular slit tip created by himself. The reduced thickness of this type of tip means that it creates little resistance when the milk rotates and the flat aperture makes the introduction of steam gentle. In addition, its length prevents milk incrustations at the joint. In short, he knows how to master latte art. In this article, we therefore asked Katsura to show us how he makes one of his most popular designs: "Cub holding a heart".
1) First of all, prepare an espresso by grinding fresh beans. The more the coffee in relation to the water, the easier it will be to have a good contrast. In my case I use 17 grams of coffee with a full city roast.
2) Froth the milk. Dairy proteins start to coagulate at about 40°C, at that point the intake of air is finished. Continue to stir until it reaches 60°C. For beginners it may be easier to make latte art at a slightly lower temperature.
3) Hold the milk jug high and pour the milk in circular movements. This serves to create the base on which to draw.
4) Now lower the milk jug close to the liquid so that the milk foam goes on top of the crema.
5) Once a circle is created, lift the jug a little and advance towards the center. In this way you will form a heart shape.
6) In the same way as the previous one, create another circle but this time smaller.
7) Before finishing the second circle, bring the milk jug outwards in such a way as to form a drop.
8) With the help of a toothpick and the remaining milk, draw the 4 white dots for the ears and hands.
9) Draw the nose and eyes at the same height, then do the mouth and all the missing details.
10) Write the message you prefer.
11) Enjoy your beautiful latte art.
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