Pouring A Wreath Rosetta

By now you should be very familiar with the kind of wrist wiggling motion you need in order to create a rosetta. You also understand the difference between pouring a rosetta and a heart. The next latte art technique is designed to get you thinking about ways of getting multiple designs into a cup. It's also a precursor to some advanced latte art designs like the angel, native American, and the scorpion. We like to call it the wreath rosetta because it uses the same rosetta leaf crafting technique to make a circular wreath shape.

If you have read enough of these tutorials, you will realize that this is the point where we tell you that you really do need to have perfect espresso and milk foam in order to achieve any of these creations. You'll also finish my sentence when I tell you that if you don't use the steam wand to swirl milk around the edge of the steam pitcher, you won't get the kind of foam consistency that lends itself best to latte art.

Not that we have gotten the obligatory part of the tutorial out of the way, you will want to begin this pour just as you would begin an ordinary rosetta pour. The only difference is that you will be creating two rosettas that curve around the edge of the coffee cup as opposed to having one big rosetta in the middle of it. Start with the steam pitcher elevated above the cup so you can get all of the dense milk to sink to the bottom. Slowly bring the pitcher down as you get closer to the light milk foam inside of it.

Once you reach the light foam, you can begin to create your two mini-rosettas that curve around the edge of the coffee cup. Start on the right far side of the coffee cup and begin to wiggle your wrist while moving the steam pitcher clockwise around the edge toward the near side of the cup. Depending on your artistic inclinations, you can then decide to finish off the right side by striking through it with a line that runs counter-clockwise, or opposite of the direction you poured it. If you decide to do so, your drink will look more like a split rosetta and less like a wreath, but still very beautiful.

Now lift up the steam pitcher and position it on the left far side of the coffee cup to create the left rosetta for the wreath. Use subtle wiggle motions and draw the pitcher closer towards you, moving counter clockwise around the edge of the coffee cup. Once you get to the near side of the coffee cup, you can decide whether you want to strike through the rosetta or not. It's all up to you.

If, in this process, your two rosettas appear a little too wide and your design doesn't look anything like a wreath, it's probably because you poured the mini-rosettas a little too slowly and they began to fill the cup. This still probably looks really awesome, but you'll want to correct your technique by speeding things up a little. With just a little practice, you will have a perfect piece of latte art for the holidays. Modify it and experiment by trying to put a heart in the middle. The wreath rosetta is certain to bring a little cheer and holiday spirit into any coffee connoisseur's life.

Learn more about making Latte Art in our Latte Art How To!