I think this advice made more sense when the majority drove reasonably-sized vehicles rather than the huge trucks and SUVs that pollute our roads now (at least in North America).
I wouldn't be surprised if this bit of advice contributes to the problem in OP.
Honestly, I've served similar looking pours to people and had them say how cute it was. Thanks for this comment, it's easy to get really picky when you spend all day making lattes.
I love how all of this was just to avoid asking a family member "hey can I change some settings on your router to fix the Wi-Fi?"
I mean, I get it. More often than not you'll either become the de facto tech support or they'll find a way to blame you the next time something doesn't work.
If I just messed up on the pour but the milk texture is good, I'll usually still serve it. I'll either take a stir-stick and try to make some pretty swirls, or I'll serve as-is but make a joke about it to the customer.
I've yet to meet a barista who wasn't delighted to see someone snap a pic of their latte art!
Although, between you and me, I've had more customers excited for the most basic pours than any of the more elaborate stuff. I'll pour a sweet-looking swan and no one bats an eye, yet people'll go gaga over a simple heart pour.
As a barista, I often get customers who express this same kind of sentiment; feeling bad for "ruining" latte art by drinking it.
Y'all realize we know latte art is temporary, right? 😅 It's honestly one of my favourite aspects of latte art. It doesn't change the taste of the drink, it'll last 5 minutes at best (even if no one drinks it, it doesn't take long for latte art to look kinda gross if left on the counter). Yet baristas all over take the little extra effort to make a drink look pretty, just for a moment.
Seriously, you shouldn't feel bad, if anything baristas will be hyped that you appreciate our artwork!
If there's any cappuccino drinkers out there, what do you prefer: traditional Italian-style capps with the big circle of foam on top, or more third-wave style capps with latte art?
I'm not a huge cappuccino person but I tend to prefer the big-round-foamy style. I like that it's aesthetically distinguishable, and this may be placebo but I think the texture and mouth-feel is better. Also, speaking as a barista, finding the balance between well-foamed milk and being sufficiently flowy for latte art is a pain in the butt :P
I, and I assume most people, go into the comments on Lemmy to interact with other people. If I wanted to fucking chit-chat with an LLM (why you'd want to do that, I can't fathom), I'd go do that. We all have access to LLMs if we wish to have bullshit with a veneer of eloquency spouted at us.
What's your go-to brew method for camping? I find the Aeropress tough to beat.
Although my favourite camping coffee memories are with my parents' beat-up old moka pot and pre-ground beans from the grocery store. I love me a good cup of coffee, but sometimes the best cup isn't about the beans or the brew. It's about the time, space, and people you share it with. Some of my all-time favourite cups of coffee came out of that piece of crap moka pot.
If you're doing some cycling, I'm doubling down on the Acadian peninsula recommendation. They have a network of great bike paths that connects the biggest towns and brings you across some gorgeous views.
I agree, sometimes I like to just let the milk do its own thing and disperse freely. It can look real cool!
IMO latte art is kinda overrated and overemphasised anyway. I've had great cups that looked like blobs, and masterpieces of latte art that tasted bleh. I'd take the former over the latter every day of the week.
Haha sorry, Maritimer brain has a different definition of "east coast" 😅 I haven't been to the city in a while so my knowledge of the café scene isn't quite up to date but I have a couple suggestions!
Café Olimpico (the one in the Mile-End) is a pretty iconic spot, it's like the grandaddy of MTL coffee.
Café St-Henri is another classic.
Café Lali is a newer place I went to last time I was in Montréal and I quite enjoyed it. Smaller, one-barista operation, which I always find delightful.
Hey, everyone starts out horrible at latte art! If you're looking to practice, Emilie Bryant on YouTube has a bunch of great tips and lessons that helped me out a lot when I was still learning :)
I must say though, it's a lot easier for baristas to refine their latte art than home enthusiasts. Unless you have a huge, coffee-addicted family, you're just not feasibly going to get as much practice as someone who works in a café :P
That's cool! I'd love to learn more about that side of things. My current boss has a side-hustle as an espresso machine repairman; I should really ask him to show me a thing or two.
Depends where you're headed! I'll just list a few random spots off the top of my head (without getting too dox-y haha)
In Grand-Pré, NS, there's Just Us Coffee House, which is a coffee co-op with a focus on fair-trade and sustainability.
In Sackville, NS, there's Cranewood Bakery and The Roost Café which I've both been hearing good things about.
If you're in Moncton, NB, definitely check out Epoch Chemistry, especially if you're into lighter roasts. They roast in house and their baristas are very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend their coffee tasting flight!
If your trip brings you to the Acadian peninsula (which I recommend on its own, lovely places and people around there!) La Boulangerie Grains de Folie in Caraquet is a must, as well as Aloha Café in Lamèque.
And yeah, I have no patience for pretentiousness or snobbery. Sharing something like good coffee with someone is a lot easier if you approach it with enthousiasm and understanding rather than a false sense of superiority.
I had an experience when I was younger and just getting into specialty coffee where a barista made a snarky comment after I ordered an americano. I didn't get a drink from a café for like two years after that. If someone comes into my café and is clueless about coffee, I'll share my knowledge if they seem interested, or suggest whatever's closest to their usual chain coffee shop order if they just want caffeine. I don't get the judginess.
Pic semi-related; one of my better tulip stacks. I don't often think to take pictures of my latte art, and even if I did my current spot is usually too busy to take the time for proper photos.
I know tulips are somewhat basic, but aesthetically they're definitely my favourite kind of latte art.
Evkob (they/them) @ Evkob @lemmy.ca Posts 19Comments 920Joined 2 yr. ago 
I think this advice made more sense when the majority drove reasonably-sized vehicles rather than the huge trucks and SUVs that pollute our roads now (at least in North America).
I wouldn't be surprised if this bit of advice contributes to the problem in OP.