Latte Art Indian Chief

 Last Updated August 21, 2020

Get ready to learn how to make the latte art indian chief. This design is also called the smiling man. But whatever you call this design, It’s a sure thing to get smiles at your workplace and home.

This latte art also incorporates a new technique that we haven’t used until in the basic late art designs called ‘etching’. Etching is the process of literally drawing on your coffee to make designs with a toothpick or other thin rods, such as the tip of a milk thermometer.

Difficulty

Prior Knowledge

How To Pour A Latte Art Indian Chief

Now let's get into my step-by-step guide on pouring the indian chief. I find for this design it also helps viewing a video of it in action. You can view me making it above. 

1. Pour Your Rosetta 

Begin by pouring a rosetta on one side of your cup. However, instead of running the milk through the middle of the rosetta waves like you normally would, pull the milk along side of the rosetta waves. This creates the hair of your Indian Chief.

2. Rotate The Cup

Next stop the pour and rotate your cup 90 degrees to the side opposite to the side you created your indian chief hair.

3. Create The Head

Now drop your jug low to the crema of the espresso beside the widest part of the hair and allow the milk to slowly pour out of the jug. This will start to create a ‘blob’ shape.

Slowly start moving your jug down towards the bottom of the cup until you create an oval shape. This forms the head of your Indian Chief.

Stop the pour when the cup is full and you’re satisfied with the head shape. Don’t worry if it’s a bit wonky as we can fix this in step 5.

4. Grab Your Etching Tool

Here is where we introduce the etching technique. Make sure to have a thin rod shape object such as a tooth pick or barista thermometer. The trick here is to dip your rod in the dark area of the crema to use as ‘paint’ which will contrast to the white of the milk.

A good tip is when drawing your patterns instead of moving your rod in a straight motion parallel to the coffee, submerge it as you go. This ensures that you use all of the dark crema that is stuck to your rod when you dipped it into the coffee.

5. Draw The Face

Now we create the facial features of your indian chief. This is where you can get creative and draw any type of facial expression you want!  However I find it’s best to start with the nose as it gives you a central point that defines the face.

Also if the head of your Indian Chief is wonky you can fix this with your rod by running the rod around the circumference of the shape to make it more round.

6. And You're Done!

Once you're satisfied with the facial features of your pattern serve it up and watch the smiles it brings in.

latte art indian chief

About The Author 

Ivan Bez

Ivan is the founder of Latte Art Guide and a barista with 10 years of experience. He loves coffee and aims to help people improve their coffee making skills.


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