Spouts
No, not on portafilters. That debate is dead...
I'm taking about the spout on the milk pitcher. Nick has been astute enough to notice a considerable difference in latte art when poured from different pitchers. The difference is in the spout. It seems that the worst pitchers have wide spouts, whereas the better ones are narrower. So today, we tried to tweak the spouts on a few pitchers. The results were so-so, probably because I over tweaked. It seems that a pitcher with a longer, narrower spout is better, but that you can also go overboard. Having a pitcher with an extremely narrow spout just doesn't work. You get milk that travels too fast, and that also has a shear, with milk travelling slower on top, and fast milk at the narrowest part. I know this sounds weird, but it is kind of hard to explain (you kind of have to pour, and you'll get it). I wonder if anyone has experimented with spout sizes and shapes? For instance, is the standard triangular spout the best? What about a spout that curves to a narrower section? What about a spout that is completely narrow? Are different shaped spouts better for cappuccinos verses lattes (Nick thinks so! I agree)? It definitely bears some further work.
Matthew
Note: I played around with one of the pitchers today with a modified spout, and it definitely poured nicer art. You could totally feel the extra control you had, due to the narrower spout. Thinner leaves, with wider crema middles. Beautiful. I'll do more and post pictures later....
I'm taking about the spout on the milk pitcher. Nick has been astute enough to notice a considerable difference in latte art when poured from different pitchers. The difference is in the spout. It seems that the worst pitchers have wide spouts, whereas the better ones are narrower. So today, we tried to tweak the spouts on a few pitchers. The results were so-so, probably because I over tweaked. It seems that a pitcher with a longer, narrower spout is better, but that you can also go overboard. Having a pitcher with an extremely narrow spout just doesn't work. You get milk that travels too fast, and that also has a shear, with milk travelling slower on top, and fast milk at the narrowest part. I know this sounds weird, but it is kind of hard to explain (you kind of have to pour, and you'll get it). I wonder if anyone has experimented with spout sizes and shapes? For instance, is the standard triangular spout the best? What about a spout that curves to a narrower section? What about a spout that is completely narrow? Are different shaped spouts better for cappuccinos verses lattes (Nick thinks so! I agree)? It definitely bears some further work.
Matthew
Note: I played around with one of the pitchers today with a modified spout, and it definitely poured nicer art. You could totally feel the extra control you had, due to the narrower spout. Thinner leaves, with wider crema middles. Beautiful. I'll do more and post pictures later....
posted by Matthew at 7:54 PM
1 Comments:
i have totally noticed this as well. at my caffe we have mostly the standard tips (pointed with slightly rounded tips), but one pitcher with a super pointed tip.
i've found that i was always able to pour better, more defined art with it, however, i hardly ever use it, since i know i'd have to switch back and forth between it and the other ones. i'll post a pic later.
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