Phoenix Inaugural Barista Jam

We set a new Phoenix record for the most number of lattes made and consumed consecutively, although we really weren't counting. It was an endless stream of lattes at the Superior Avenue cafe Friday night. After nursing newborn Gabriel (five weeks old!!!) Julie Hutchison sauntered up to the espresso machine and made a perfect rosetta without even trying. Amazing. What a talented woman! Kiley, Jeremy, Adam and Britton also made some pretty ones.

I learned a great tip from Kiley to get the large bubbles out: change directions of the milk whirlpool midway through the rolling phase. This takes finesse, because you have to understand where to place the steam wand in the steam pitcher. I must admit my latte art attempts are still pretty unsucessful, I usually get distracted watching the espresso coming out and fail to pay adequate attention to the milk texturing during the crucial initial stretching phase.

If I can get some photos off Kiley's camera, I'll post some pictures.