How to Create a Tulip Design in Latte Art

Detailed guide to tulip latte art

We are gradually moving on to the second most popular drawing - the tulip. Why is this drawing called a tulip? Honestly, I do not know, God only knows. And none of the baristas knows why it is a tulip:)

‍

Classic tulip

‍There are several variations of the tulip. Classic tulip: consists of two elements. One large, the other small, crossed out in the center. The second element - the one that is smaller - tends to the circumference of the first, large one. The ideal shape-from the point of view of the championship - for a large element is a circle in the center of the cup. 

What are the nuances? It's almost the same as drawing a heart, but when we've drawn an element, instead of cutting it, we stop and move on to the second one, draw it, and then cross it out, stopping in the center of the large element without cutting it completely.  It is worth noting that the more liquid your milk is in the tulip, the greater the chance that the drawing will float away somewhere. The tulip likes a lot of extra milk.

‍

Drawing technique

‍What do we need to change to make a tulip? In the beginning, everything is the same as in the heart. 

Fill the cup, pour in the first element - the cup is tilted about 45 degrees-stop when the cup is aligned to 30 degrees and then draw the second element. 

The first element, as I said, is not crossed out completely.

How do we work with the pitcher? While the element is laid out on the surface, in no case do we tear it off the cup. We bring the element to the end and when you decide that it is ready, remove the pitcher and stop the infusion, slightly lifting the pitcher's nose up to go to the second element. Do not continue pouring while the pitcher is being pulled off, the elements will start to sink. Stop the infusion first, and then remove the pitcher from the cup. 

‍

Tulip "Heart with edging".

‍The same tulip as the classic one, but on the contrary. First, draw a smaller element, and put a large one inside it, then make an incision like on the heart.

 The drawing is more like a heart, but with an edging at the bottom. And it probably refers more to it than to the tulip, although it is made up of two elements. It is quite difficult to master, because how long we will stay on the first element and how big the second element will turn out-the final drawing itself depends on these things. The whole outcome depends on all these variations. 

The next variation of the tulip consists of two elements of the same size. 

And here is the next point. Do I need to cross out the first element completely? There is a lot of controversy here. I always draw so that all elements before the first one are crossed out, but the first one remains. But it is in this variation that you can cross out. With such a strikethrough, a blob appears at the bottom of the tulip, which, as for me, does not look very good. 

Head pressure

‍The size of both the heart and the tulip depends on the pressure, that is, on the speed of filling your cup with milk. The way we work with the pressure depends on how big the drawing will turn out. The higher the pressure, the bigger the pattern, but there is a caveat: if the pressure is too high, the milk may sink or the pattern will shift in the other direction. It's always a double-edged sword. Somewhere we can get the size, somewhere we can lose it. It will be safer to make a weak pressure, but here is another point, why you may not get the drawing. Even a heart or a tulip. Lack of proper pressure. If you draw with low pressure, carefully, you will get a small heart. With a small pressure, a large and wide drawing will not come out, you need to give pressure so that the drawing floats deep and lies down wide. But the chance that the milk will sink increases, so look at the circumstances and control the optimal pressure. 

There is a common mistake in tulip:draw the first element with more pressure, and the second with less. And in this case, it is often impossible to draw a drawing normally. The first element floats away somewhere, and the second one comes out as a small blob. 

The second element will sink more than it will lay out, so it's right to do the opposite: the first one is smoother, and the second one with a little more pressure than the first one. The most difficult thing is the first tulip, so that it goes all out properly. There are no further difficulties.

Tulip of hearts

‍In the last article, I talked about the Asian heart consisting of rosetta. And now we have a heart made of tulips. Each subsequent element is driven into each other. A beautiful pattern, but difficult to repeat, requires a certain consistency of milk, not very lush, slightly runny, and also a wide cup.

Important: Draw each subsequent element close enough to the first one and don't make a delay between infusions. Remember: we have finished mixing and filling - we start drawing the first element as quickly as possible. And it is also important to start the second and subsequent ones immediately after the first element, as quickly as possible, before the milk begins to peel off. Don't wait - go ahead. 

Classic double tulip with "Asian" heart

‍Quite an interesting variation of the tulip. 

We make it with the first "Asian" element. The first infusion is made as if we were drawing Rosetta. We interrupt the infusion. The second element is an ordinary heart and ends with a cut to the middle of the first element.