This Is Why The Latte Art At Your Local Coffee Shop Doesn't Matter All That Much

A good latte can make your whole day, and when there is a beautiful design carefully laid out in the foam, it seems to taste a little better. Some places (like a certain gas station that strives for quality and convenience) are known for their beautiful coffee artistry, while others simply focus on quality coffee. But does that eye-catching latte art really matter? It turns out, according to Matt Woodburn-Simmonds, it doesn't. The ex-barista and founder of Home Coffee Expert talked to Chowhound and shared some exclusive, valuable insight on why that latte art doesn't actually impact your cup of joe and why it doesn't really matter all that much when it comes to your coffee.

"Latte art and the various forms of brewing coffee are different skills," explained Woodburn-Simmonds, who is a former barista and claims to have never been good at latte art. In other words, a barista likely focuses on brewing and pouring incredible coffee, or they focus on the aesthetics and honing their skills as an artist, but the two are not mutually exclusive. "I've known people who are amazing at latte art and couldn't do a good pour over to save their life," he said. In fact, a barista might be good at both but choose instead to focus on one skill over the other so they can provide all their customers with a cup of coffee that tastes great without a wait during the morning rush. As Woodburn-Simmonds says, "Never judge a latte by its art."

A good cup of coffee boils down to several factors, like the quality of the beans, the freshness of the grind, the quality of the water, the cleanliness of the equipment, and the way it is brewed. If you like to spruce up your coffee for added flavor and texture, there are plenty of great toppings you can add to take it from ordinary to extraordinary. You can top it with ingredients like coconut shavings or cinnamon, and you can even give it a delicious seasonal twist with a dash of pumpkin pie spice. These garnishes don't just add a touch of beauty. They give you a flavorful upgrade that you won't get from latte art, which is essentially just microfoam created from steaming milk. But great toppings or great art won't make a bad latte good, which is why the fundamentals matter so much more when you're considering the merits of a drink.

Of course, it always brings a smile to our faces when there is a beautiful rose or a cute face peering back at us when we take that first sip. You can easily practice and improve on your own artistic latte skills, but it's important to realize that art is art and coffee is coffee. They mix beautifully, but they are also each independent skills. Mastery of one won't make a barista magically good at the other. In other words, as Matt Woodburn-Simmonds says, "I don't think latte art quality tells you much other than how good they are at latte art."