The art of brewing coffee

Amarjot Kaur

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At Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) Lounge in Sector 35, 29-year-old coffee guru Ravi Gaba edifies latte art. He has invested eight years of his professional career as a coffee brewmaster to hone his artistic talent and can make some 15 motifs that will rest on the surface of your piping hot cup of cuppachino or latte. The star of the ongoing Latte Art Festival, Ravi is busy focusing on the coffee mug he holds in his right hand as he carefully pours milk in it. One after another, he makes leaves, hearts, swans and even teddy bears which rest on the buoyant, delicate coffee froth. Ravi is passionate about coffee. “It is not just about brewing a perfect cup of coffee, but also making it look beautiful. All that this art requires is concentration and technique. We don’t use brushes or sticks, unless we have to write someone’s name on the coffee,” he says.

Attending regular training workshops at the cafe’s headquarters, in Bangalore, Ravi has also been participating in several championships, including National Barista Championship and Dronacharya Competition. “Every year, I attend a two-day training workshop organised by the cafe to learn new techniques of latte art. It’s not difficult, but it does require a lot of practice,” he adds. Ravi says that it took him a total of six months to learn latte art. “The coffee impressions can be challenging. The trick is to keep the hand steady and balance its movements while controlling the flow of milk that’s poured into a shot of espresso. If the texture of espresso isn’t right, you are bound to mess up the art on it.”

Eight years ago, when Chandigarh-based Ravi started working at CCD, hearts and leaves were dominating impressions of latte art. Slowly, things are changing. “Now we have started making swans and dragons. Sometimes, we also customise the coffee impression and write names of our customers on their coffee. It’s done with a sleek stick, but that’s lot easier than making impressions while pouring milk in coffee,” he shares.

Neha Soin, who is the training manager of CCD’s Chandigarh and Punjab region adds: “Keeping with trends that intrigue today’s generation, we are serving them their cup of coffee which will be more Instagram-able, Snapchat-able and enviable right at their table. Following our contribution to the Skill India initiative, we have even provided certified training to our in-house employees who have mastered the skill with utmost perfection. We have encouraged a spirit of aspiration in the mind of every employee in our café to be a brew master.”

If you are lucky, Ravi might even teach you a trick or two about making latte art. Catch your artsy cup of coffee at the Latte Art Festival till May 27.