Coffee artists in Buenos Aires

Beijing, July 24 (Xinhua) according to the Xinhua News Agency "Xinhua International" client report, Argentina is a country of immigrants, of which Italian and Spanish immigrants are the majority. At the beginning of the last century, a large number of Europeans emigrated to Argentina, which also brought European habits, including drinking coffee.

Buenos Aires, the capital, has different styles of cafes all over the streets. Some old cafes have a history of a century and still follow the traditional craftsmanship of manual grinding and brewing, while others are bold and innovative. Cater to the consumption habits of modern urban young people, such as the "all Holy Cafe" in Belgrano.

This coffee shop is not small in size and famous for its fancy coffee. Chief barista Lafarrell Souza is not only handsome, but also produces a beautiful and fragrant latte. He is also good at making milk flowers on thick coffee, of which "Swan" coffee is the most popular.

The process of making fancy coffee is not complicated. Souza's "paintbrush" is a pointed stainless steel cup with milk. The milk bubbles on the steam nozzle of the coffee machine and is continuously poured evenly into the coffee cup. Souza turned her wrist and cup skillfully, and the beautiful swan pulled flowers into shape quickly.

Souza, 27, has only been in the business for three years, but he has a talent for the taste of coffee. In his own words, "I have a natural intuition about what good coffee is." Before becoming chief barista, he had studied at Quan Sheng Cafe for two years and knew the taste and aroma of each kind of coffee beans and the effects of different combinations.

Souza often designs different flowers according to the identity and mood of customers. "the purpose of making flowers is not only to be beautiful, but to attract customers' attention to coffee," he said. People come to drink coffee, notice the flowers in the coffee, and feel that someone behind the counter is concerned about their existence. This emotional connection is very important. "

Souza said that the coffee flower has three basic shapes: heart shape, lotus seat and tulip. The combination of the three shapes can also draw more complex and beautiful patterns, such as a swan pattern made of a lotus seat and a heart shape. Some lotus seats with wings can also paint a Phoenix, but most of the time the flower is just an abstract pattern that makes people feel good.

Souza says the key to fancy coffee is the quality and ratio of coffee and milk. The coffee made from high-quality coffee beans tastes uniform and thick, and he describes it as "good malleability". The milk temperature should be controlled at about 70 degrees Celsius, the milk foam should be played properly, and the technique should be skillful in one go, plus patience, meditation and love.

"Coffee culture in Buenos Aires prevails. People like to drink coffee and stay in cafes for a long time. I like it, but one thing needs to change. That is, people should not just regard drinking coffee as a habit, but should be a kind of indulgence. There is a lot of good coffee in the world, "Souza said.

How can I enjoy my coffee? Souza believes that the role of baristas is irreplaceable. Professional baristas know how to recommend good coffee and are good at mixing different coffee beans and brewing coffee with the best taste through the mixture of coffee and milk. In recent years, many coffee shops in Argentina have begun to recruit professional baristas, not just coffee-making waiters.

Buenos Aires now has more than 3000 cafes and nearly 70 century-old brands. In order to better preserve this tradition on the tip of the tongue, the municipal government applied to UNESCO in 2013, hoping to include the local coffee culture with great pride in the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. (reporter Ye Shuhong and Zhao Yanyan, editor qu Junya, Xinhua International client reporting)