Parrot latte art by Victor Vu

Reigning Australian Latte Art Champion Victor Vu shares a refined take on his classic parrot design with a little more detail, and a lot more character.

The parrot was one of the first latte art patterns that I mastered, and this edition, I’m excited to share with you my updated take on the design.

victor vu
Victor Vu of Ona Coffee Melbourne is the 2020 ASCA Australian Pauls Professional Latte Art Champion.

I presented my original parrot design at the 2019 Australian Latte Art Championship, but it didn’t contain quite as much complexity as this version, which uses many of the skills and techniques I’ve picked up along my latte art journey.

One of these is the ‘cunning eye’ technique Arnon Thitiprasert made popular at the 2017 World Latte Art Championship. With this technique, rather than using a drop of foam as they eye, you build the eye into the design of the face, really helping to add character and realism to the design.

Beyond that, you see a greater level of detail, with much more texture added to the parrot itself, as well as the background set up within the rest of the cup.

To perfect this design yourself, you will need a good understanding of basic latte art techniques and how your elements will interact with each other in the cup. This is not an easy design to master but that makes it all the more worthwhile when you do.

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This article appears in the April 2022 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.

Victor Vu’s Parrot

Step 1

With the handle at 12 o’clock, pour a nine-leaf rosetta from the centre of the cup to the right, then a smaller seven-leaf rosetta underneath.

Step 2

Turn the cup so the handle faces you. Pour two parallel eight-leaf rosettas along the top half of the cup. For the bottom one, pull through between the two rosettas to create a branch between the rosetta leaves.

Step 3

Turn the handle to three o’clock. Above your first rosetta, sway a short sway with four leaves, followed by a second one that creates a V shape.

Step 4

At the bottom of the most recent pour a seven-leaf rosetta the pull through along the rim of the cup up to about 11 o’clock.

Step 5

Drag a short, curved line from you end point to form the top of the beak and fill it with a small swaying motion. Over on your branch, drag a short line beneath the rosettas to complete the tree.

Step 6

From the top of your small rosetta at the bottom of the cup, drag a line curving around your larger rosettas to form the body.

Step 7

In the same motion pour a small circle at the top of the curve, connecting to the beak and leaving a hole in the middle for the eye.

Step 8

Finish your design with a few small drops of foam beneath the tree.

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