TOP Art: Art in a Cup - Latte art master Peter Hernou (2)

TOP Art: Art in a Cup - Latte art master Peter Hernou (2)

The barista is someone...

Who masters coffee and milk

Who knows different brewing method

Who looks out for better pouring techniques to improve stability

An outstanding latte artist understands that... 

There are some coffee flavour best to be consumed in its pure form,
without mixing with milk and alcohol.

The quality of milk is equally as important as the coffee

by Peter Hernou

Secrets to keep the well-brewed coffee...

By instant cooling or shock cooling - 

Pour the coffee into a small glass with two ice cubes

or

Blend the ice with coffee and milk

For espresso -
shake the coffee hard with plenty of ice inside a large or Boston shaker

 *coffee cooling is important
because long cooling process will make the coffee bitter and difficult to combine

Secrets to the perfect frothed milk...

It resembles something similar to lightly whipped cream instead of bath foam

Do not under-steamed (60c) or over-steamed (72c)

by Peter Hernou

Tips for home barista

1. For machines - cool down boiling water for a few degrees

to increase aroma and reduce bitterness

2. For filters - firstly pour hot water over to let the ground beans to steep,

then pour the remaining water gently over he beans.

Keep the coffee moist by adding water little by little, ensuring a constant drip.

3. Try bottles water instead of tap water -

different hardness and PH value means different finesse of flavours

4. Do not leave coffee exposed to a heat source,

choose a preheated thermal flask instead

5. Purchase freshly roasted beans to increase aroma & grind the beans

as close to consumption as possible

he should be quite good at that! - Peter Hernou

-- Produce exquisite coffee in every cup, not just warm black liquid --

Stay on TOP!

L.

TOP Art : Art in a Cup - Latte art master Peter Hernou

Art in a Cup - Latte art master Peter Hernou

"You don't have to bang your milk and make horrible noise, afterall latte art is an art, too.
You just have to froth your milk right."

- Peter Hernou, World Latte Art Championship

                                 

Latte art is supposed to look and taste good, I believe,
as I'm more a fan of flavour, texture and taste.
Luckily enough, we get to meet the master who shared the same opinion.

Peter's latte paired with chic fondant

bear latte art in my hand (which i didnt draw!)

TOP girls: How do you like your coffee to be served?

Peter: Expresso - There are different layers in an expresso even if you only see black under the cream.
With time, the build up and taste will change,
so i like to swirl it and mix it to keep the flavour balanced.

Latte - Nowadays, baristas like to use a big nice round cup to do latte art
because you can put a lot of pictures in it.
However, you will lose the creaminess and mouthful taste of latte cream
which I considered the best in latte.
I rather use a normal coffee cup.

                     have fun & enjoy reading & tasting great drinks!                      

TOP girls: What does latte art meant to you? 

Peter: I use it for extra communication.
Normally the chef will not do it because -

1. It takes time

2. You need to have a fast hand before the milk separates 

By doing the extra touch,
it shows my skills and passion towards coffee.

with Peter Hernou


On a side note, Peter is caffeine fragile just like us,
meaning we are a little bit more sensitive to coffee,
and more lattes mean less sleep :D
 
Have an early sleep, night owls.

Stay on TOP!
L. & Yancy

TOP Art : Hands on Ebru painting experience with Danilo Giannoni

Hands on experience at Ebru painting -
with Italian contemporary artist Danilo Giannoni

Danilo Giannoni "State of Matter" Exhibition

Date : June 12 - June 24, 2013

Venue: Pao Galleries, 5/F Hong Kong Art Center,
2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
 

First attempt on Ebru painting 

my swirl of colours! 

What is so fascinating about Ebru art and Danilo Giannoni?

 

It's rather simple, firstly,
it is amazing enough to draw on water - check out here.
 

Secondly, DANILO taught me how to draw on water.
Believe me, it was difficult and very time consuming!

Thirdly, his painting has no boundaries.
He does not restrict how his paint flows.
His inspiration comes and then he lets it explode,
it's like a "monster that never sleeps."
That's why he's an artist.

at the Pao Gallery - Danilo's painting is mine x15 or x30 layers...
now you see the difference? 

This exhibition also focuses on two new paintings:
one of Lisa S. and one of Ana R.
These two paintings would be the preview of Danilo's next two years of work.
It is basically a hand-painted celebrity picture sandwiched between layers and layers of Ebru water painting.

gorgeous painting of Lisa S, as if she's doing flamenco dancing,
so Danilo used red to show the energetic beauty... and her skirt flared up in the air!

this is a very moody, romantic Ana R.
I personally like how the flow of colours start from the head, like her mind is speaking to us.

This exhibition is something definitely worth checking out.
There are a few paintings which if you stand from a distance
you can actually see very abstract human figure(s) within the swirls.
I won't tell which painting it is exactly, but it's a red one towards the center of the collection.
Go explore! Maybe you will see something else than what I saw.
May your mind float on Danilo's paintings.

Stay on TOP!

Yancy 

TOP Art : A Smashing Party - and giveaway!

Swire Properties : A Smashing Party

[and giveaway!] 

Date : 14 June 2013

Address : 13/f Somerset House, Taikoo Place, Island East

L and I attended the first ever smashing party together!
So you may ask, what is a smashing party?

Well, we went there not really knowing what to expect,
as our invitation just said a preview of street art, lots of alcohol,
DJ Eve Speciall and Nat King Soul and paint balling/sledge hammer...

So how does all this connect?
Basically, this exhibition gives you an opportunity to destroy a section of the art after seeing it,
de-stress youself and let your rage out, and may the party begin! 

It started at this super low profile industrial building in Quarry Bay...

 

how things look after tons of people have been inside the smashing room 

gentle reminder!

people paintballing art inside a safe area

free alcohol!
whisky - champagne- wine - you name it, they have it

look at the crowd!!!!!

And for our awesome giveaway,
L and I snatched not one, not two but
THREE phone cases by Victor Ash,
a street artist from Paris, France that was featured in the party.

all you chic followers just need to do this -

1. subscribe to our blog by email -> right hand side of the page

2. leave a comment on "if you had a chance, how would you like to destroy art" [i.e. run a car over it!]

3. leave your email contact with the comment so we can contact you

.... and we will choose three lucky winners GLOBALLY, and post one of these three cases to you [we will contact u by email if you've been chosen!]

*please remember to say which phone case you want!

Deadline for entry : 30 June, 2013

giveaway : left to right - iphone 4/ iphone 5/ samsung galaxy s3 phone cases by Victor Ash

 Stay on TOP!

L. & Yancy