Where to Start with Dhan Tamang
Dhan Tamang is a Nepalese-born, UK-based latte artist who held the UK Latte Art Championship title six years running, from 2013 through 2018. He was a finalist at the 2016 World Latte Art Championship and is widely regarded as one of the most skilled coffee artists in the world. Known for his extraordinary precision and creative use of color, Tamang trains baristas from his coffee lab in the UK and has demonstrated his techniques at events across the globe. His two books translate that competition-level expertise into step-by-step instructions anyone can follow at home.
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Coffee Art
Dhan Tamang · 128 pages · 2017 · Easy
Themes: latte art, milk steaming, free pouring, etching, coffee design
The best place to start with Dhan Tamang. This 128-page guide covers 60 latte art designs, progressing from basic hearts and rosettas through etching, stencilling, and 3D foam sculptures. Tamang brings six years of championship-level experience to bear, but the book is written for complete beginners. He starts with how to create proper crema and microfoam before moving into any designs.
Why Start Here
Tamang’s first book is both his most accessible and his most comprehensive. “Coffee Art Masterclass,” published in 2024, is a worthy follow-up, but it assumes you already know the fundamentals. This book teaches them. The progression from simple free-pour patterns to elaborate etched designs gives you a clear path to follow, and each step builds on the one before it.
His instructions are precise without being overwhelming. Tamang knows from years of teaching exactly where beginners struggle, and he addresses those pain points directly. The photographs show each stage of a pour, so you can compare your results to what the design should look like at every step.
What to Expect
A visual, practical guide that works as both a tutorial and a reference. The book covers four categories of techniques: free pouring, etching, stencilling, and 3D sculpting. It includes nine stencil patterns you can trace and use immediately. At 128 pages, it is a quick read, but the designs inside will keep you practicing for months.
Alternatives
Dhan Tamang · 128 pages · 2024 · Moderate
Tamang’s second book, published seven years after “Coffee Art,” with 50 new designs that go beyond the basics. This is where latte art starts to feel like genuine artistry: recreations of famous paintings, natural landscapes, iconic buildings, and fantastical creatures, all created in a coffee cup.
Why Start Here
If you have already worked through the fundamentals in “Coffee Art,” this is the logical next step. The designs are more ambitious and require confident microfoam technique and a steady hand. Tamang includes templates for quick results alongside freehand techniques, and shares tips for making designs last longer in the cup.
The book maintains Tamang’s clear, step-by-step instructional style while pushing into more creative territory. It is the kind of book that expands your sense of what is possible with steamed milk and espresso.
What to Expect
A 128-page hardcover at a moderate difficulty level. You will get the most out of it if you can already pour clean hearts, rosettas, and tulips. The photography is both instructional and inspiring, showing what each design looks like at completion.