What is this sacrilege ? Flat foam and waaaaay too milky!  Very clearly That’s Not a Cappuccino!

Pieced together for the The Rocks Aroma Festival in Sydney, a one day event that saw 3604 cups of carefully measured coffee, laid out to create the giant image of Miss Mona Lisa. While we admire the patience and imagination of these dexterous coffee pixel artists, there’s no way we’d let them pour us a Cappuccino! No sir.

The absence of the Golden Ratio means it’s a thumbs down from us i’m afraid. And from Leonardo too i’d imagine ( he loved a bit of Golden Ration action ).

We were fortunate enough to have a chat Gwilym Davies – the UK’s best barista. Who it turns out is probably a candidate for Britain’s nicest man too. He shares our view that there’s too much latte in the world. And was kind enough to give a thumbs up to our campaign.

Our full interview with him will be online soon. Here’s a taste

We’re pretty sure you’ll interested to hear what he has to say about our beloved ‘golden ratio’ he’s certainly got us thinking…

Great list of the top 10 coffee shops in London.

There’s quite a lot of crossover with this list of shops supplied by the excellent Square Mile Coffee.

We’ve got some tips from a few of our friends who know about the art of the perfect cappuccino. If you’ve got any other advice – get commenting!

• Watch the barista work your milk. If they’re not working it, you’re not wanting it.
• If it looks like they’re pouring white water into your cup, then scooping a bit of foam on top. Be prepared for disappointment.
• How big are their jugs? And how much milk are they frothing in one go? If it looks like litres of moo juice. Worry. There’s a correlation between great coffee places and smaller jugs.
• Although we keep whanging on about the golden ratio and the rule of thirds it shouldn’t be 3 separate layer. It should feel like a rich velvety cream all the way through.
• A fake will be too heavy. And you’ll feel as if the centre of gravity is high in the cup. It should feel light and floaty.
• If it feels scalding hot on your lips ask them to make you another – as you know you’re within your rights!

As part of this article about Gwilym Davies – Britain’s best barista (and friend of That’s a Cappuccino).

Gwilym’s five steps to the best cappuccino

• Know where your beans come from (Davies’s are from a farm in ElSalvador and one in Nicaragua.)
• Freshness. “You need to know when the coffee was roasted.” Three weeks is optimum.

• Favour a burr grinder, not one of those helicopter blades because they don’t grind evenly.
• Get a good-quality machine with a stable temperature.
• Keep the frothing wand clean. “If you overheat the milk it loses its sweetness.”

We agree – always keep your wand clean! Apparently Tom Cruise is a massive advocate of wand cleaning too.

We spoke to Consumer Direct to ask about what you can do if you’re served a cappuccino when you ask for a latte. And it’s pretty clear. It’s your right, under the 1982 Sales and Supply of Goods and Services Act to ask for a refund or replacement. If you don’t believe us, our full conversation with them can be heard here.

Excuse our dust, we’re building this thing LIVE ON THE INTERNETZZZZZZZZZ.