Latte art is not reserved to latte coffee only, it also applies for other beverages containing milk foam like cappuccino and hot chocolate. Latte art developed independently in different countries, following the introduction of espresso and the development of microfoam, the combination of crema (which is an emulsion of coffee oil and brewed coffee) and microfoam allowing the pattern; it presumably was initially developed in Italy. In the United States, latte art was developed in Seattle in the 1980s and 1990s, and particularly popularized by David Schomer. Schomer credits the development of microfoam ("velvet foam" or "milk texturing") to Jack Kelly of
Latte art "Uptown espresso" in 1986, and by 1989 the heart pattern was established and a signature at Schomer's "Espresso Vivace." The rosette pattern was then developed by Schomer in 1992, recreating the technique based on a photograph he saw from Cafe Mateki in Italy. Schomer subsequently popularized latte art in his course "Caffe Latte Art". At the same time Luigi Lupi from Italy met Schomer on the internet and they exchanged videos they made on Latteart and Cappuccini Decorati. Latte art is a mixture of two colloids: the crema, which is an emulsion of coffee oil and brewed coffee; and the