How to Pour a 4-Layer Tulip
The 4-layer tulip is the same technique as the classic tulip with one crucial difference: there is no margin for error. Four drops must each land cleanly, in line, with room left for the last one.
If your 3-layer tulip is consistent, this is the shape that sharpens your spacing and pacing.
Steam flawless milk
With four layers, even slight foaminess causes bleeding by the third drop. Glossy, wet-paint texture is non-negotiable.
Plan the drop positions
Before pouring, mentally mark where all four drops will land. Start further back toward the centre than feels natural — the shape needs the full length of the cup.
Pour four measured drops
Pour each drop slightly behind the previous one with a deliberate pause between them — slower than the 3-drop tulip. Keep the drop sizes even, each slightly smaller than the last.
Pull through
Lift, thin the stream, and draw one clean line through all four layers to form the stem.
Running out of cup
The final drop ends up cramped against the rim — the first drop started too close to the near edge.
The fix: Start the first drop further back, closer to the cup's centre, and plan all four positions before you start.
Rushing the rhythm
The pacing that worked for three drops is too fast for four — layers merge by the third drop.
The fix: Slow down deliberately. A longer pause between drops beats a rushed, merged stack every time.
Inconsistent drop sizes
One oversized drop in the middle of the stack throws off the whole taper.
The fix: Keep every drop even, each slightly smaller than the previous — consistency matters more than size.
What's the difference between a 3-layer and 4-layer tulip?
The technique is identical — stacked drops pushed forward, finished with a pull-through. The 4-layer version demands tighter spacing, slower pacing, and starting further back in the cup so the last drop has room.
When am I ready for the 4-layer tulip?
When your 3-layer tulip shows clean separation between all layers and a straight stem, consistently. In Brew's progression it unlocks after three tulips scoring 65+.
Find out what your tulip (4-layer) is missing
Reading the theory is step one. Brew looks at a photo of your actual pour and tells you which of these mistakes is holding it back — in seconds, on your phone.
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