The skill of latte art
BLACKHEATH – There is a science to the art you see on coffee’s which takes lots of time and skill to master.
Only the best of baristas have mastered the skill of coffee art and Thando Coffee Company in Blackheath’s Heathway Centre invited some of them to see how they fared against each other.
The café recently hosted their very own Latte Art Throwdown where baristas of different companies and backgrounds competed against each other in a battle of coffee art.
According to Khulekani Mpala, owner of Thando Coffee Company this would be the first competition of this type for many of the participants since the National Barista Championship in March 2020. He said, “We wanted to test and see who pours great art onto the coffees we serve people at our places. The baristas went head to head to impress those judging for some great prizes at the end of it all.”
Many would believe creating a coffee with art on it is a simple task but lots of time and skill goes into mastering the art. “You have to be able to understand the science of milk and being able to give the milk a creamy texture, glossy foam and then pour the coffee in a way that there is a clear distinction between the coffee and milk. This is start of being able to create the images you see on these coffees and it takes a lot of practice to be able to do it.”
Mpala was pleased to be able to host such a competition for baristas since the Covid-19 pandemic stopped them from hosting and entering such competitions. For some it was their first time participating in such a competition while it gave the veterans a chance to brush up their skills.
