With steamed milk as their weapon, baristas will compete against one another from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday in hopes of winning The Caffeinery’s Latte Art Throwdown.
The baristas will craft symmetric designs displaying their craftsmanship for judge’s and spectators while also celebrating the fourth anniversary of The Caffeinery’s opening in downtown Muncie.
“Latte art is part of the natural progression in a quality focused coffee program,” said Frank Reber, an owner of The Caffeinery. “First you master coffee, and then you begin to work on the mechanics of milk. Once you start to master both, you work on the synergy of the two.”
Reber, who has competed in many competitions himself, said that many of the contestants entering the contest are professional baristas that practice everyday.
“It’s all about mastering your nerves and muscle memory,” Reber said. “There are always exceptions, occasionally we will get a home enthusiast that wants to compete, and [it’s] pretty awesome that someone is taking a home hobby to that level of dedication.”
At the end of the competition, judges will crown first, second and third place winners who will receive a portion of the funds raised with the $5 entry fee.
While this will be the first competition for some judges, like Levi McClish, a coffee roaster and manager at Abbey Coffee, the expectations are high for those competing.
“There are many judging categories for throwdowns,” McClish said. “A lot of times you are looking for the difficulty of a pattern. So how hard was it or how creative was your pour? Is it symmetrical, does it actually match up and look pretty in the cup? Is your milk texture really nice, like is it glossy and reflect off of light? Do you have execution? So if they are going for a particular design, and how well they pulled it off.”
Aside from their own categories, judges will also follow the regulations of the Specialty Coffee Association, SCA.
“We will be focusing on ‘free pour’ and will not be allowing the use of additives such as cocoa powder or stencil art,” Reber said.
The Muncie community is welcome to attend and observe the competition for free, and employees will be giving out a series of prizes as well as cups of coffee made by the baristas during the contest.
For those who have never been to a latte throw down, Reber said they should expect to see “rowdy individuals [getting] hyped for coffee”.
“Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, and people have a serious love for it and for good reason,” Reber said. “In a nutshell, coffee is water, heat, and coffee … but there are so many variables that can have a significant impact on the cup of coffee.”
Contact Pauleina Brunnemer with comments at pdbrunnemer@bsu.edu or on Twitter at @pauleina15.
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