In the world of latte art, there are two main camps: Team Free Pour and the Etchers. Free pourers are the traditionalists: They make their designs by pouring heated, “stretched” milk into espresso, creating beautiful designs where the milk and coffee don’t quite want to dissolve into one another. It’s a test of how well they’ve aerated and textured the milk, and, of course, of how well they understand the motions and physics of the pour. Etchers, though, are the tool users: They will draw into the milk, dragging coffee into the dense foam, and boom! You have patterns, designs and the occasional portrait of Stockard Channing.
While they may battle each other for primacy and respect, Salon’s team of coffee lovers decided to stay away from the fray and go with another, utterly subjective criteria: How happy do these cups of coffee make us? It was hard to choose just five winners, but we did … and we’re showing you our 36 other favorites besides.
To see them all view the slideshow.
Special congratulations go to our winners, who will receive fabulous prizes courtesy of Bodum. They are:
- Robert Hoos, Refuge Coffee Bar, Cincinnati: Is it a seahorse? A dragon? Salon staffers had trouble deciding, but the consensus was that it looked pretty badass, whatever it was.
- Jason Duncan, Cafe Evoke, Oklahoma City: Similar to the classic latte heart, Jason’s tulip has an understated, cheery elegance that makes us feel like it’s gonna be a good day.
- Jonathan Pascual, Empire State South, Atlanta: His rendering of Snoopy skipping across the foam was an automatic crowd-pleaser. Because, c’mon, how can you see those floppy ears in your cup and not crack a smile?
- Jesse Raub, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago: Jesse’s gigantic classic rosetta is free pour at its best: deceptively simple, but the intricacy of the design is mind-blowing if you stare at it long enough.
These four will get a set of Canteen insulated glasses, made of lovely-to-hold, super-light borosilicate glass.
AND THE GRAND PRIZE GOES TO…
Elizabeth Gray of Muddy Waters Coffee Shop in Elizabeth City, N.C.: Both her swimming carp and woman (who we think looks remarkably like actress Stockard Channing) — so insanely precise, so detailed — left us wondering, how did she do that? As the grand prize winner, Elizabeth will receive the Canteen glasses and a classic Chambord French press.
And again, you can check out the winning entries — and some others we just wanted to show off — just click on the link below.
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View the slide show
My husband manages a coffee shop, and we actually met in a coffee shop. As you can imagine, our kitchen has an espresso machine, an industrial grinder, a home grinder, two coffee pots, an iced coffee maker, a french press, a pour over kit… Needless to say, we’re well-equipped in case there is an apocalypse and the new currency is coffee beans.
My first introduction to the merits of latte art was through him. I actually dislike recognizable shapes in my cups, but I have come to love the pen and ink McSweeney’s quality of rosettas (the shapes you see etched below). Not quite flower, not quite feather, just a Rorschach blot crowning my morning cappuccino.
When he started judging latte art competitions, I obliged by glancing over his shoulder and rambling things about line quality, since of course I felt this was in my area of expertise as a designer. But I had no idea how extensive the actual criteria are. For instance, at the World Latte Art Competition, there’s both a technical judge and a style judge. (Perhaps design competitions could employ a similar model.)
The main judging criteria are summarized as:
- Balance and Symmetry (dividing lines are even and show no hesitation)
- Harmony (between the size of the cup and the size and position of the design)
- Clarity of Design (contrast)
- Quality of Milk Texture (yes, it takes a lot of practice to perfectly texture milk)
Over time, I began to be able to spot the signature style of many baristas around Boston. There was one barista in particular who had a very whimsical line quality I grew to love, similar to the initial cap at the beginning of a book of Aesop’s Fables I remember reading as a child. Yes, there are technical reasons for variations from barista to barista like how quickly they pour the milk through the espresso or the size of the cup; but in the end, it’s the rhythm of their hand, just like any artist’s hand, that makes the difference. No two are alike and personal style can be your best friend or something you fight in the quest for perfection.
Here are 12 delicious cups poured by talented hands across Boston. I have included their signatures to give additional insight into their personal line quality.
1st column top to bottom:
Charles Hale, Render
Joe Smith, Blue State Coffee
Ryan Ludwig, Blue State Coffee
Ryan Soeder, Counter Culture
Daria Whalen, Pavement/ERC
Markus McVay, Render
2nd column top to bottom:
Mia Govoni, Pavement/ERC
Dylan Evan, Cafe Fixe
Scot Blevins, Cafe Fixe
Wolfie Barn, Untastable
Calin Robinette, Voltage
Nate DeRuvo, Blue State Coffee
Copyright F+W Media Inc. 2012.
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When we kicked off our little latte art contest last week, we thought it’d be fun … but we had no idea how many responses we’d be getting! So, to keep inspiring great shots, pours and pictures, we’re going to run one of our favorites each day until the deadline of April 6. Fun fun! And keep them coming!
Today:
From Jesse Raub, from Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago, with a note: “Latte art is created mainly by two different methods — free pour, and etching. Free pour relies on the flow rate and textural quality of the milk to create a design, while etching involves using an implement to draw designs in white foam with dark coffee stains. The three main designs people associate with free pour latte art are the rosetta (pictured here), a heart, and a tulip.”
Jesse Raub
Jesse Raub, Intelligentsia Coffee, 4/5/11
To enter your own …
Snap some pictures of your favorite baristas’ latte art skills and send them to us. We’ll pick our favorite shots, and the top five entries will win fabulous prizes from Bodum, makers of super sweet, design-y coffee gear.
Four winners will get a set of Canteen insulated glasses (made of lovely-to-hold, super-light borosilicate glass – no, I’m not shilling; I just date an architect who gets really excited about cool materials). One super-extra winner will get the Canteen glasses and a classic Chambord French press. And, if you’d be so kind, please go and “Like” Bodum’s Facebook page. Yes, I am shilling now, but they’re kind enough to hand out some sweet prizes for our goofy little contest, so why not?
How to enter:
Take a picture — or several, or many — of latte art, and email it to <strong>coffee@salon.com. Please include the name of the coffee shop, date, and time you took the picture, and, if you’d like, the name of the barista who created the art. (Don’t you like to see people recognized for their work?)
Photos should be 400×600 minimum size, 72 dpi, but bigger is better. Please put “Foaming at the mouth” as the subject line of the email. And please know that by sending these photos in, you’re agreeing to give us permission to publish them on Salon.
All entries must be received by 1pm, Eastern time, Wednesday, April 6th, 2011. Winners will be announced Monday, April 11th.
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The irrepressible happiness of Snoopy!
By Salon Staff
Topics: Food, Great coffee art
When we kicked off our little latte art contest last week, we thought it’d be fun … but we had no idea how many responses we’d be getting! So, to keep inspiring great shots, pours and pictures, we’re going to run one of our favorites each day until the deadline of April 6. Fun fun! And keep them coming!
Today: From the barista himself, Jonathan Pascual of Empire State South in Atlanta, GA, Snoopy!
To enter your own …
Snap some pictures of your favorite baristas’ latte art skills and send them to us. We’ll pick our favorite shots, and the top five entries will win fabulous prizes from Bodum, makers of super sweet, design-y coffee gear.
Four winners will get a set of Canteen insulated glasses (made of lovely-to-hold, super-light borosilicate glass – no, I’m not shilling; I just date an architect who gets really excited about cool materials). One super-extra winner will get the Canteen glasses and a classic Chambord French press. And, if you’d be so kind, please go and “Like” Bodum’s Facebook page. Yes, I am shilling now, but they’re kind enough to hand out some sweet prizes for our goofy little contest, so why not?
How to enter:
Take a picture — or several, or many — of latte art, and email it to <strong>coffee@salon.com. Please include the name of the coffee shop, date, and time you took the picture, and, if you’d like, the name of the barista who created the art. (Don’t you like to see people recognized for their work?)
Photos should be 400×600 minimum size, 72 dpi, but bigger is better. Please put “Foaming at the mouth” as the subject line of the email. And please know that by sending these photos in, you’re agreeing to give us permission to publish them on Salon.
All entries must be received by 1pm, Eastern time, Wednesday, April 6th, 2011. Winners will be announced Monday, April 11th.
Saturday, Apr 2, 2011 2:02 PM UTC
Today, the wonderful Stockard Channing, a vision in coffee
By Salon Staff
Topics: Food, Great coffee art
When we kicked off our little latte art contest last week, we thought it’d be fun … but we had no idea how many responses we’d be getting! So, to keep inspiring great shots, pours and pictures, we’re going to run one of our favorites each day until the deadline of April 6. Fun fun! And keep them coming!
Today:
From Elizabeth Gray, a barista at Muddy Waters Coffee Shop in the appropriately-named Elizabeth City, NC. This piece of latte art caused a Salon editor to exclaim, “By God, it’s Stockard Channing!”
To enter your own …
Snap some pictures of your favorite baristas’ latte art skills and send them to us. We’ll pick our favorite shots, and the top five entries will win fabulous prizes from Bodum, makers of super sweet, design-y coffee gear.
Four winners will get a set of Canteen insulated glasses (made of lovely-to-hold, super-light borosilicate glass – no, I’m not shilling; I just date an architect who gets really excited about cool materials). One super-extra winner will get the Canteen glasses and a classic Chambord French press. And, if you’d be so kind, please go and “Like” Bodum’s Facebook page. Yes, I am shilling now, but they’re kind enough to hand out some sweet prizes for our goofy little contest, so why not?
How to enter:
Take a picture — or several, or many — of latte art, and email it to <strong>coffee@salon.com. Please include the name of the coffee shop, date, and time you took the picture, and, if you’d like, the name of the barista who created the art. (Don’t you like to see people recognized for their work?)
Photos should be 400×600 minimum size, 72 dpi, but bigger is better. Please put “Foaming at the mouth” as the subject line of the email. And please know that by sending these photos in, you’re agreeing to give us permission to publish them on Salon.
All entries must be received by 1pm, Eastern time, Wednesday, April 6th, 2011. Winners will be announced Monday, April 11th.
Friday, Apr 1, 2011 9:47 PM UTC
Behold, the Bicyclatte!
By Salon Staff
Topics: Food, Great coffee art
When we kicked off our little latte art contest last week, we thought it’d be fun … but we had no idea how many responses we’d be getting! So, to keep inspiring great shots, pours and pictures, we’re going to run one of our favorites each day until the deadline of April 6. Fun fun! And keep them coming!
Today:
From JJ Heldmann: “Latte purchased midway through a weekend morning bike ride, at St. Honoré Boulangerie, Lake Oswego, Ore. The barista saw my helmet and gave me a latte appropriate for the occasion. It tasted as good as it looked!”
To enter your own …
Snap some pictures of your favorite baristas’ latte art skills and send them to us. We’ll pick our favorite shots, and the top five entries will win fabulous prizes from Bodum, makers of super sweet, design-y coffee gear.
Four winners will get a set of Canteen insulated glasses (made of lovely-to-hold, super-light borosilicate glass – no, I’m not shilling; I just date an architect who gets really excited about cool materials). One super-extra winner will get the Canteen glasses and a classic Chambord French press. And, if you’d be so kind, please go and “Like” Bodum’s Facebook page. Yes, I am shilling now, but they’re kind enough to hand out some sweet prizes for our goofy little contest, so why not?
How to enter:
Take a picture — or several, or many — of latte art, and email it to <strong>coffee@salon.com. Please include the name of the coffee shop, date, and time you took the picture, and, if you’d like, the name of the barista who created the art. (Don’t you like to see people recognized for their work?)
Photos should be 400×600 minimum size, 72 dpi, but bigger is better. Please put “Foaming at the mouth” as the subject line of the email. And please know that by sending these photos in, you’re agreeing to give us permission to publish them on Salon.
All entries must be received by 1pm, Eastern time, Wednesday, April 6th, 2011. Winners will be announced Monday, April 11th.
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