Ever order a latte at a local coffee shop and notice the foamy design adorning its top? That’s latte art, and baristas from all over Seattle meet up every now and then to see who does it best.
We went to one of those competitions at Zoka Coffee & Tea in Green Lake last week (watch our Instagram story with all the drama here). When the tournament started, all the competing baristas’ art looked the same to us: swirly, pretty, and…uh…foamy?
So, we were confused: What separates “meh” latte art from a pour worthy of a $1,000 first-place prize? The winning barista from that night, Alex Opinsky of Anchorhead Coffee, and Zoka CEO and founder Jeff Babcock (he judged the competition) gave us the scoop.
Judges at latte art competitions don’t taste the lattes. It’s all about the looks, and they’re looking for some pretty specific stuff. Get ready to become your next latte’s biggest critic:
And speaking of beauty, what does the best latte art actually look like? For that and more, head to theevergrey.com. And if you want to order up some quality latte art for yourself: Alex pours at Anchorhead Coffee at Olive Way and Seventh Avenue. Jeff recommends the latte art at Zoka, of course. Seattle’s Espresso Vivace is known citywide for its latte art legacy. And if you’re looking for something a little different, Moore Coffee’s lattes are just adorable. Thanks to reader Luiz Humberto Melchert Marques for telling us about the competition!
🏔 8/16: Found: A Life in Mountain Rescue with Author Bree Loewen
☯️ 8/16: Summer Yoga in the Park at Seattle Center
🌲 8/16: Kid-Friendly Park Walk
🎤 8/16: Westlake Idol
🍚 8/17: Poke Class — CANCELED
🐱 8/17: Pause & Draw: Josie and the Pussycats
🙋 8/18: Civic Boot Camp: Immigration
💨 8/18-20: 26th Annual Seattle Hempfest
🎨 8/18-20: Seattle Tattoo Expo
🚲 8/18-20: Gigantic Bicycle Festival
🌎 8/18-20: Chief Seattle Days
🍻 8/19: Washington Beer Collaboration Festival
🌯 8/19: Ballard Burrito Fest
⚔️ 8/19: Saber Battle Seattle 2017
🇳🇴 8/19-20: Viking Days
🖼 8/19-20: Pacific NW Chalk Fest
📜 8/20: Papermaking/Short Run Summer School with Mita Mahato
✉️ 8/20: Screenprinting Work Party for the Postcard Project
🇧🇷 8/20: BrasilFest
Yup — we’re looking for two awesome people to join our team: a storytelling producer to help us live like we live here, and a social storytelling editor to help us and our sister publication The New Tropic spark great conversations. 💪
Want to apply? Know someone we should meet? Share out the applications linked above and send any questions to our cofounder, Anika Anand, at [email protected].
Have a good one, all. — The Evergrey