Beautiful latte art is just one sign of a skilled barista. Advanced baristas have no doubt spent hours, days, months and years perfecting the craft of elaborately pouring milk on espresso. And the thing is, there’s always more to learn. It’s something we teach every week to both professional baristas and home enthusiasts through our range of coffee workshops and courses.
Climpson & Sons coffee trainer Sujan recently had the opportunity to guest judge at the Joe & The Juice national latte art competition. Here, the competitors showcased the best barista skills from Joe & The Juice’s 80+ stores across the country, where they serve Climpsons coffee to perfection every single day. Sujan left the evening inspired by the camaraderie behind the competitors, as well as the obvious hard work that had gone into their preparations. In response, he went on to host a Latte Art Masterclass here at Climpsons HQ to explore advanced latte art techniques with both winner, Ryan, and runner up, Phoebe.
This journal is a reflection on why latte art and, in particular these competition spaces, are so valuable for aspiring baristas and the catalytic impact they can have on a long and rewarding career in coffee. Read on and be inspired.
Why Latte Art?
Our coffee trainings cover the intricacies of coffee history and sourcing, the nuance of coffee tasting and the practicalities behind extracting espresso. The icing on top of the cake, and the thing so many of our trainees get really excited about, is pouring latte art. We will always emphasise the importance of pouring a balanced espresso first and foremost. But on top of this, there’s an incredible satisfaction and pride in pouring your first perfectly symmetrical micro foam heart or tulip.
So why is latte art so appealing? Sujan explains his perspective:
“For the person that’s making it, it’s a creative process. There’s some kind of catharsis perhaps. Everyone has some kind of creativity and it’s a chance to express that.”
For the customer, it’s a visible symbol of the care and skill that has gone into their drink. It’s an act of attentiveness from the barista and a way to connect without words. It’s also undeniably temporary (except in your camera roll) which just makes it all the more beautiful.
The Coffee Competition Experience
Coffee competitions have grown alongside the waves of specialty coffee we’ve ridden here at Climpsons. These contests range from the global, like the World Latte Art Championships hosted at the World of Coffee Festival, to the smaller scale local throwdown culture that played such a vital role in making working as a barista so cool. No matter the size and scale, competitions are an expression of community and skill. They are a chance for the barista to step out of the everyday grind (pun intended) and showcase the outcome of their hard work.
We have a long history on the coffee competition scene, having previously participated in the World Barista Championships and regularly hosting events for our wholesale community. In the coffee business, it’s a wonderful thing to bring the best of the big competition scene to a local level, showing that all the joy of the throwdown can be presented in a format that feels supportive and inclusive for exceptional everyday baristas.
For a barista it can be validating to compete, at any level. The weeks and months leading up to a competition are an invitation to step up your game, to continue to improve and develop your skills. For busy baristas, this development is all done while still keeping the flow of service running smoothly. In terms of career progression, these competitions can form an insight into wider prospects in the specialty coffee industry, allowing competitors to take a peek into roles they may want to progress to in the future.
Joe & The Juice National Latte Art Throwdown
We were thrilled to hear that our partners Joe & The Juice were launching an internal national latte art competition of their own. And even more thrilled when they invited our coffee trainer Sujan to judge the grand final here in London.
Sujan describes the mood at the event:
“There’s a real culture at Joe & The Juice. I’ve competed in lots of throwdowns and this one felt quite different. This was the final of a national competition and everyone was there to support their friends, waving sign boards for their colleagues. I had never seen that in a competition before. There was a sense of community, outside of the latte art itself, and I found that amazing.”
Having previously competed in similar competitions at the start of his coffee career he reflected:
“I saw how passionate people were about latte art and it reminded me of when I started to make coffee. The baristas were quite young and new to their careers. There was a lot of excitement around it. It felt like I was going back in time.”
After much milk steaming, pouring and endless cheering, the worthy winners were announced. Congratulations to the winner, Ryan and runner up, Phoebe on their huge achievement. They both showed outstanding technical skill, pouring to success amongst a group of very talented friends and colleagues.
Ryan says:
“The Latte Art competition was an incredible experience for me! It opened many doors - and my eyes - to the vast world of coffee. The competition itself was super exciting. It gave us all a chance to show some flare and even though we were against one another, a strong sense of community resonated throughout the night.”
When the competition finished, Sujan caught up with both Ryan and Phoebe to congratulate them. In the moments after their success, they were already looking for feedback, tips and to start learning more advanced techniques. The desire to keep learning and improving was tangible.
The Climpson & Sons Masterclass
It was this conversation that encouraged Sujan to offer an advanced latte art masterclass for Ryan and Phoebe here at Climpsons HQ. He reflects on why:
“When I won my first ever latte art throwdown I was given a £20 voucher and a bottle of gin. And that was great at the time. But I feel if you give someone a skill, that’s something they can keep forever. What if they learn something here that can ignite their passion and fuel their career?”
A date was booked and the masterclass went from idea to reality. This workshop was an opportunity for Ryan and Phoebe to step away from their usual busy work environments and work on advanced latte art techniques.
Ryan contemplates on the experience of the masterclass:
“I'm a perfectionist when it comes to latte art. However, despite winning the competition, I felt I was stagnating and wanted to know how I could keep improving. Sujan offered a Latte Art Masterclass, unlocking new skills and enabling me to practice new designs using a free form technique, as well as fine-tuning other designs. The masterclass showed me there is always something new to learn within coffee, giving me courage and inspiration to go out and explore more.”
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As well as the practical skills we hoped to inspire, events like this can act like a catalyst for a long and rewarding career in the coffee industry. It’s an opportunity for aspiring baristas to see the wide range of roles available to them in the future and find the courage and confidence to .
Reflecting on a statistic we explored in our panel discussion on mental health in the coffee industry from Well Grounded’s 2024 State of the Coffee Nation Report:
‘68% of people leave the coffee industry in less than 2 years, but 70% wish to progress in a career in coffee.’
What can we do to change this? Events, trainings and development programmes are a chance to develop the skills of talented, aspiring and passionate coffee people and perhaps open the doors to a long and rewarding career in specialty coffee in the future.
