Latte Artists on Stage at Coffee Fest, March, 2010

Thursday, February 11th 2010 @ 7:58 PM

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Seattle, Wash. – February 11, 2010 – Baristas armed with tamps and stainless steel pitchers battle it out in a good-natured competition to see who can craft the prettiest design atop a moving medium. The Coffee Fest Free Pour Latte Art Championship will kick off at the NY/NJ Coffee Fest held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center on March 5-7, 2010.

Latte art continues to draw big crowds and attract talented baristas from around the country as they deftly couple the nuance of coffee making with the whimsy of foamy creations. New Yorkers are getting in on the act and will represent coffeehouses from the various boroughs – Tamp, Tamp, Inc., Café Grumpy, Kaffe 1668, Counter Culture and Coffee Labs Roaster, among others. Watch as competitors from around the metropolitan spar along with a national field of coffee professionals that hail from Toronto, Canada, to Los Angeles, Calif., and Tokyo, Japan.

“Latte art is a light-hearted competition, yet it takes skill and knowledge to pull it off,” explains Greg Hartlein, Coffee Fest CEO. “Coffeehouse owners who engage their baristas in learning latte art and encouraging them to compete, move up a notch in their customers’ eyes.”

Pour it On

Baristas receive a 5-minute warm-up and a 5-minute ‘compete’ period to craft up to three drinks that will pass muster with the three coffee industry judges. Each cup will be judged using a 90-point scoring system spread out over four categories – aesthetic beauty and balance, color infusion, definition and creativity. Judges don headphones and view final drinks from a curtained area that keeps contestants identity anonymous. Just the cup is judged by industry stalwarts, Matt Miletto of Barista Exchange, Sarah Allen, publisher of Barista Magazine and Chris Deferio, two-time winner of the Latte Art contest.

Scores are posted immediately to a leader board that moves competitors up or out after each round. Larger than life shots of each pour are projected to the audience who can judge for themselves. The most dexterous combination of technical expertise and artistic whimsy will earn the top prize of $2,500, with second place receiving $1,000 and the third place victor takes home $500.

The Coffee Fest Free Pour Latte Art Championship is sponsored by Barista Magazine, Nuova Simonelli, Dillanos Coffee Roasters and Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.

Preliminary Rounds: Friday and Saturday, 9am-12pm

Finals: Sunday at 10am

Midwest Stop-Over

When summer rolls around, it’s off to the Midwest, where Coffee Fest sets up shop in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 4-6, 2010. To register for the Meadowlands or Minneapolis show, please go to our web site at www.coffeefest.com.

About Coffee Fest

Coffee Fest has been bringing specialty coffee, gourmet tea and alternative beverage industry professionals together since 1992 when the show first got its start as a consumer coffee festival in Seattle. Since 1998, Coffee Fest has gathered coffee retailers, roasters, distributors and manufacturers together for thrice annual trade shows to help attendees build and refine their businesses, get the first peek at new products and remain current with coffee and tea industry trends. For more information about all the shows, go to www.coffeefest.com

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