SCAA Developing U.S. Latte Art Championship for 2014 Event in Seattle

Creative Commons photo by Michael Allen Smith

Following a late-addition grassroots latte art exhibition for its 2013 Event in Boston, The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is developing a U.S. Latte Art Championship for its 2014 Event in Seattle.

Espresso machine manufacturer Dalla Corte, which helped lead the charge for last year’s exhibition, will sponsor the 2014 championship along with official porcelain sponsor Espresso Parts. The event will be sanctioned by SCAA, the licensed national body for World Coffee Events.

“Based on participation rates in 2013, it became clear that the barista community was excited about the possibility of an officially sanctioned U.S. Latte Art Championship being added to the SCAA lineup,” SCAA Senior Events Manager Lara Gallagher said in an announcement yesterday. “The U.S. Coffee Championships are the premier national stage for excellence in coffee preparation and we’re thrilled to be able to offer yet another opportunity for coffee professionals to showcase their skill and craftsmanship.”

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The program will involve two visual judges, one head judge and 1 technical judge. In Round 1, competitors will make two free-pour lattes and two designer lattes during a 6-minute stage presentation. There will also be an “Art Bar” segment, including free-pouring, etching, and use of dyes on the surface of the latte. Six finalists will move on to Round 2, where during an 8-minute presentation they will make two macchiatos, two free-pour lattes, and two designer lattes. Competitors will be judged on foam quality, difficulty of design, ability to reproduce their design, and creativity.

The winner of the 2014 US Latte Art Championship will move on to compete at the World Latte Art Championship. Registration for competitors will open Nov. 15 in conjunction with registration for the 2014 SCAA Event, which will take place April 24-27, 2014, in Seattle.