Latte is the new art

By Allison Schaich     9/11/13 7:00pm

It is always exciting to order a latte at a coffee shop and receive a steaming cup with an intricately poured design on the top. Whether your cup sports a flower, a heart or something a bit more abstract, latte art is a point of pride and distinguishability among baristas everywhere. However, Houston's series of Second Sunday Throwdowns has taken the art of pouring steamed milk into espresso to the next level. On the second Sunday of each month, a Houston coffee shop or cafe hosts a throwdown in which amateurs and professional baristas compete head-to-head in a bracketed tournament to see who can produce the most beautiful but readily drinkable work of latte art.

This past Sunday's throwdown was at Eatsie Boys Cafe at 4100 Montrose Blvd. Although the establishment is not predominantly a coffee shop, it has a wide array of caffeinated drinks made from the beans of one of Houston's premiere coffee roasters, Greenway Coffee Company. One benefit of the Throwdown series is the freebies each host provides, and Eatsie Boys was no exception. In addition to handing out the decorated lattes to willing spectators, the restaurant provided complimentary beer from 8th Wonder Brewery and small pork sandwich appetizers.

As one might expect of this type of event, the crowd was diverse and eclectic. Mostof the patrons and guests seemed to exhibit a sense of camaraderie, likely due to being members of Houston's close-knit barista community. Many of the competitors were in fact easily recognizable from local shops such as Paulie's, Blacksmith and Catalina Coffee. However, no credentials were necessary to compete - all Second Sunday Throwdowns are free and open to anyone interested. About 20 baristas from every age, background and number on the hipster scale entered this competition, and each one proved to be quite the latte art master.

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The latte competition was vigorous. In some cases, it was easy to tell which barista made the better art, but many works were close calls requiring intense deliberation between the judges. Latte art is judged based on multiple facets, including the contrast between the milk and the coffee, intricacy and symmetry. One of the highlights of the night was the unplanned "baby pour," when two of the competing baristas faced off by crafting their espresso shot, steaming their milk and pouring an intricate design - all while holding their infant babies in one arm. Surprisingly enough, both designs came out impressively well.

As baristas were eliminated the competition intensified. Tensions ran high as the three final competetors produced beautiful works of art. Ultimately, only one champion remained: Taylor, an Eatsie Boys barista who clearly excelled on her own turf. All in all, this edition of the Second Sunday Throwdown series was an exceptional event that provided an innovative twist on the art of latte pouring and a fun look into Houston's coffee-brewing community.

For more information on when and where the next Second Sunday Throwdown will take place, follow Blacksmith Coffee on either Twitter (@Bl4cksmith) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/blacksmithhouston). 

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