Ipoh Latte Art Throwdown 2015 was held at Coffee Tag on February 16. Contestants from KL, Penang, Alor Setar, Kampar and Ipoh joined in the first latte art throwdown in Ipoh. Leonard Lock from KL, Sam Mok from Coffee Tag and Keith Chee from Simple X were invited to evaluate each cup of latte art based on four criteria, comprising beauty, difficulty, definition and colour infusion.
Contestants were given two brewed espressos to produce their latte art. They were then required to present a cup which they were satisfied with for judging. There was no time limit set to produce a perfect cup. The cup should not be overflowing to avoid spillage when being served by the waitresses.
The emcee of the event, Melvin Cheng, together with Sam Mok from Coffee Tag explained that this event was to raise awareness amongst the public on the ongoing competitions and events that are actually available in the coffee industry. These events give baristas, opportunities to present their skills, to gain experience from other baristas and to give exposure and recognition to baristas. Most importantly, it is a time for baristas to enjoy and have fun while they do what they do best.
Results were out after three hours of brewing, frothing, pouring and judging. Tan Zhi Ying, an 18-year-old from Butterworth won a Motta Pitcher and RM300 at first place. His passion for latte art started a year after his SPM. Before this competition, he entered the Asia Latte Art Championship but failed to enter into the finals. He knew about this Throwdown through his supplier, Simple X coffee.
First runner up was Kelvin Wong, 24, who has had no experience in competitions. He developed a strong interest in latte art for a very long time but only had the chance to learn from Bread Espresso Dessert, Ipoh, half a year ago. He won RM200 and a Teflon Milk Pitcher. Second runner up was Phua Yi Ren, 20-year-old from 30 Seconds Café KL who went home with RM100 and a Stainless Steel Pitcher.
Susan
