I was one of the judges along with Anya Levykh, Mark Villela and Wayne Wright at That Barista Thing yesterday for the International Latte Art Competition. There were 16 competitors and each were highly skilled baristas who were passionate and ever so impressive in their presentations.
Masahito Orita
John Giannakos
Koji Kozuka
The winners were:
- Masahito Orita – 1st Place from Blenz Coffee in Japan
- John Giannakos – 2nd Place from Revolver Coffee in Vancouver
- Koji Kozuka – 3rd Place from Blenz Coffee in Japan
This Free Pour latte art competition featured head to head competition between Baristas as “a match” out of 16 competitors. The competitor receiving the highest score advanced and the loser was eliminated. The Baristas were judged based on 5 categories: 1) Aesthetic Beauty 2) Definition 3) Colour Infusion 4) Degree of Difficulty and Creativity 5) Speed. Competitors were given 4 minutes to make one latte for the judges to be scored against each other.
That Barista Thing is a celebration of Barista Culture proudly supported by BLENZ COFFEE, the event was held at Library Square in Vancouver.
By: Richard Wolak