Latte Art Rumble in Raleigh-Durham, NC!

Talk about your favorite cafes, local barista events, or plan your own get-together.
nathan_ccc
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#1: Post by nathan_ccc »

UPDATE: August's Durham Thursday Night Throwdown is Thursday, August 27, 7 p.m. Our friends at Cafe Helios in Raleigh are hosting/sponsoring the event!

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Thursday Night Throwdown
Cafe Helios (Raleigh)
Thursday, August 27, 7 p.m.
free + open to the public / $5 to compete

Cafe Helios
413 Glenwood Ave
Raleigh, NC, 27603
919.838.5177
http://www.cafehelios.com/

Please join us!
nathan hollis brown
counter culture coffee

nathan_ccc (original poster)
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#2: Post by nathan_ccc (original poster) »

Thanks to everyone who came out and to all of the participants in Durham's first-ever Thursday Night Throwdown latte art competition hosted by Copa Vida with milk graciously provided by Homeland Creamery (and coffee from Counter Culture). Baristas from Caffe Driade, La Farm Bakery, Open Eye Cafe, Morning Times, Joe Van Gogh, Cafe Helios, Bean Traders, and Counter Culture Coffee's staff competed. Judges were Dan Kehn (h-b) and Scott Conary (Carrboro Coffee Company).



The winner, Michael Harwood of Caffe Driade pictured with Counter Culture's Lem Butler (left):



The winning latte:



Plans are in the works for the next one. Thanks, again!
nathan hollis brown
counter culture coffee

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HB
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#3: Post by HB »

Thanks to Copa Vida, Homeland Creamery, Lem, and rest of the Counter Culture crew for setting up this event. Honestly I was shocked by the turnout (12 competitors and around 40 spectators). Scott and I had a quick review of the judging criteria and some test scoring. He has more experience than I do, but we still were within 0.5 point for nearly all of our scores. It was good fun and the winner took away $60, three bags of coffee (Aficionado, Toscano, Rustica), and a Counter Culture t-shirt.

As the evening wound down and before the winner was announced, I chipped in the $5 entry fee so I could try my hand at the WBC Nuova Simonelli Aurelia. You only get one chance and I was surprised how well it turned out (the pour looked like it might gush, but calmed down; I like the on/off toggle steam switch). Scott showed me no mercy on scoring. I think that Lem might have cut me a little slack seeing that I wasn't eligible to actually win anything (not that it would have mattered!). I placed in the middle of the pack and could not resist taunting some of the Counter Culture employees that I squeaked by them in the final tally. This prompted one (unnamed) competitor to challenge me for a little one-on-one the next morning.

I arrived quite late as usual at our Counter Culture get-together. Like the night before, I followed the rule of "one turn only" at the machine, which wasn't a problem since someone else had already dialed in the grinder. Nathan kindly took photos of the action:


Preparation: Counter Culture Coffee vs. Home-Barista.com

(Yes, I know my shirt was "colorful". It was a birthday gift from my dad, and I've grown to like it).

Now before looking at the results, I should point out that my competition arrived long before I did and practiced a few pulls before the official round began. One would expect this extra time behind the bar would offer an advantage, but in this case it proved an opportunity for me to engage in some friendly banter that may have knocked him off his game (e.g., "Oh my, that didn't pour well at all! I feel really bad about this competition, like I'm kicking a puppy or something." :lol:). Or at least that's his post-game analysis.

So without further ado, the results:


Results: Counter Culture Coffee vs. Home-Barista.com (click above for larger images)

This was a pretty typical pour for me: A wannabee rosetta, more commonly known as the "blooming onion". My competitor's subsequent pours were better than his entry above, though they all exhibited the Brasilia look (i.e., two cheeks and a thong :P). The talking smack - mostly on my part - continued. The Throwdowns will be the last Thursday of each month and I'm promised a rematch. I'm used to getting whooped when it comes to latte art, so I have no plans to practice and every expectation of losing.

Well, maybe not. :wink:
Dan Kehn

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sweaner
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#4: Post by sweaner »

Dan, you clearly won that battle.
Scott
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Psyd
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#5: Post by Psyd replying to sweaner »

It was the shirt. I'm convinced that it was the shirt.

Not only do I like the shirt, but I like the 'bloomin' onion' rosetta, too. They tend to be more intricate and lacy. Less 'hinge' on your hand, and more bell tower bell ringing motion, and you'll get bigger leaves, pointier rosettas.
Something tell me that you'll either keep them coming back for re-matches, or you should get a coupla bags a week for providing the entire CCC crew with the motivation required to get them practicing their latte art on the customers! :shock:
Espresso Sniper
One Shot, One Kill

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Bob_McBob
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#6: Post by Bob_McBob »

What brand/size of cups do you use for the competition?
Chris

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HB
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#7: Post by HB replying to Bob_McBob »

Actually I think competitors were free to choose any cup they wished and they ran the gamut from traditional 6 ounce cappuccino cups to latte bowls. My personal favorite is the ACF cups. SCAA competitions are more strict about volume and shape, but this was a friendlier do-as-you-please competition.
Dan Kehn

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Bob_McBob
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#8: Post by Bob_McBob »

HB wrote:My personal favorite is the ACF cups.
Not to turn this into another discussion about cups, but it's the 6oz cappuccino ACF cups that everyone seems to like for latte art, isn't it? I only ask because I'm about to order a set, and latte art is always on my mind when pouring a milk drink.
Chris

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HB
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#9: Post by HB »

Yes, that's right.
Dan Kehn

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#10: Post by Vad »

Interesting story, Dan. And you clearly won. Thank you for sharing and thank you all for the photos. It was an interesting read.

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