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Have you ever been to a café and been presented a drink that looks like this?
Or this?
How about this?
When a barista is pouring a drink the milk doesn’t just fall out of the pitcher into these complex patterns (latte art), it happens with precise manipulation of the pitcher, hand movements and the cup that they're pouring into. Presenting drinks that look like this is a point of pride for baristas that comes with practice, skill, dedication and humility, and while pouring a drink with good latte art doesn’t necessarily mean the drink will taste good, it does instill a sense of confidence that the barista presenting it does know what they’re doing.
Pouring latte art may seem frivolous because it only amounts to an ephemeral decoration that will be consumed momentarily, but that doesn’t mean baristas can’t have fun when they're making the drink. Possessing a skill such as this wouldn’t be much fun if you couldn’t go head-to-head against your peers to see who is the best.
From city to city in coffee cultures all around the world, there is a head-to-head competition referred to as a Throwdown (smackdown, Dump Down, etc.) where baristas do just that. Baristas from companies all across the host city gather together pour drinks to see who can make it to the final round and win.
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How it works:
First you have a bracket:
This keeps track of who is throwing down against each other and who is the winner.
Next you have your judges:
There are three judges who will then vote between the two drinks presented to them.
Finally, you have your baristas:
The baristas go mano y mano tournament style. One pulls shots of espresso into cups while the two competitors steam milk and then pour and present their drinks.
Once a month, baristas from all over Milwaukee (even some from out of town) get together. The event is all-encompassing, including companies like Colectivo, Anodyne, Stonecreek, Kickapoo, Valentine or smaller local shops like Alderaan (where this month’s throwdown took place).
The competition is all about supporting local coffee culture, where nothing else really matters except mingling amongst your peers and having a good time... And doing your best to win the cash prize at the end. Every entrant into the competition puts up a $5 entrance fee and the winner takes all. On top of the cash prize, Alderaan Coffee and Rishi Tea were generous enough to donate prizes to the first, second and third place contestants.
Throwdown winner Nathan De La Cruz from Anodyne Coffee.
Be sure to check out the hashtag #MKETNT to see all of the pictures that people post of the events. Also, make sure you stop down at Alderaan Café, located at 1560 N. Water St. and get some killer drinks made by extremely talented baristas.
All photos were taken by Marcus Baumgardner.
