Art: the latté way

EARLIER this month, Bo’s Coffee invited Japanese latté art expert, Junichi Yamaguchi, to conduct a latté art workshop for its baristas.

“What exactly is latté art?” One might ask. To define it casually, latté art is that “design” one finds on top of his hot cup of freshly-prepared milk-based brew.

And no, it does not require one to hold and maneuver sticks the size of toothpicks, or whatever instrument there is, to scribble a “technical doodle” on top of one’s coffee.

For people who have no idea whatsoever, it’s an amazing fact to know that these intricate drawings are “formed” by merely a technique with how to pour the hot milk into a cup of espresso. (A latté is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk.)

Award-winning Yamaguchi has already joined latté art competitions from different parts of the world: 2011 Coffee Fest Latté Art Competition in Seattle, Washington, USA, 2012 Blenz Coffee Latté Art Competition in Japan, 2012 Coffee Fest Latté Art Competition in Seattle, Washington, USA.

According to Yamaguchi, he is self-taught. And through constant practice and training, with a couple of online videos thrown in the mix, he’s mastered the art of creating patterns on the surface of a latté. He even practices to the point of four hours every day, not only to create a great design, but to come up with new, fantastic and original ones as well.

“I have mastered about 30-35 designs already,” shared Yamaguchi. Whether his patterns show drawings of a leaf, or a heart—either mended or broken—or a ballerina, the Japanese latté art expert humbly shared his techniques to Cebuano baristas at Bo’s as well during the workshop.

Yamaguchi’s ballerina design has become his signature pattern and is known to baristas all over the world. But despite his newfound fame, he seems to have both his feet on the ground. Evidence of this is how he takes the time and effort to fly cross-country to share the tricks to aspiring latté artists all over the world. The coffee brand’s workers definitely enjoyed the time with the master.

“We want the best training for our team and we’re always looking for ways to enhance customer experience and empower our baristas,” comments Bo’s Coffee chief executive officer Steve Benitez. “Under Junichi Yamaguchi’s guidance, our team will now be able to make Bo’s Coffee community’s in-store experience an even better one.”