swan flu
May 5, 2009 – 11:12 am
hoedown stunner. (all images by jake, of j4 studios.)
suspiciouser and suspiciouser is how you might describe these burgeoning southeast latte art competitions in which, no matter how many credentialed latte artists are in the house, the host barista seems to always win! so convenient!
there was jason dominy winning his own grand prize in charlotte, octane’s danielle outpouring some of the world’s best in her own atlanta bar last month and now, most staggeringly, coffee and crema’s alex beating jason AND danielle AND former millrock champion ben helfen in his own bar’s grand opening hoedown.
“throwdowns,” we suppose, are SO last year. latte art HOEdowns, though, have all the throbbing aura of a southern corn-pone pig pickin’.
“rigged?” the word was shouted in humor a few times in what was definitely the weirdest, funniest, most wildly unpredictable latte art bash this blog has ever attended. sundry live twitterers were sure to agree. if you get philosophical enough about it, though, you can actually come up with a pretty good explanation for the alex medina stunner that gives him credit for being gutsy, bringing down the house, pouring a rare latte swan at a crucial turn and grabbing that new grand-prize vario grinder all for himself. shucks, if you’re philosophical enough, you can explain anything!
the wrenching tick-tock hath already been posted here. this blog will boil down the plot twists into handy, over-reaching bulleted observations!
1. consumer judges. two of the three, at least, seemed to be gloriously unconcerned with the subtle difficulties of pouring a sharp, complex tulip. when confronted with a surprise swimming pond animal, however, the impression was profound. in other words, it was an expectations game — a consumer’s expectations. instructive! and, when you think about it, a possibly rad way to judge a latte art competition.
2. homecourt advantage. there’s nothing like the aural explosion that follows an unexpected twist from the local underdog. you might imagine the impact such a crowd reaction would have had on the judges themselves, whose own camera phones whipped out and whose ears were full of badgering opinions when it came down to a decision. alex played the field perfectly.
3. the swan itself. this blog, having sort-of demonstrated the idea a week earlier, didn’t even THINK about trying it in the heat of competition. everyone’s nerves were oddly on edge for such a collegial smackdown, and alex must have been especially nervous. to try the swan, then, after a mere week of practice, and to plop it down against a barista with tattoos of his winning latte arts, was unthinkably gutsy. also, it looked shockingly like a real pond swimmer!
respect the swan. guffaws and head-shaking followed the performance into the night. twitter still hasn’t ceased to carry the swan flu. t-shirts are being made. and alex has a deserved bit of liquid notoriety.
camera phones out. in greenville, swans and tulips are no small thing.
a surprise wreath, shannon’s tulip and helfen’s version in two stages.
octane’s danielle, liquid highway’s dustin.
These family rivalries are an amazing thing, and only serve to make all of us in the area better at what we do, and show the rest of the country as a whole that we in the Southeast are just as passionate as any West Coaster. The fact that these events just gaining bigger and bigger audiences show that as we continue to support each other, we fill in the gaps of non-involvement.
This was a great event, and kudos to Shannon for working to build such a great culture not only in his stores, but in the area as a whole. He’s a true value in what he’s trying to do, and will do in the future. It’s great to call him a friend, and I look forward to being a part of this great wave of coffee in the Southeast for many years to come. Whoever wins their own contest. Regardless of the patrociny. I have nothing but love for all of these baristas, their all winners.
“patrociny!” nice!
also, agreed. the drama and local color make it what it is.
Really wish I could’ve been there to support you guys. It just “wasn’t in the cards!” There wasn’t even room for bz, he had to sit on the counter behind the bar, evidently!
I’ve been a critic of the “home-team” winning latte art throwdowns since their inception. It’s beyond “home field advantage.” Part of the challenge of the throwdowns is that you’ve got one chance to pull shots and steam perfect milk on a machine you’ve never (or at least rarely) encountered.
*shrug*
this is true. although in this case, there was a focused barista pulling all the shots (no cho tricks) and competitors only steamed. had to pour in designated cups, working from large to small the longer the competition went on.
i guess you ask yourself what the point of these comps is. for the first time, i saw new “value” in consumers judging. quite a trip. by doing this, though, you’re basically saying that it’s not about the most advanced skill, but about a host of other factors along with skill — expectations, impression, sequence, etc.
drip coffee is just a reualgr cup of coffee. It’s nothing fancy like a latte or something. In order to get the refill though, you have to buy a cup at full price and then drink it then go back and say coffee refill, and give the barista your old cup so that way they know that you already paid for a cup to begin with.