Next Friday, March 28, baristas from across Traverse City’s community of coffee professionals will gather at NoBo Riverside in the Commongrounds building on Eighth Street to take part in a friendly competition referred to as a “latte art throwdown.”
Colloquially also called a “barista jam” by some, a latte art throwdown is a way for local baristas to showcase their skills honed by hours behind the bar, pouring steamed milk into espresso to create intentional designs.
Prior to the pandemic, Higher Grounds was involved in co-hosting several of these events, collaborating with bygone area cafes like Blk\Mrkt and Brew. It’s been years since we’ve gathered as a TC coffee community, and we’re excited to bring back some fun coffee-person energy and have some friendly competition.
During the event, baristas will be organized into single-elimination brackets. Two at a time, they’ll steam milk and pour it carefully into espresso, creating decorative patterns on their drinks, which will be assessed by a panel of three judges. Criteria for a well-crafted drink include contrast between bright white microfoam and dark crema, symmetry of the design, adequate proportion of the design in the cup, and centeredness in the cup. When the two drinks are placed on the counter side by side, judges count down 3-2-1 and then point at the drink they think is better; the contestant who receives at least two votes moves on to the next round.
The top three participants will win prizes, bragging rights, and support a community cause: proceeds from the evening’s event will be donated to Safe Harbor, an organization helping to combat homelessness in our region.
The event is open to the public. To participate in the competition, baristas are invited to donate $10 or more and arrive at NoBo Riverside at 5:45 PM. The event begins at 6. More details on our Facebook event page HERE.
