Coffee lovers pack The Caffeinery for latte-based competition
MUNCIE, Ind. — Dozens of people came out to see artists challenge each other in a friendly competition at a local coffee house on Saturday, all in the name of good fun and the love of coffee.
"Muncie doesn't really have a lot of barista culture," said Caffeinery owner Frank Reber.
This is in part because other areas like Indianapolis have a higher concentration of "third wave" coffee shops that focus more on coffee. Third wave shops normally supply niche coffee and focus on the quality of the ingredients over the quantity sold like a regular $1 gas station coffee.
Over 50 people packed into the coffee house later in the evening as baristas signed up for the challenge.
Reber noted that without the culture of small coffee houses like in Indianapolis, getting people to come out can be a little more challenging, but he thought the turnout Saturday night was good for Muncie.
Having events like this in Muncie — and downtown to boot — is important for Muncie's culture, he said. "This is really fun and a nice thing to see here in Muncie," Reber said.
This marked the second time the coffee house has hosted the Latte Art Throwdown.
"Latte art is only one part of coffee, but it's visual and really exciting," Reber said.
You could see the camaraderie and the excitement on the competitors' faces as they stepped up to the counter for each round of the competition. Eight baristas took part in the competition. Each barista got two chances to make a latte and then present it to a panel of three judges who weighed in on a variety of categories to vote in a winner.
Patrick Boes, one of the baristas at The Caffeinery, took on seven other baristas from across the state including his own coffee shop during the competition.
"Not very often do you get a chance to be around this many people that are into coffee as much as you are," said Boes.
Boes has only been working at the coffee house for seven months, but ran through the steps of getting good latte art, and it's more complicated than just a fancy pouring technique.
Various factors from how much espresso, how the milk is prepared and how it's textured when it's steamed all contribute to the way a barista works through about a dozen steps.
"There are so many little things that go into it," said Boes. "It's a really awesome experiment in attention span."
It's not something that comes right away and practice plus having training goes a long way.
Having dozens of people cheering you on while you make a latte was a nerve-racking experience according to Boes. On any given Tuesday, Boes doesn't have people cheering him on while he serves up drinks at the shop, but Saturday night was the noise of a small concert as each barista served up their best work.
"That excitement is awesome, but for me I'm immediately nervous," Boes said.
The competition won't be the last at the shop. Reber said that he plans on hosting one or two of these competitions a year.