Latest news with #latteart
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meet the UK's latte art champion
Ben Lewis, the UK's reigning latte art champion from Southampton, achieved a remarkable 10th place in the recent world championships. Lewis, a "coffee professional", is renowned for his intricate designs, transforming steamed milk and espresso into various figures like Sonic the Hedgehog. His journey began at 16, with his passion for latte art igniting in 2016 under the mentorship of a former UK champion. After four previous attempts, Lewis won the UK Latte Art Championships on 29 April, following six weeks of intense practice and giving up alcohol. Looking ahead, Lewis aims to break into the top six globally next year and continues to share his expertise and collaborate with major brands through his social media.
Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Could I beat the baristas in the world cup of latte art?
It's all about the contrast. It goes without saying the milk has to be at the right temperature. The froth, naturally, has to be consistently frothy. Then there's the base mix — the milky coffee that is your liquid canvas. You want a uniform brown. But what matters most, says Ben Lewis, UK Latte Art champion, and Team GB's great hope in the international battle to be the Caravaggio of cappuccino, is delineation. 'You score points for the sharpness between the white and the brown.' Silliness there might be, but also deadly seriousness. Geneva is this year hosting the World of Coffee 2025 trade show. It is here where the greats of the industry — Ethiopia, Costa Rica, De Longhi — meet, to plan another year of global domination of global caffeination. There are mug companies that promise 'a new standard for baseline baristas'. There is a water company that promises to 'deliver liquid minerals directly to your machine'. There is, among those running the stalls, more than a whiff of beard oil. There is also, The Times finds, a lot of free coffee — provided one is willing to have extremely earnest conversations about said coffee with the owners of said well-groomed beards. • How to wow customers with your coffee without scaring them off And throughout the three days, for some non-caffeinated invigoration, there is the latte art competition. Each country has sent their best. Switzerland's representative makes a lion, to represent Zurich. China's goes for a tiger. Austria's entrant also opts for a tiger having, she said, recently been to Kenya — her latte-ology being a little stronger than her zoology. Are cats especially easy to make? Not really, says Lewis, 31, but 'there's a really strong correlation between cat people and baristas'. The origins of latte art are as foggy as the steam from a scalding americano on a frosty day. It seems, like many great human inventions — calculus, radar, the printing press — to have been invented several times. In Seattle and Milan, and wherever frothy milk is poured on to espresso coffee, baristas found they could make a heart shape, found they could make other shapes, and found customers were delighted. It is Instagram, though, that turned a niche craft into a global sport. Like the mixologists whose choreographed performances turned cocktail bars into destinations for Gen X, latte artists create the destination café for millennials. Unlike their parents, who were in any case too busy having fun, they can then stick a filter on their phone and brag about it on social media. It should not be a surprise then that many of the entrants treat coffee with reverence. 'A great latte is a bridge between the barista and the customer,' says Bryan Rajeyva, from New Zealand, as he makes a very competent bear. Eddy Chavez Aranibar presents a demon of stunning complexity, along with the sort of commentary that makes you feel like you need a strong coffee: 'In Bolivia, where the land breathes history … good and evil face each other in an eternal battle.' Others, meanwhile, take a risky, but perhaps more crowd-pleasing, approach. Bryan Marsha Wijaya, from Indonesia, sings the Jurassic Park theme tune as he works. 'Raargh, judges,' he says, as he finally passes them a completed tyrannosaurus latte. All creations, though, ultimately have the same fate — the frothy fate of every latte. 'They are made to be destroyed,' says Lewis. 'It's one of the best compliments when you give these drinks to people, and they look at the intricate patterns and say, 'Oh, I don't want to drink it now'.' But they still do. This year, Lewis's creations at last have a shot at posterity: his Sega hedgehog was honoured with a place in the semi-finals. It is a validation of what he admits his family found a surprising career choice. He has a psychology degree, and had vowed to give up on coffee when he was 30. When he turned 30, he shifted that deadline to 40. And now? His job does, after all, have a psychological value. 'It brings a lot of joy to customers.' If that continues, he says, he is happy with a career 'making milky patterns'. • Don't stint on the coffee itself. You need a good espresso base: the oiliness of the crema is crucial • Choose full-fat milk: it's easier to work with. If you are vegan, oat milk works, but requires more skill if you want crisp, clean lines • Froth the milk until the jug is just too hot to comfortably touch • Bash your jug to remove big bubbles and get consistency • Pour in the milk, mixing it into the base layer to get a consistent brown. You have your canvas. Now you can make art • Put the lip of the jug so close it almost touches the latte, and pour. Experiment with moving fast and slow and across the cup
WIRED
27-05-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Ninja's Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine Makes Short Work of Morning Shots
I really, really appreciate Ninja's take on the Luxe's milk steaming system. Some automatic espresso machines incorporate a container of milk that has to be brought back and forth from the refrigerator, like the ones from this list. The Luxe, however, keeps it classic with a pitcher that you simply add milk to and a wand that begins steaming at the press of a button, another reason why it's great for those who want barista-quality coffee drinks without all the guesswork. You can manually steam milk if you so choose, or you can steam milk to four programmed settings, and this includes a cold foam. There's also a setting for a plant-based option, and the Luxe adjusts automatically to this. I had little to no issues with this milk frother and enjoyed the opportunity to practice some latte art, even if the pitcher's spout isn't ideal for it. Quirks and Quality The Luxe has a removable hopper and rapid heat-up time, which are fantastic. To the left of the machine is where much of your coffee's assembly happens. Before you grind your coffee, you'll place a funnel on the portafilter to keep it in place. Unfortunately, after a couple months of use, the funnel's plastic corners are chipping. When not in use, there's a designated spot for the funnel on the left side of the machine alongside the pressure-click tamper. I really like this tamper, as tamping is something I often overthink (Am I creating enough pressure? Do I have an even surface?), and the Luxe's is designed for you to apply the ideal amount of pressure. The water reservoir doesn't come with a filter, unfortunately. As for the drip tray, it's easy to remove and clean. An orange notch pops up when the tray needs to be emptied. On average, I empty the drip tray every four to five drinks. A handful of times the machine has leaked, even with the drip tray being empty. A shelf allows the Luxe to accommodate your 2-ounce espresso shots but can be removed to allow room for a travel mug as large as 18 ounces. One common gripe about the Luxe is that despite the portafilter having two spouts, there is not enough room to accommodate two espresso cups on the shelf or drip tray, which is strange. However, one of the biggest misses on this machine is that there's no hot water spout, something I particularly enjoyed with a machine like the De'Longhi Magnifica Start. My beef with many Ninja kitchen appliances is that sometimes they try to do too much, like the cooler with an added 'frost vault.' The Ninja Luxe Cafe feels different, however, considering how intentional it was in competing with other new-age espresso machines. Pulling espresso is solid and, while occasionally inconsistent, delivers an overall smooth and robust shot. The drip coffee was good, not great, and the cold brew can be bitter since it uses the room-temperature water from the filter. Like many Ninja products, the machine sits in a weird space. A coffee purist may choose a straightforward machine without all the assists of the Luxe, while a true beginner may not feel comfortable investing in the Luxe's 'all-in-one' style. Nevertheless, it's an overall quality piece of equipment at a fair price that makes me view the Ninja brand with respect when it comes to its coffee game.
