London Latte Art Smackdown - #smackdown15 - The Finals
It was about 7:10 pm when I got there, and Square Mile was already packed with ten deep at the bar and a very orderly and happy queue for the complimentary Kernel Brewery Beer. I would say the crowd was a mixture of those happy to be there and looking forward to the night, and possibly 16 baristas who were a little bit nervous and excited all at the same time.
Oli Bradshaw and the Square Mile team had done an amazing job of setting up the room, with the gleaming Victoria Arduino Black Eagle against the wall, and an old school desk set up for the baristas to pour the latte art on, with a Go Pro camera directly above and streaming onto the giant white wall.
The legend that is Billy Tahitis was dj’ing in the corner with old and new school rap classics and Ross Brown took over the mic for the evening as MC, whilst Kaffeine lead baristas Jakub and Sam dialled in the machine. We took polaroid photos of all the competitors so we could see who they were and by 7:45 we were ready to go. By now the room was packed with about 100 people, plus at least another 50 outside or at the bar.
As per the heats, it was barista v barista, 2 cups of double shot espresso, steam your own milk and split your jugs, then pour the two cups and choose your best one. In the final though, we were also weighing the left over milk on the Acaia scales to add even more pressure.
Round one went like this
Edgar – Attendant
Zain – Harris and Hoole – Winner
Phil – Artisan
Helen – Lantana – Winner
So Yan – Attendant – Winner
Chloe – Kaffeine
Nico – Noble – Winner
Dean – Artisan
Laura – Curators
Heidi – Prufrock – Winner
Sam – Local hero – Winner
Piotr – Peanut Vendor
Jack – Origin – Winner
Will – Origin
Dhan – Caracoli – Winner
Alex – Origin
Round Two went like this
Zain – Harris and Hoole
Helen – Lantana – Winner
So Yan – Attendant
Nico – Noble – Winner
Heidi – Prufrock – Winner
Sam – Local Hero
Jack – Origin
Dhan – Caracoli – Winner
Then it was up to Round three
Helen – Lantana
Nico – Noble – Winner
Heidi – Prufrock
Dhan – Caracoli – Winner
And so we go to the finals – to determine third place we had
Heidi – Prufrock – Wins third place!
Helen – Lantana
Then in the final
Nico Halliday – Noble vs Dhan Tamang – Caracoli
In true Smackdown fashion, it was down to the very wire and the judges made the amazing discovery that the cups chosen to pour in were different sizes and so the call was made that we had to have a pour off!
Smackdown 2016 Heat 1 held at Kaffeine Eastcastle in London on 09 September 2016. © Glenn Watson
Smackdown 2016 Heat 1 held at Kaffeine Eastcastle in London on 09 September 2016. © Glenn WatsonSo here we were, two baristas, one cup each, steam and pour at the same time. The cash was placed on the table, the music boomed and the crowd went wild. The judges deliberated, they conferred, they argued and finally we made the call 1, 2 , 3 and Nico Halliday is the 3rd annual winner!!!
A huge congratulations to Nico and to everyone, all 64 baristas who competed and put themselves forward. A massive thank you to the judges who donated their time especially lead judge and photographer Glenn Watson, as well as the amazing sponsors of the prizes and supporters of the entire concept, we are very, very appreciative.
Victoria Arduino
Square Mile Coffee
Coffee Hit
Minor Figures
Allegra Coffee Events
Please can I also say a huge thank you to the Kaffeine staff who once again made the event special and a success. Well done crew.
Here is the final album of photos by Glenn, check it out and we hope to see you again next year. Bring it on.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/getnoticed/albums/72157656043480153
Peter Dore-Smith
Director
Kaffeine Ltd
66 Great Titchfield st.
15 Eastcastle st.
