All about "Spilt Milk," Our First-Ever Latte Art Competition!

If you're here, you're probably wondering: I've been seeing a lot about this Spilt Milk thing, but I have no idea what it is. Great question, we'd love to share the inspiration, the schedule of the day, and all the nitty gritty details of how Saturday, March 29th will go down. 

(Psst, you can click here to sign up!)

But first, why did we even do this? I mean, who the heck celebrates anything that's bad? The idea behind Spilt Milk came from a few different places: it came from a growing frustration of how some members of the coffee community approaches their beverages, how discouraging latte art can be, and how our ethos is really about offering opportunities for people to try different things and be supported through every decision. So let's break it down:

1. Online spaces can be a great way to connect with other people and get an insane amount of information on how to be a better barista, but it can also allow people to get tunnel vision and focus on aspects that can lead to discouragement (we'll get to that later). I love watching latte pours as much as any other coffee addict; but, when we start to place latte art as the most important aspect of a beverage, it creates a hierarchy in the drink itself, but also in our industry, which we just don't agree with. 
2. I've taught quite a few classes, and the #1 thing that totally discourages people is when we get to the latte art section of the session. I always share my story of not being able to get ANYTHING out of my cup after working as a barista for 3 months, 40 hours a week. Latte art is one of those things that is "nice to have," but not super essential. I'd take a dialed in latte over one that has a seahorse on it anytime!
3. Coffee is one of those things where it's like all the planets align when you get the perfect latte. I think it's the thing that makes coffee a hobby; you have to continue to try and practice at it. A lot of the times, we celebrate the end result, the "mastery" of it, and negate the thousands of lattes that come before that. With Spilt Milk, we're celebrating and supporting the attempt, the silliness, and the humility of the coffee journey; celebrating you, the barista!

If any of that resonates with you, we'd love to meet or re-meet you on Saturday, March 29th. Whether you are a participant, a spectator, or just wanna come for the morning to learn and connect more with coffee, we would be so excited to have you in our space. 

Without further ado, here's how we'll throw down:

How will the competition run?

• Participants will receive an email with their pre-determined time slot with the machine and grinder they will be competing with (subject to sign-ups)
• Participants will be given 10 minutes to create their worst (best?) latte 
• Participants are expected to dial in their espresso shot with the beans provided, texture their milk with the milk provided, and create the worst art possible. 
• Cups will be collected from each station and given to the judges. 
• Participants will have their drink evaluated mostly on how bad the latte art is, but will be tasting the latte to ensure the quality is still there. 
• The judges will select the winner from the round based on personal preference and be entered into the next round.
• We will be awarding a first, second, and third place winner.

What do I need to know prior to signing up?

• Sign up is $20; every participant will be gifted a free bag of coffee from Eclipse Coffee Roasters, and an optional coffee class (valued at $50)
• Participants are required to list their preferred machine and grinder for the competition.
• Given the nature of random sign-ups and machine preservation, you may be assigned a machine that is similar to what you've requested, but not exactly the same.
  
• Participants may bring their own milk pitcher and scale; all other tools will be supplied by Coffee Addicts. 
  
• You may be able to sign up day-of depending on space availability.

What do we win?

• Our first place winner gets a $75 gift card to Coffee Addicts, a bundle pack of our Coffee Addicts Community classes, plus a a custom trophy (and bragging rights, the most important)
• Our second place winner gets a prize pack from Rogue Wave Coffee Roasters, a free Coffee Addicts class of their choice, and a custom lanyard
• Our third place winner gets a coffee subscription from Rebel Bean Coffee Roasters, a free free Coffee Addicts class of their choice, and a custom lanyard

Questions? We've got answers!

• What if I don't know how to dial in my coffee/don't know anything about coffee? Funnily enough, this competition was literally designed with you in mind! Starting at 10am, we will be holding our Coffee Addicts' Community Classes to go over how to dial in your coffee and steam milk. Just let us know what time you'll be coming by clicking the time on the sign up form. 
• Can I have more specs about what I will be using? Sure! You will be pouring into a standard latte cup size; either 8oz or 12oz depending on availability. The basket size will be 18g. Water is already filtered. Participants can use whatever ratio they like best; shot must be dialed in, milk must be textured, and latte art should be bad!
• How much coffee and milk will I have while I'm competing? Each participant will have access to 60g of beans and 700mL of the milk of their choice.
• I have ______ machine and ______ grinder. Can I bring those in to use? Unfortunately, the machine and grinder options will be limited to the ones we have in store. We will suggest a machine and grinder that is most similar to the one you currently have at home. 
• How much is it for spectators? Absolutely free! There will be limited seating room, so please plan accordingly.
• What do I do if I have specific requests? We will do our absolute best to accommodate within reason; just send us an email prior to the event and we'll take care of it. In the spirit of this spoof competition, we hope that everyone can see this as an opportunity to take the pressure off of their brewing and connect with some fellow Coffee Addicts!

We'd love to see you there! Email info@coffeeaddicts.ca if you have any questions.