Latte Art Class

Time is running out for your holiday shopping. So, we just wanted to remind you of a great gift for any barista or wanna-be barista...

Date: December 29, 2009
Time: 6pm - 8pm
Where: Vienna Coffee Company Roastery
(106 Everett Ave. Maryville, TN 37804)

Come in for a night of espresso and latte art magic as Les Stoneham, Great Lakes Barista Championship Finalist and trainer, teaches and demonstrates how to pour the perfect shot and create those stunning latte art designs that have won him barista competitions.

This class is a perfect gift for any espresso lover. The class is designed for beginner baristas and those who are interesting in touching up on their latte art skills.

Delicious snacks and latte drinks will be provided.

*when purchasing this product, a gift certificate will be sent to you or you can pick it up at the roastery.

Price: $18.00

Click here to buy a certificate online.

WEEKLY DEAL: Rate my Rosetta

Looking for a way to compare your latte art with other baristas? Check out ratemyrosetta.com.

You can post your art and rate other people's art. It's perfect for those of you interested in perfecting your latte art, or want to see what great designs are out there. The weekly deal this week is based on this art form.

Bring in a photo of a latte that has latte art on the top (this can be an image taken from a cell phone.) and let us know which cafe you were at to get a FREE 2 oz. bag of your favorite VCC coffee.

WEEKLY DEAL: Barista Jam

Brown Cup Coffee Co.

Presents

2009 Barista Jam

On Sunday at 5pm head on over to Brown Cup Coffee Co. in Lenior City for their first ever Barista jam. Come to watch or participate as baristas compete against each other to create the best latte art. Then, after all the excitement stay after for a great time of fellowship. If you would like more information please email info@browncupcoffee.com.


Aren't sure what latte art is? Click here to see a sampling of different kinds of latte art. This art form is created by pulling a great shot of espresso, frothing the milk into a delicious thick micro foam, and pouring that milk into the the shot of espresso in a certain way that allows for a sweet design to form on the top of the cappucino or latte. There will be a short demonstration of this process prior to the event.

In fact, you can get FREE coffee from Vienna Coffee Company by going to this event. Bring a receipt or something from the Barista Jam into the roastery next week and receive a free 2oz bag of coffee. Also, if you want to practice your latte art skills before the competition, provide your own milk, and we can provide our Nuova Simonelli Appia Compact to practice on. We also provide classes on latte art too!

Latte Art Mile High Club

Last month, Les Stoneham and Larry Bourgeois of Espresso Guild and videographer, Jp Leon, went to great lengths to set Larry's plane up with an espresso machine. As they were taking their plane around Cincinnati on a bright sunny day, Les was pulling some great cappuccinos. The image to the left is an example of the cappuccinos poured on their adventure. This is pretty amazing considering they were a mile in the air on a bumpy plane.

Now this may seem a little bit crazy, but you, yourself can learn to pull great cappuccinos like this (on the ground in your own cafe). We offer many classes including Advanced Latte Art Training, Espresso Basics, Espresso Based Drinks, etc. Please check out our website for more details.

Espresso 101 class at Brown Cup Coffee Co.

Last Tuesday at Brown Cup Coffee Co., John Clark taught a fun-filled and informational Espresso 101 and espresso based drinks class. Each week Brown Cup has different live music, lectures, events and/or classes like this espresso class. Brown Cup is one of Vienna Coffee Company's exceptional coffee shops that serves our Fair Trade coffee.

The image is an example of one of the handouts given out at the class. Are you interested in hosting your own class or participating in a class about espresso basics, brewing coffee, specialty drinks, latte art, cupping, etc.? Sign up now or get more information about one of our classes.

Great Lakes Barista Competition

On February 20-22, Chicago hosted Coffeefest, the National Latte Art Competition, and the Great Lakes Barista Competition. This exciting event was filled with baristas, roasters, coffee shop owners, and anyone else in the coffee world. If you are a coffee fanatic this was the place to be!
The most exciting part of the weekend was the Barista Competition where friends of Vienna Coffee Company, Les Stoneham, Courtney Robinson, and Logan Demmy competed. In this competition baristas have 15 minutes to make 4 espressos, 4 lattes, and 4 signature drinks for each of the 4 sensory judges while being judged by 3 other judges on technical skills and style. This is no easy task. The barista has control over everything including the music being played, the table decorations, the grinder, the milk, the ingredients, the espresso, etc. The only constant is the espresso machine.

Les Stoneham had the drink, barista skills, and style that blew the judges away getting him into the finals. (in fact his score puts him in the top 10 baristas in the nation!) His award-winning signature drink that will lead him to Portland for the National Barista Competition was comprised of espresso with reduced Cabernet grape juice and hazelnut cream infused with blue cheese smoked over hazelnut shells. His inspiration for this drink was the idea of using food pairings. For example, certain wines and cheeses are paired together to bring out all the right tannins and emphasize the taste. In the same vein he wanted to use the cheese, cream, and grape juice to bring out all of the nuances from his special espresso.


Les wasn't the only one that scored high in the competition. Former trainee, Courtney Robinson's technical skills and drink won her her best score out of the four previous times she has competed. Her signature espresso drink included blood orange simple syrup with soda water and espresso placed in a martini styled glass with a dollop of juniper berry whipped cream that is stirred into the drink by the judges. Her drink was not only great, but she also received almost perfect scores for her technical barista skills!


Logan Demmy, also trained by Les, shined in his first barista competition and scored exceptionally high! His drink of anise infused tapioca and espresso in a delicate glass and rimmed with cardamom and honey whipped coconut milk had strong marks by the judges. He definitely looked comfortable on the barista stage like he belonged there all along.

At this time we want to wish Les and Courtney the best of luck at Nationals!

If you have any questions about Coffeefest, barista competitions, latte art, or barista training please email us at jamie@viennacoffeecompany.com

If you are looking for the weekly deal please look at last Thursday's post. That deal is still in affect this week.

VCC going Green

Recently, Vienna Coffee Company decided to go more green. Trying to lessen the environmental footprint on the earth, the owner, John Clark, invested in a Ford Hybrid Escape to help make their deliveries.  Earlier in John's career he was an environmental chemical engineer, and is adamant in keeping up with his environmental background. 

So as you are driving, biking, walking, running around town and see a white vehicle like this one...

HONK AND WAVE at your local coffee roaster!  

Adding to VCC's attempt of using less fossil fuels, you also might see Jamie or Erin (two employees of VCC) riding their bikes to work.

In fact, if you come in next week on your bike, Jamie will make you a free latte including her latte art!

Come in and see us!

Latte Art and La Armonia Hermosa

Some people have been asking about latte art. This delicate art is not required on a great latte but it helps to show when a shot is pulled perfectly, and shows when the milk is frothed correctly. Basically it's just the frosting on the cake, but isn't it a beautiful cake? Here is a great example from a superb barista trainer and coffee shop co-owner in Cincinnati, Ohio. Les Stoneham received 9th place in the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition a couple years ago. He is also helping to start up a direct trade coffee co-operative in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. Please check out their website for more information... www.laarmoniahermosa.com. We are happy to be joining in this venture. In the near future we will be roasting and selling some of their coffee. So check back to find out when we will have that available!

This is my attempt at latte art. I was trained by Les, but please note I haven't done latte art in almost a year.  What do they say? "Practice makes perfect," and I obviously haven't been practicing.