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A spirit that is not afraid

Leaves lead in latte art at local Auburn coffee shops

Art is an outlet for expression and in today's caffeine-driven society, expressing oneself with foam and a good cup of joe makes sense. Auburn's local coffee shops have shown The Plainsman their skills in latte art and explained their methods. 

The Bean

Ben Nichols, barista at The Bean, has been serving coffee for two years.

“We try to do latte art; sometimes it’s a lot more successful than others,” Nichols said. “That’s one of the fun parts of the job is trying to master that, it’s an ongoing process.

You can pour lots of really good art and then suddenly pour one that looks like you’ve never poured liquids from one container to another. It’s one of those things that the more you do it, it just takes tons and tons of practice.”

Nichols said the difference between one coffee and another is the beans. 


Momma Mocha's 

Joey Falcon, barista at Momma Mocha’s, has been working toward the perfect latte for just over three years.

“Whenever we’re making drinks, or me personally, I kind of just get into this mental zone where I block everything out and I’m just all about the espresso, all about the coffee,” Falcon said. “I kind of just ignore everyone else, it’s a little bit shady but it happens. You have to focus on the craftsmanship to really get good latte art. It’s a little bit of a struggle when you’re in a high-volume coffee shop and there’s lots of people making noises. That’s something we’re very known for, it’s very loud here, but it’s kind of fun making sure you can get something in a moment of chaos.”


Coffee Cat

Austin Arias, barista at Coffee Cat, has been dishing out the brew for a year and a half.

“I think the most important thing in making latte art, obviously having a good shot pulled of your espresso, but more importantly than that I think is the milk steaming, getting the right consistency in the milk,” Arias said. “It just comes down to an order of operations you start to get down pat after a good while.”

Arias said making latte art took time and practice but after a couple months he was successful. The product depends on how hard yowant to work, Arias said. 

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Prevail Union

Winchester Hagans, barista at Prevail Union, has been working since the beginning.

Prevail, previously Wake Up Coffee Company, was closed for two years and reopened with a new name.

“I think the secret to good latte art is having milk steamed that’s the right consistency and the right temperature,” Hagans said. “The milk is really important, if you end up with super foamy milk it’s gonna be globby. I hate forming coconut milk, it’s almost like steaming water. It’s hard to pour with. I mean you do anything five or six hundred times you’re gonna be good at it, so definitely practice is important.”


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