Free Pour Latte Art Grand Prix Tokyo 2023, the oldest latte art world championship that was first held in Seattle in 2002, will be held from April 12th to 14th, 2023.

The competition, which is being held for the first time in three years, is the ultimate showdown of latte art that is attracting attention from around the world. The 64 baristas who made it through the preliminary rounds will compete in their skills.

 

This time, being held after the coronavirus pandemic, the skills of the participating players have further improved, and the level of competition in Asia, centered on South Korea, is among the best in the world. It will truly be a competition for the best skills in the world.

The Free Pour Latte Art Grand Prix can be enjoyed not only by the baristas honing their latte art skills, but also by just watching them.

We asked Noboru Ueno, the representative director of the Japan Latte Art Association, which is the organizer of this tournament and has been involved in latte art tournaments for a long time, about this tournament.

 

I have always wanted to hold a latte art competition, and in 2014 I was able to hold the world competition for the first time in Japan.
It has been about 20 years since latte art competitions began in Japan, and I think they have become firmly established as a part of the culture.

I personally introduced the Seattle-style latte to Japan for the first time before Starbucks arrived in Japan.
After that, I served as the secretary general of the Japan Specialty Coffee Association, where I managed the Barista Championship for a long time.

I want to support the baristas who participate in these barista competitions, and I have been supporting them, but I also want to support and spotlight the baristas who are working hard on latte art.

I think that coffee shops with baristas who work hard on latte art will be loved for a long time.

At first, I was only interested in improving my own skills, but as I was doing it, I realized that the customers were happy and that I was offering a service that was different from other stores.

Eventually, making customers happy will become your own joy. I think that by increasing the level of hospitality in this way, the store will become more comfortable for customers.

Of course, for good latte art, you also need to know the basic technique of brewing espresso.

The result is a barista's true job, which is to make customers happy.

Latte art is a skill that anyone can understand, and I hope that through this competition to compete in skill, baristas will gain attention and establish themselves as a profession.

 

Around 2014, I think the Japanese players were the best in the world, but since then the skills of Taiwanese and Korean players have improved tremendously.

I think this Tokyo Games will definitely be a tournament where the world's best skills will be competed, and I think South Korea will be followed by Taiwan and Thailand as the countries with the most ability right now.

In these countries, star baristas have emerged who hone their latte art skills and compete in competitions, becoming the object of admiration among young people.
Domestic competitions are also very popular. If you have the technology, you can become well known and earn a lot of money.

As a Japanese person, I really want the Japanese players to do their best. At the Japan Latte Art Association, we would like to expand the base of latte art and raise the level of the players.

The winner of this Free Pour Latte Art Grand Prix will be decided in 3 minutes, and I think it's fun just to watch. On the final day, the 16 remaining participants will show off their world-class skills. We hope you enjoy your time at the venue.

We also want baristas to learn about our world-class standards and further hone their skills.

I hope all the players will do well. (story)

 

 

Free Pour Latte Art Grand Prix Tokyo 2023
https://www.fabex.jp/news/latte-arttokyo_2023.html

Japan Latte Art Association
https://latteart.or.jp/