Taipei, July 18 (CNA) Taiwanese barista Xie Yi-chen (謝溢宸) recently triumphed at the 2024 World Coffee Championships, taking home 1st place in the World Latte Art category.
Xie, 28, impressed the judges in the final round with patterns of a whale, a moose, and a dragon in the three-day competition that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark from June 27-29, clinching the title of latte art world champion during his first time representing Taiwan on the world stage.
At a press conference held by the Taiwan Coffee Association on Thursday, Xie said that creating latte art gives him a tremendous feeling of achievement.
Speaking about his entries in the final round, which was themed "Diverse World," the champion barista said he drew inspiration from his favorite elements in the sea, land, and sky.
Xie explained that he chose a dragon pattern as the sky element because the dragon is a sacred symbol in Taiwan that has great cultural significance.
To prepare for the competition, Xie practiced latte art on around 10,000 cups in just three months -- an average of more than 100 cups every day.
To do this he spent NT$160,000 (US$4,906) on coffee beans and milk alone, Xie said.
Such intense practice resulted in his hands developing thick calluses and even feeling numb, according to the coffee champion, with the doctor telling him the only way his issue would heal would be for him to stop doing latte art.
"But that wasn't an option," he said, emphasizing his dedication to his craft.
Xie also told the audience at the Taiwan Coffee Association event that, among the three final stage creations, the whale pattern was the most challenging to produce.
"Because the whale pattern consists of seven small leaf-like shapes, it was crucial to control the force and tempo," Xie noted, adding that the curvature of the steel cup added to the challenge.
Xie began creating latte art at 17 years of age, when he accidentally crafted an apple-shaped pattern while working at a coffee shop.
He started participating in competitions in 2019, and won the Taiwan championship last year. This enabled him to realize his long-held dream of representing Taiwan at an international competition.
The World Coffee Championships is a series of annual competitions that include categories such as World Latte Art, World Coffee in Good Spirits, World Coffee Roasting, and Cezve/Ibrik Championships.
(By Yu Hsiao-han and Bernadette Hsiao)
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