PHILADELPHIA, PA—At a latte art throwdown this past weekend, local barista Blake Johnson stopped to make sure the espresso was dialed in, then proceeded to overpour his drink and get eliminated.
“I just wanted to make sure the spro was on point,” said Johnson, who has been working in coffee for four months at a local multi-roaster. “I can usually pour a four-tiered tulip no problem,” he said, shrugging ruefully. “It was just a weird steam wand, I think.”
An anonymous coworker of Johnson’s revealed that Johnson is indeed passionate about latte art. “No matter where he’s supposed to be stationed during a shift, he waits until someone goes to the bathroom and finds a way to get on milk. It’s actually been a huge problem for me as assistant manager.” She added that while Johnson does pour pretty well for how recently he got into coffee, “he’s very smug and sometimes rude to customers.”
Some attendees I talked to were confused as to why Johnson stopped to check if the espresso was dialed in. “It’s really not about that,” said Mark Thomas, who works at the host cafe. Felicia Leigh, who helped organize the throwdown, added that while she doesn’t know him and would never assume, “it did kind of make him seem like an ass.”
Despite his disappointment at getting eliminated in the first round, Johnson has no regrets. Although according to him, his latte art is “usually on point” and “definitely the best” in his shop, latte art isn’t all that matters. “You can’t drink with your eyes. It’s really all about the farmers.”
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