SAN FRANCISCO, CA— Last night at a local latte art throwdown, barista Thomas Chin brought his own custom tamper and milk pitcher to make sure he could “truly demonstrate his best work.” In a perhaps-unrelated coincidence, no one likes him.
“The tamper has razor-sharp edges to prevent channeling, and I also got my initials engraved on it,” he told our reporters this morning. “It was really expensive, but more than worth it. The pitcher was also a really good investment—it’s perfectly aligned in all directions, so it gives me a strong advantage when pouring against against other artists. An artist is only his good as his tools.”
Reportedly, though local volunteer Mia Singh was pulling shots for the group, Chin waved her off the machine, saying “I got this,” and proceeded to pull three shots, making slight grind adjustments; then, he pulled a shot while steaming milk and poured a successful nine-tiered tulip, advancing to the next round, wherein he also poured beautifully, only to be eliminated in the final bracket.
“I don’t much care for him,” Singh told reporters. “Yes, you can put that on the record.”
“I was pretty glad he didn’t win,” barista Mike Lyeman told us. “He wins almost every time, and it’s really frustrating.”
“To be honest, he’s really annoying,” an anonymous coworker of Chin’s told us. “I do have a lot of respect for him but he pisses me off.”
“Don’t hate the player,” Chin told us. “I respect my craft, plain and simple.”
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