Believe it or not, latte art is a thing, just ask Angie Chun, winner of the 2015 U.S. Latte Art Championships.
She has earned herself the title of the Best Latte Artist in the country and will be competing in the 2015 World Coffee Championships in Sweden this summer.
Chun isn’t the only latte artist in her family. Her brother, William Chun, placed third in the U.S. Latte Art Championships and their sister, Jennifer Chun, won first place at the Coffee Fest Chicago event in 2013.
It all began when their mother decided to open up their coffee shop, Coffee Code, four and a half years ago in Buena Park.
Chun said business started off a little slow in the beginning because they were in a hidden location. One day, her brother introduced her to coffee art through YouTube videos demonstrating how to create cool art drawings on lattes.
They started practicing basic shapes on drink orders at the shop, which was then noticed by their customers more and more. People became so interested in the uniqueness of their drinks that it encouraged the Chun family to practice more shapes and learn other types of latte art from free pours to etching.
Latte art may seem like a simple concept, but a certain craftsmanship goes into creating and sustaining the art.
“We figured out how to brew and pour the shot, steam the milk, and then pour the milk into the shot to make a shape,” Angie Chun said.
There is a chemistry that goes into how the art is formed, but it’s mainly a personal skill that creates the quality of the espresso and the consistency of the milk.
The Chun family just opened up a Fullerton location six months ago and it’s already very busy. It’s so busy that the siblings barely see each other, which seemed to slightly sadden Angie, but she added the customer foot traffic is good for business.
Angie plans to find and train more baristas to help the demands of their growing business, but in the meantime, she works at both locations. She hopes to compete in another coffee competition in Brooklyn this coming fall but said that she has to focus on the World Latte Art Championship in Sweden first, which she is very excited about.
There is no doubt that coffee can comfort those in need of a tasty pick-me-up drink with the comfort of sipping on an artistically crafted latte that is not only visually appealing, but flavorfully pleasing is a treat that goes beyond any other café experience.
Art is appreciated in many different forms and mediums, however only Orange County gets to enjoy the simplicity of latte art from a family of U.S. barista champions. Stop by one of their locations to see why they’re named the best latte artists in the country!
Coffe Code is located at 1030 Rosecrans Ave. in Fullerton and 7855 La Palma Ave. Suite 6 in Buena Park.
