It’s a lot more complex than that, and a Malaysian barista is a master at it.
In fact, Irvine Quek Siew Lhek is so good at latte art, he won not one, but two international latte art championships.
His latest win came after he emerged champion at the 2019 World Latte Art Battle (WLAB) organised by World Coffee Battle in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday (12 November), Malay Mail reported.
He reportedly defeated South Korean Kim Young Jin by 10 points with a score of 73.
He successfully defended the crown he won at the 2018 World Latte Art Championship (WLAC) in Brazil.
“Get the world champion title in a same day, but different year. After 365 days, I’m back to the stage again.
“It was a very tough time for me and full of stress in the period of preparation. Glad that I made it and I feel so happy. To all the people who supported me, I’m happy that I didn’t disappoint you all.
“Feel honoured to be with the best of the best on the same stage. You guys are awesome and you guys are always my inspiration,” he wrote in a post on his Instagram page.
Bear-y difficult work
On a separate Instagram post, Quek showcased the latte art that won him the championship.
The photo depicts the design of a bear with a fish in its mouth, which was enough to put him ahead of the competition.
According to Quek, it took him three months to develop the art and perfect it.
"Spend almost 3 months to develop just one pattern for the first time, try to perfect every single details of this pattern and to make it more realistic and impactful," he wrote.
Well, it looks like all his hard work paid off. Congratulations, Quek!