LATTE ART WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IS DOOMED 

It’s a really surprising sponsorship, especially when you unpack it a little more. These are usually chosen through blind bids. For Thermoplan to get it then it meant that their bid was higher than the second highest machine sponsor AND the highest grinder sponsor combined. So that means that it was worth a lot to them or (perhaps more likely) it wasn’t worth that much to anyone else. San Remo and Macap were (I think) the previous sponsors and if that didn’t turn into machine sales and brand value then they may not bid again. The WBC is the big deal and has historically taken the air out of the room for the brands sponsoring the other competitions. Which I guess does tie into your point about latte art folks and feeling undervalued by the industry. With the WBC there were quite strict technical requirements for machines to be able to bid but I don’t know the requirements for other competitions. Those requirements would typically have kept super automatics out of the running, but maybe they are more open for other competitions. Nonetheless, it all feels weird and confusing and the online sentiment about it (and the relative lack of interest in it) makes me a little sad.

Incredible face placement.

It's like having the world painting championships using solely paint-by-numbers books.

I feel like using those machines for a prestigious competition like this is a straight up insult to not only the competition but also for the competitors and the craft itself.

If this is the machine that’s going to be used in the competition then the only real option is to boycott the SCA and the competition.

You are definitely not over reacting in my opinion. Putting a fully automatic machine in a compation that all about craft sounds like a crazy idea. Big fan of your channel by the way😊

Totally agree. I was in Napa recently and refused to get coffee at a shop We had frequented because they replaced their beautiful machines and real baristas with 4 super automatic machines. It was at Bouchon’s. Sad.

I'm waiting for someone to announce that they're boycotting the competition. This is the worst decision I've ever seen from the coffee industry.

I used to work at a place I really hated, and one of the reasons was that people who did latte art found themselves always put down in some way by the ones that honestly just couldn't do latte art themselves. And yeah, it's a garnish, it's extra. But also, it's an indication of proper timing with microfoam. The priority always seemed to be speed over precision, and so neither was ultimately achieved. The timing that makes latte art is also what makes the espresso and the steamed milk pour blend into the flavors that people associate with good lattes. It seems to me that the push is to make things move as fast as they possibly can, which is always going to be a problem if the emphasis is on quality. But capitalism doesn't care, so the super speedy people that make shit for drinks get promoted, and the ones that care about craft are accused of slowing things down. If this wasn't such a prevalent problem in coffee shops this would be my career.

"drop the s" is a crazy way to end this video! The implications of this move really have me dumbfounded

We should take over SCA and converted the them into Scumbag Coffee Association :))) Thanks for the video and the insight, Emilee 🙂

The photo of Lance Hedrick on the steam lance made my weekend. 😊 Fantastic video. The information, the commentary, the editing... just... fantastic.

Starbucks would gladly lose money to hurt an industry they don't like, just sayin'

"This is craft competition" Thank you Emilee 🥺

Ok, im actually with this new trend. Id like them to add that espresso printing machine as well. Everyone will be able to participate in this competition. It's all about who can find a funnier picture on Google to print. Hell yeah, equality! 🤗

Steam Lance is actually just the literal translation of the german word (Dampflanze) So they are also just lazy translators.

Nope, you're not over reacting Emilee. I wholeheartedlt agree.

Maybe I'm just too out of the loop for this but if it makes everything BUT the latte art automatically, then the latte art can still be done manually just like you would with another machine right? Can someone explain why you can't make latte art as well with this machine from a technical perspective?

"Let's take half the skill out this competition. That will surely make it more fun"

The 2026 barista champion goes to NOT A BARISTA robot 🤖 big sponsors have more financial contributions than poor baristas

There can be an argument that the competition is for Latte Art and that if everyone has the same coffee to start with it removes variables and allows people to be judged just on their art. There are other competitions for coffee brewing.

Bravo for speaking out Emilee. If I see an automatic machine in a coffee shop I keep walking… I really enjoy watching the whole artistic process of pulling the shot and the latte art. To me it means the barista is taking extra care to craft my drink , something I really appreciate.

I think something that is also worth pointing out is that the SCA does have a certification for coffee machine based on some strict criteria and Thermoplan does not have any machine certified.

The only "reasonable" explanation I think I could understand is that them picking a superautomatic is an attempt at some kinda standardization or level playing field for latte art? Everyone competing with the same output, as pulled away from an individual's espresso prep/pull skills as possible, so it becomes simply a test of latte art rather than it hinging on shot quality as well? But I feel like if this was the case it would be at the top in bold as a motivation for the change...

I've been a master barista for Marks and Spencer's Cafe in the UK for nearly 14 years now, two years ago they changed the shape of the coffee mugs from lovely bowl-shaped designs to straight-sided ones. Then, last year they changed their traditional Faema coffee machines for WMF automatic coffee makers in many of their cafes. It was a very sad day for us latte art lovers and it took the fun out of coffee-making for us for a long time. 18 months later and we still miss grinding, tamping and steaming the milk but we manage to still do our latte art when we get time between the mad rushes of customers. xx

I totally agree with your perspective on this. Thank you for giving this more publicity.

Throwing Lance Hedrick's face on the steam lance absolutely sent me XD

Thank you Emilee.

It's the best ad for the company. Their machines being used at the competition level. I can see lot of money behind it. It sucks though. The attention should be on the craft, not the automation. Thanks for telling us such news from the coffee world. I, personally, would like to see more of such content in the future.

Wow. A lucid and well communicated commentary. Thank you.

The practical question is, will competitors do anything about it, ie boycott? Or at least do something to hurt the org financially? What would that even be? If not, unfortunately money is mightier than words. 😕

Hmm, next up: World Barista comp is being sponsored by Nespresso.

Its like entering a paint competition with chat gpt ai generated images You just don't

I saw a SIC (standard issue cat) in the background at 21s. We demand the Cat Tax!!! 😻

Love your passion. Keep posting.

this is like if in rubiks cube competitions you were just allowed to stick it in one of them robots that solves it fast

Love your sentiments about latte art's place in the industry, I think about those things often. I've never met a great latte artist who wasn't on top of the rest of their craft. If anything I'd say the opposite is true, folks with the attitude "I only care about making it taste good" are less likely to be well rounded as a barista. Where is the merit in dismissing presentation in craft coffee? There are many cafes and baristas that show It's very possible to make coffee taste good AND look good with great service.

Short version is Big Coffee found a backdoor into specialty coffee., 4 years is disgraceful. Two years into owning a decent machine I will gladly concede that latte art is by far the most challenging aspect of making coffee.

Thanks!

If further digitization and automation is the way the industry is going, and it bears out that coffee can become more consistent and better in the process, I’m not inherently opposed to this, even though I prefer the beautiful more manual machines of the past. What I am opposed to is the clear tie-in with Starbucks, which makes this move reek of corporate favoritism, and is a slap in the face for independent coffee shops and roasters around the world.

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 fantastic video! The intro had me 😂, then it never let up. Yeah these machines do not inspire hope for the future

Non Profit SCA would get Profits from the Machine Provider.

Ahhhh. Someone is getting rich off of this. When you said Starbucks it all started to make sense. I’m sure Starbucks will own the competition in a few years and they will make the claim that the machine is to level the playing field and give everyone the same blank canvas. It’s like the NASCAR of coffee competitions.

I didn’t know any of this was a thing. Not surprising. I’m so intrigued!

I think you should gather as much people as possible in these 4 years and really make a voice.

Wow, I am really suprised by this. I am still a latte art beginner trying to get a swan down consistenly, but from my experience the milk foam thickness has a huge impact on the pourability. I am not sure whether modern machines can do as a good of a job as a trained barista. If the milk is too thick, I cannot get a nice flow speed and despite a wiggle movement the layers might end up as one blob. So on a world champion ship level... I think steaming the milk might almost be equally important as the patterns. I mean, maybe one cannot pour some patterns with the pre-made foam and this might stronlgy reduce the artistic opportunities. If I am wrong on that, feel free to correct me :)

This news had made me loose respect for The SCA. Shutting down comments is a really poor thing to do. The SCA should distance themselves big time from Starbucks.

I am 100% with you! Very well said! From Florida!

Em, as my mother has told me numerous times when I was young...follow the $$$. It affects everything in our culture, COVID, electric cars, alphabet soup, DEI and now COFFEE!!!

Would've even been interesting to see Nanofoamer Pro, Meticulous Milk or heck, even Breville's auto-milk steaming machines at the world stage.

Thanks for speaking out!

What are the criteria for companies to place a bid ? Surely there are requirements and criteria inorder to become the machine supplier for specialized competitions such as latte art .

@EmileeBryant Thank you for spreading awareness. ❤

Next is the Barista competition with only Nespresso machines and pods. Mark my word 😂

On why it’s called a “steam lance”: Thermoplan is a Swiss company and in German (and Swiss German) the steam wand is called “Dampflanze” (kinda pronounced like Dumph-lun-suh) so my best guess is that it’s a mistranslation of the German word lol

Good points. Well (and entertainingly) spoken. We shall see.

I don't know the latte art world (I am terrible at it on my BBE) but empathize with your plight. I don't like games going on in the background. Especially when it appears like a money grab.

Great that you're bringing attention to latte art competitors feeling undervalued. This change will not help that matter.

Negates the hard work baristas put into our craft & into these comps. Such an unfair, greedy decision. WCC will surely see a decline in latte art submissions/registration.

Sure taste matters most. But you don't here anyone saying that "plating" isnt important to quality meal. It isnt required but it certainly enhances the experience. Great latte art paired with a well pulled espresso is my jam.

This looks suspiciously like someone got a big sack of money...allegedly

I wanna get ahead of the eagle eye viewers. I call it thermo plus and Typo (thermoplus) in the title sequence. It' thermoplan 🤣 I literally couldn't remember it and i Black out when I ramble.

honestly, if you keep a mastrena clean, you can get latte art out of it--the biggest thing is that it will normally automatically shut off at 150F you can set it into manual mode, though, so the only automatic thing is grind and pull, which does kinda take away from puck prep and whatnot

Sounds like a standard sports practice - standardise the equipment, minimise the number of variables so that only the skills make a difference… and yeah, benefit one producer as you do it. 😅

I dont think its cheesy at all. When I was a Barista I would love that 1-2 min interaction with the customers while you made them there drink, it gives the job purpose instead of mindlessly pouring shots and making pretty designs, and gives you the feedback needed to know if your performing your craft properly. Now that I'm not a barista I still look forward to what I call 'Barista time' as part of the whole experience. I can make usually better coffee at home with my set up, but I still go and seek out coffee shops for the coffee house experience, which is not something you get from a depressed 'Barista' pressing a button, walking away from there auto frother and serving you a cappuccino like product.

Black Eagle and anything LM is just a joy to work with

Late competitions are now required to not have any design when pouring, and instead every contestant must have a latte art printer with a design ready to print. Because its about the taste exclusively. ...?

Duuuuuude SCA just lost all credibility with this one. Big no from me.

Forgive my ignorance, but why does this specific competition exist when there's already the WBC? It feels like there's a lot of overlap in what these competitions represent. The argument you make points to the fact latte art is more than just the pour, but all the other elements to brewing lattes as well. At that point, how does the competition actually differ from the WBC apart from how the scores are weighted?

That is obscene. Someone _must_ have got a greased palm. Have a look see who just upgraded their car at SCA

NOT THE STEAM LANCE HEDRICK LMAO

So sad. How can they be so stupid as to think that their fans and competitors would be ok with this?

Silly question since I'm not familiar with the machine, but does the steaming function similar to the newer Breville/Sage machines where you just put the pitcher down and the wand does all of the work? And do you get time to practice with the machine because when else would you get access to it? Tin foil hat time: maybe this is how they plan to sell to machines. Make it so the only way for serious competitors to gain experience with the steam lance is to either A) work for SB or B) buy one yourself.

I couldn't agree with you more Emilee. The "ART" is the whole process, from grind to the presentation.

Great video and great line about ordering while chained to phone.

so true. but maybe a few more people now realize what the SCA is about.

Love your work, Emilee 😊 I think the problem starts with, as you mention early in the video, standardisation, and, of course, competition. Art should never be subjected to competition because it takes the focus away from the art and towards the win, and, thereby corrupting opinion. Sure, we get some innovation in the process, but we open ourselves up to corporate sponsorship and, thereby, favouritism, and socio-environmental compromise. Art, by itself, struggles to make a living unless you're constantly applying for grants or you get patronage/sponsorship, or you get lucky (right place, right time, right flavour of the month...). Perhaps the reasoning behind the latte art comp's deciding here is to reduce variables before the actual assessed pour. Of course, a good pour requires knowledge, skills and understanding of milk/mylk science, and the effects of heat, steam, movement, angles, coffee acidity and viscosity... so much! So maybe the SCA wants to eliminate all the variables so the competitors can be judged solely on how they respond to the constraints before them... I expect most sports competitions - inherently focused on the win rather than the art - have particular standards for equipment and process. Anyway, competition (and grades for that matter), for all its excitement, adrenaline rush, and recognition, is always susceptible to some sort of corruption, material or otherwise. I really hope you keep making videos and getting more views, but, most importantly, that you keep making your art, and sharing your love for it. All power to you, Emilee ❤

I am sure that the Thermoplan is an excellent machine otherwise Starbucks would not have put it in all their locations... but is designed for ease of use for people who do not have practice in making espresso drinks. I would compare this to a baking competition where all the chefs had to use a Betty Crocker cake mix for their cakes. Yes, the cakes would be "good", but it's no longer art and can never be the best it can possibly be

And so Censorship marches on, we as a human race are at the exact time in history where this goes one of two ways, the right way or doom for all. Truth always wins folks so this is over soon as 99% of people want.

3:00 - wow, that hit different this year.

watched this video as I made my first latte with an espresso machine and foamer and stuff. It was super fun and I’ve always just enjoyed coffee in general. Even though I’m just hearing about this competition now, it does feel very silly to have a machine that automates everything because, like you said, where’s the craft??

I have never been able to do latte art but I would have to imagine that you develop your steam technique and your pouring technique alongside one another and there are probably subtleties in the quality of the way you steam that might work best with how you pour.

I was curious how long it would take my feed to send me videos on this 😊

Nah they don't just "Steam the milk", you still have to have good technique. The only automatic part about the milk steaming is the temperature control / shutoff

Storm in a coffee cup. Those who invest a lot of emotional energy into this should take a step back, have a sip of coffee, and move on with their day.

I thought this was a joke tbh. But there really is, a 'world championships for Latte art' ............

At my workplace all machines got replaced with these exakt Thermoplans

No need to remove the "S" from SCA, Sounds like it had been sold to Starbucks. Now we will call it the Starbucks Coffee Association.

Not overreaction at all. Good Latte Art makes a good coffee even great. It’s part of a complex product presentation. It’s the same thought as why not everyone wants a plain black car. I’m a home coffee maker with an auto machine and it works for me. I go out expecting much more when I have a coffee. When I visited the USA I was appalled by the quality of the bulk of the coffees available. Only where there was a barista with a manual machine could I find a decent cup of coffee. If I want auto coffee I’ll go to a gas station as you call them. And I don’t do that either. Automation has it’s place but a competition isn’t the place. Bob from Australia.

It just clearly shows what the SCA is really about, and that's making money for the SCA and the people who profit off it. Coffee is secondary, or teriary, or ,,

Is that a Breville in the background?

thanks for speaking up

Nailed it Emilee Thanks for this ❤

I'm in a group from various baristas across Colombia, and they got into such a fight cause of that, 2 people were trying to defend the decision, and they started to attack with personal things, like with the mistakes in previous competitions, or their positions in the respective café. Later they sent a picture of a very famous soap across the country as a sponsor cause soap, water, steam wand we know. so it was hilarious

So weird. Half of the art in latte art is steaming the milk properly, and some designs (hollow heart) need thinner micro foam than others. Are the judges just going to hand the competitors generic pitchers with generic steamed milk? Or, if you can control the frothing, will competitors need to purchase this thing to learn how to use it? That would give an unfair advantage to deep pockets. I wonder if the SCA put out the bid, a fully auto machine won it, the SCA was blindsided, and the lawyers said that they were stuck with it, due to the language in the bidding contract and anti non-competition laws. The SCA might hate the selection, but they don’t want to admit the mistake or slag their new sponsor. Oops!

Love your videos ❤!

You're not overreacting, as fine a machine this might be it has no place in a Latte ART competition....apart from all the reasons you pointed in the video I think the design of the espresso machine is a small but significant part of the experience - for the barista and for the consumer. And this machine is ugly and uninspired, I feel an impulse to hit it with something and hide it in the basement. And for the part with the stigma surrounding Latte Art I am genuinely surprised as this is the first time I learn such thing exists. Maybe I am blinded by my own perception as I have deep respect for the skills and dedication of Latte artists...but I just cannot understand such attitude and I suspect it comes from people whose Latte Art sucks and they are just envious. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and I am really sorry about this development... I heard about this from another channel earlier and just thought "Well, this is really stupid" but now after I watched your video I feel really affected... I can only imagine how it feels for you.

Latte-art robots will be coming soon takin' our jobss 😫

Does anyone know the barista/ manager code of these things? Or where i could get this info? Our coffee tastes like sh... in our company....and i would love to change this...

is there some nice (budget?) espresso machine like Gaggia Classic but with thermoblock instead of boiler?