Australian Latte Art Champion 2024 Victor Vu shares his howling wolf design, part of the family of jungle-inspired pours he created for the World Latte Art Championship.
Ahead of the World Latte Art Championship in Copenhagen in June, Australian Champion Victor Vu dedicated a significant amount of time to research, drawing inspiration from other baristas around the world.
After many late nights of contemplation and experimentation, he settled on the wolf as his central design theme.
“My goal was to create designs that were not only realistic but also conveyed a sense of life within their natural environment,” says Victor. “The wolf, with its majestic appearance and iconic howl at the moon, captivated me.”
He says that, at first, he found it challenging to translate the dynamic movement of the wolf onto the surface of a small cup. The limited space required incorporating multiple elements in a cohesive manner.
“Thankfully, the prestige of the world stage motivated me to push through these difficulties and, with the support of my team, I was able to bring the design to life. I am proud to have successfully executed this design at the Championship and honoured to share it with the world,” he says.
Victor Vu’s howling wolf
Step 1
Using a competition size latte art cup, start by mixing the coffee with the milk until the cup is just under half full.
Step 2
With the handle at three o’clock, pour a 12-leaf rosetta down the left-hand side of the cup.
Step 3
Leaving a small gap, pour a 10-leaf rosetta to the right-hand side of the first. Then pour a four-leaf rosetta alongside the second.
Step 4
Turn the cup to four o’clock. On the right-hand side of the cup pour two four-leaf rosettas to form the tree. From the bottom centre of the tree, drag the milk up to form the trunk.
Step 5
Beneath the tree, from left to right, drag the milk to create the ground. Starting at the bottom of the first rosetta, pour a curve between the second and third rosettas.
Step 6
Turn the cup to 12 o’clock. Using a continuous pour, at the top of the third rosetta drag the milk to create a triangle to form the ear. Then create a diamond shape to form the forehead and the eye, then drag up to form the nose, mouth, and muzzle.
Step 7
At the bottom of the muzzle, drag up to form a stripe in the fur.
Step 8
Finally, pour dry foam to form the moon above the tree.
