Victor Vu of Ona Coffee has once again claimed the title of ASCA Australian Latte Art Champion since his victory in the 2020 competition.
“I really didn’t expect to win because I made a mistake in the final round. But I think my performance and designs impressed the judges. I was very lucky,” Victor says.
Ming Wan of Ona Coffee placed second and Georgia Ellis of Runyeh Coffee placed third. The event took place at The Wool Mill in Brunswick East from 19 to 23 February.
“I have very high standards and put a lot of pressure on myself to perform at my best, so when my name was called as the winner, I was in shock. I put trust in myself and was proud that I achieved my goal,” Victor says.
Using title sponsor Riverina Fresh milk for his three patterns, Victor’s first free pour latte art design was a ‘fearless rhino’. To take his national routine one step further, and produce something even more complicated, Victor created a howling wolf pattern for his other free pour latte art design. His third designer pattern with etching was the Hunting Hawk, the design that earned him fifth place in the 2022 World Latte Art Championships.
“I looked up animal designs on Google and came up with my free pour patterns this year. I try not to draw cute patterns as they are quite popular, I wanted to draw something unique and powerful,” says Victor.
Victor wanted to upgrade his designs to a higher level, so the judges could understand the message he wanted to convey.
“I’ve been very busy with work over the last few months, so my decision to compete was last minute. It took me two or three days to choose my patterns and then I was training every spare second in the last four weeks to perfect my two new designs,” he says.
Victor says he struggled to get into the right headspace in the lead up to the competition, leaning on industry experts for help.
“I haven’t competed for two years, so sometimes I feel a bit lost. I leaned on my mental coach [and Ona Coffee Trainer] Hugh Kelly who always gives me good advice. We were on the phone for 30 minutes [the day before the competition] and he talked me through any anxieties I had. He was a huge help,” he says.
“I also want to thank my partner Linh Tran and my team at Ona Coffee, for the unconditional support and love.”
Victor will now prepare for the World Latte Art Championship, taking place at World of Coffee Copenhagen, Denmark from 27 to 29 June.
“I will focus on preparing myself mentally for the worlds and come up with new and exciting designs,” he says.
“I still can’t believe it. I’m so grateful for the chance to stand on a bigger stand amongst the best latte artists in the world once again. I’m so excited. I can’t wait.”
