• Home

Milking an aromatic talent

Abdulla Alashhab, the Syrian-born latte artist, can whip up an art-storm in a coffee cup. He talks 
to KELLY CLARKE about his dreams

When choosing your favourite coffee, it’s usually a toss-up between full-fat or skimmed milk. But thanks to the quick hand of one quirky artist, choosing your latte has just got a whole lot more interesting.

Self-taught latte artist Abdulla Alashhab is as passionate about coffee as he is about the unusual art form, and he says he fell in love with everything coffee back in his home country Syria.

“I just love it. When I was younger I would go to a coffee bar (in Syria) and watch the baristas at work for hours.” Soon afterwards, at the age of 19,he became a barista himself.

Voted number two at last year’s Latte Art Championships in Dubai — part of the International Coffee and Tea Festival — coffee aficionado Alashhab says he is intent on taking this year’s top spot.

And with it being a matter of weeks before this year’s competition kick-starts on November 8 at Meydan, the 25-year-old says he’s been putting in the hours to make sure he gets it all right on the night.

“This time I hope to win. I’ve been practising non-stop and I’m a lot more confident.”

Getting arty

From an elegant swan to a bashful lady, when it comes to art, Alashhab throws conventions out the window.

“I love tradition, but in my art I put my own twist on tradition and create something original,” he says.

Alashhab says free-pouring is his favourite technique as he loves watching the coffee and milk free-flow from boring white to fancy art in a matter of seconds. “But using the barista pen means I can add more detail to the foam.”

His near-winning combination last year was a Rosetta — a twist on a traditional flower and a swan but this year, he says he’s not sure what he’ll create. It may be something a little more complex.

“I’ll leave it to the last minute to make my decision.”

Standing in front of a perfectly prepped coffee machine at the La Marquise International showroom in Dubai— where he currently works as a barista trainer — Alashhab tells Khaleej Times that it’s not just perfect art that scores you points on the night.

“It’s not just your design the judges look for. Everything has to be clean at the end. You lose points if you make a mess, waste coffee powder, pour the milk wrong,” he says, adding that they even test the temperature of the milk.

“That’s where I lost points last year. My milk was too hot.”

And with just six minutes to prepare four cups of perfectly poured, art-adorned lattes, getting the particulars just right certainly adds to the pressure, he says.

A good bean

With his love for coffee stemming from a young age, the modest barista refuses to take full credit for his artistic creations, saying “a good quality coffee bean and creamy milk” all add to the perfect latte art.

And with two main types of bean to choose from — Robusta and Arabica — Alashhab knows which side of the fence he sits on when it comes to the coffee bean debate.

“The best baristas drink Arabica. It’s the premium bean and tastes a lot smoother than the others,” he says.

But with the espresso culture growing in Dubai, and a new coffee house popping up around every corner, Alashhab says it’s hard to find good coffee in the UAE.

“Consistency is a huge problem here. We use Pellini coffee (at La Marquise International) and it is one of the better tasting coffees. I’m very particular when it comes to taste and for me this is the best.”

As he gears up for his second big competition with hopes of receiving the highest national honour as the most creative barista in the UAE, Alashab could go on to represent the UAE at the 2014 World Latte Art Championship competing against 38 other countries. So how is he coping with the nerves?

“I’m very relaxed about it and I love what I do. Making coffee and doing latte art makes me happy, so I feel privileged to have this opportunity,” says an un-fazed Alashhab.

And with dreams of one day opening his own bßarista in Dubai, a smiling Alashhab says he can’t wait to serve up his first cup of artistic brew to his first paying customer.

kelly@khaleejtimes.com

*Since publishing the article, Alashhab has moved on from his post at La Marquise International and is now working for Gourmet Restaurant Management LLC in Abu Dhabi.