Rabbits and seahorses for artistic barista
Jaya Kusuma wiggles the cup in his hand as he pours foam over the top of a decaf flat white.
As if appearing by magic – suddenly, a bunny rabbit adorns the surface of the coffee.
Kusuma said his favourite part of his job was hearing his customers react to his latte art when he hands them their coffe.
“I put it on the table and they start screaming, ‘oh my god!’ That’s the best,” Kusuma said.
The barista works at New Chapter coffee house, located on Bunny St opposite the Railway Station.
The cafe is owned by former barista Long Nguyen, who opened the venue five years ago.
Kusuma has worked there for a year and a half and love it. He says he enjoys getting to know the regulars who come to the cafe for their coffee from the surrounding office buildings, many of which house government departments.
What’s the trick to good coffee art? The foam, he said. You need perfect foam in order to properly do the pattern, or else it all falls apart.
Kusuma had a couple of animals under his belt, he said. A seahorse, a fish in bubbles – he’s been practising for his aquarium, he joked.
A friend taught him how to make foam art designs, and he liked to practice.
One of Kusuma’s regulars chimed in. He said all Kusuma’s customers liked to rate him on each animal he created for them.
It seems that Kusuma is becoming known for his latte art. He said he started working as a barista in New Zealand eight years ago, after moving here from his home country of Indonesia.
He started making coffee when he was a student in 2008 – he was working part time at a cafe while studying.
He enjoyed working with people in a front-facing profession. His favourite coffee to make was, of course, a flat white, he said.
At the cafe, the most ordered coffees were flat whites, long blacks, and the filter coffee they served. The filter coffee’s roasts were changed daily for people to try.
The barista said as long as his customers enjoyed it he would continue to make coffee art.
“It’s the best part of the job.”