LATTE THROW DOWN

Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump
Luke Norris, front, of Morsels competes against Roaster Jack Coffee's Jeff Brown in the Traverse City Latte Art Throwdown on Thursday at BLK MRKT. Contestants went head to head, making one cappuccino and one macchiato using espresso shots made for them by an impartial third party and one pitcher of milk to steam themselves in three minute contests with a panel of judges deciding who moved to the next round. Each of the four rounds featured a different design - heart, rosette, tulip and a barista's choice for the championship round. Entry fees are going to On The Ground’s Project Nica, which helps the all-women farming cooperative Las Diosas in Nicaragua replace crops damaged by coffee leaf rust, or la royal, with disease-resistant plants, and increasing crop diversification by planting fruit trees.

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