Rich patterns in latte

What’s in a cup of coffee? A lot more than a caffeine fix, apparently. It’s art, community, sustainability — and yes, caffeine — all rolled into one, as showcased on a recent evening when local baristas conducted their monthly latte-art throwdown.

“This one is kind of asymmetric,” says coffee-shop owner Ryan Jensen, one of three throwdown judges. He’s examining a Rosetta pattern — an intricate fernlike form in the frothy milk of a latte — created by one of 18 competing baristas.

The baristas get one cup, one pour and no do-overs. The top 10 will go on to face their New York City counterparts next month in an intercity throwdown.

The artistic patterns, which are judged on symmetry, definition and use of space, are created by the way the milk is poured over the espresso and into the cup with a slight wave of the wrist.

“Latte art throwdowns are a way to get together and have fun, to test our skills and also highlight the barista profession,” says Nick Cho, coffee director at Chinatown Coffee Co., the host of the latest throwdown.

But that’s not all.

“The quality of the pattern is also an indicator of proper milk-pouring technique,” says Mr. Cho, who’s also a board member of the World Barista Championship, an annual global latte art throwdown, held this year in Atlanta.

“Chain stores can’t do latte art,” he says, smiling.

Speaking of chain-store coffee shops, Starbucks has closed hundreds of stores in these lean times, while many independent coffeehouses are going strong. Mr. Jensen’s coffee shop, Peregrine Espresso at Eastern Market, for example, often has a line out the door.

“Starbucks is not our competition,” says Dani Cone, owner of Fuel Coffee in Seattle, in a phone interview.

“We’re about being independent, local, sustainable and having a personal connection,” says Ms. Cone, author of “Tall Skinny Bitter: Notes From the Center of Coffee Culture.”

“For those reasons, I think we’re a little more immune to economic trends,” she says.

So — much like the perfect Rosetta pattern on the surface of a latte — the independent coffee shop (which constitutes about 50 percent of the market, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America) is a multilayered affair.

Beyond serving the tastiest coffee — according to its fans — it’s about everything from supporting sustainable coffee-growing practices to buying local milk.

“We get our milk from Trickling Springs Creamery” in Chambersburg, Pa., says Mr. Cho, who sees the barista going in the direction of the sommelier. “Why are so many meals at fancy restaurants capped with an awful cup of coffee?” he asks. He even dreams of television shows featuring baristas.

Adds Judith Mandel, manager at the newly opened independent coffeehouse Mid City Caffe: “People started caring about what they put in their body. So, they care about the coffee they drink — where it comes from, how it’s made.”

Which brings us to the coffee beans. Chinatown Coffee Co. uses Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea Inc., a Chicago-based roaster that buys directly from local coffee growers, whether they’re in Guatemala or Rwanda.

No middleman.

“We’re supporting a trade system that ultimately makes sense for everyone involved — from the grower to the consumer,” Mr. Cho says.

Mr. Jensen, who even persuaded his parents in his tiny hometown of Fergus Falls, Minn., to trade in their grocery-store brand for a much pricier fair-trade coffee, adds: “It’s a justice issue.”

All this is ambitious, if not pretentious, no?

Maybe, but the throwdown crowd — mostly in their early 20s, wearing T-shirts and worn jeans - also seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. Many sport fake mustaches — marking the nearing of Halloween — and several root for their favorite contestants with shout-outs and hollers; and they’re drinking beer - Shiner Bock and Yuengling — not coffee.

“Jeremy’s the man,” shouts someone in the roughly 40-person-strong crowd.

And Jeremy Sterner — a mean, lean barista from Peregrine — ultimately wins the competition, garnering him the $90 cash pot and a bottle of Dom Perignon, donated by Chinatown Coffee.

“Thank you,” Mr. Sterner says after learning his fate. “But even after nine years in the business, I would just give myself a ’B.’ There is so much to learn about coffee. … It’s beautiful.”