MILAN, Italy – On June 26th, the first northern step of Lags Battle was held at the Warrior Arena in Milan. Lags (Latte Art Grading System) Battle is one of the first competitions exclusively dedicated to the world of latte art, which will merge in the World championships at the Host Exhibition in 2019.
The Participants
The number of competitors was very high in this LAGS (Latte Art Grading System) battle: 26 challengers split among the 3 higher categories, the GREEN, the RED and the BLACK one.
The list of competitors, who in 10 minutes will be challenged with latte art on the patterns of their category, always by respecting the rules laid down by the procedural guideline of the Latte Art Grading System, is reported below.
10 minutes, the launch of a die to decide who will launch the challenge and then the way with the realization of the design with milk and coffee under the watchful eye of 3 judges who will eventually decide what will be the best execution.
The International Judges
Three judges of the Milan event were captained by the veteran Luigi Lupi “Judge Supervisor”, flanked by two international examiners, from Slovenia and Morocco – namely Ignac Kermelj and Abdel Aziz Quassouni. The role of the judges, at the end of each realization, was that of decreeing the winner of the challenge and awarding the point to the best of the three.
![](https://www.comunicaffe.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Giudici-Internazionali-battle-640x853.jpg)
The Partners Of The Event
Thanks to Brita (with the presence of Enrico Metti), Asachimici (with Andrea Antonelli), Metallurgica Motta (thanks to the presence of Marco and Elisa) Caffè Hardy and Ancap, the event Lags was a success, with the attendance of over 100 participants who visited the arena and witnessed the battle with great enthusiasm.
Latte Art Show By Manuela Fensore!
In the midst of the challenge was the presence and the fabulous hand of Manuela Fensore to put a sheen to the Lags system with an execution of the gold level by performing some patterns required by the procedural guideline of the Golden Jug, for which Manuela Fensore is at the moment the only holder in the world of this level.
The Warrior Arena
La Marzocco in Milan was the location of this wonderful day, but even more the flawless staff of La Marzocco supported the event with a hospitality beyond measure, thanks to the organization and realization of the food, too: a special grill that has made the challenge even more joyful. A special thanks goes to the Patron Marco Monformoso.
The Winners
The winners of each category are established as follows:
Black Jug Category
Carmen Clemente
Red Jug Category
Fabio Gesmundo
Green Jug Category
Massimiliano Saldi
Event Supporter
Gianni Cocco, Luca Bernardoni, Chiara Ferrari and Margherita Pedretti contributed to the success of this event: those who followed the pre-race training and those involved in the cafeteria service, support and access to the arena.
The Next Battle – The Legend Arena
For those who didn’t pass the challenge or couldn’t participate, they will be able to come back to the next Lags Battle at The Legend Areana of Senigallia in October. Clearly the challenge is reserved for the “warriors” of Latte Art of Lags.
Latte Art Grading System (Lags)
The “Latte Art Grading System” is a series of qualifications to assess the technical skills and creativity of baristas (servers in coffee shops) in latte art.
The system is based on 5 levels or grades, each with a different colour as indicated by the grading system logo: white, orange, green, red and black.
Each grade corresponds to specific skills the barista must have acquired and be able to demonstrate during the grading exam.