Watch: Costa Coffee's award-winning Derby barista shows off her incredible latte art skills
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Megan is a finalist in Costa’s Barista Of The Year 2024, making them one of 11 coffee experts in the UK and Ireland
Making great coffee is a skill in itself and Derby officially has one of the best baristas in the country.
Megan Pass is a talented barista from Derby, who has been creating perfect coffee and stunning latte art at Costa Coffee on Wyvern Retail Park.
Megan entered Costa Coffee’s UK and Ireland Barista of the Year Competition earlier this year.
Megan was one of 11 finalists who made it to the last stages of the coffee competition, which took place on April 23-24, 2024.
To get to the final, Megan excelled through two challenging regional stages.
Megan competed against other baristas in Derby to produce four core drinks which met brand standards.
Megan also used coffee knowledge and sensory skills to create and deliver an innovative specialty hot drink.
The final took place over two days. It consisted of three rounds which saw Megan creating their own drink.
Speaking to DerbyWorld about the barista competition, Megan said the experience was ‘incredible.’
Megan said: “It was surreal to be part of it, I met loads of new people, everyone was really lovely and accommodating.”
Read more: What's On in Derby?
The competition saw Megan create a range of latte art including perfect florets, elegant swans and tulips in front of judges at the national competition.
How did Megan find an appreciation for coffee art?
Megan joined Costa Wyvern 11 years ago when the store was being built, a place Megan now calls ‘home.’
The 29-year-old coffee fan has always been ‘eager to nail coffee art’ from as far back as they can remember.
Megan said: “I’m quite an artistic person, I’ve always liked that aspect [latte art] of the job.”
Find out how coffee has evolved over the years according to Costa Coffee expert
Being at the forefront of one of the UK’s leading coffee houses means Megan is an expert commentator on the subject.
They said: “Flavours have massively evolved over the years.
“Coffee [art] years ago wasn’t that intricate, and the flavour range wasn’t that big.
“People’s palates have changed. Some stick to the traditional and have a standard drink.
“Now we’ve got matcha, pistachio, everything can go in coffee - people seem to like that, to be able to make a drink their own.
“Orders can get really personal, people create and make up their own drink.”
Megan loves experimenting with different ingredients. Their deep understanding of coffee beans and flavour profiles means they often whip up innovative combinations such as honey-roasted pistachio syrup.
How to make the best coffee, according to an expert
1. Use whole milk
2. Always use chilled milk straight from the fridge
(This yields a creamy texture and a more stable product to work with, which is exactly what you need when creating latte art.)
3. When texturing milk to use for latte art, the finished product should feel like melted ice cream
4. When making latte art, pierce the crema
(This is the thin layer of foamy coffee froth emulsion filled with coffee bean oil, that lies on a freshly brewed coffee’s surface.)
5. Create a base of the milk, mentally mapping out where the ‘art’ will lie on the coffee surface and go steady and slow
Practise makes perfect, so take your time in learning different shapes!
For more information visit Costa Coffee website by clicking here.