What’s The Lowdown On The Throwdown

The 4th Bury St Edmunds Latte Art Throwdown on 20 March was such a blast. This year we hosted 23 competitors, both new and familiar faces from BSE and all around Suffolk. We had an amazing lineup of prizes this year, thanks to our generous sponsors: Brew It Group, Mahlkonig, Brew By Hand, Acaia, Outpeak and Minor Figures. 

On the evening at our co-host, Wright Cafe, we were lucky to have Lauren Small back on duty with us! Lauren has been a long-time colleague and friend of Butterworth & Son, and she was instrumental in organizing previous BSE Latte Art Throwdowns. These days, she is busy being a mom to her little boy, Archie. Grab a cuppa while you read Lauren’s take on the BSE LAT 4, it’s giggle-guaranteed.

It’s me Lauren Small, ex-Butterworths team member and all round coffee nerd. I’ve been in the industry for fast approaching a decade. At 16 I started as a barista in South Africa and then moved to Bury St Edmunds where I spent nearly 6 years being part of the Butterworth & Son team. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the honour of writing a blog but hoping that my experience ensures I’m still qualified to do so. Despite the fact it’s been over a year since I swapped portafilters for wet wipes and latte art for breastfeeding. 

You can imagine the joy I felt when Rob asked me to step in for the evening and help cover the 2025 Bury St Edmunds Latte Art Throwdown. Not only was it a dip back into the world that I love but it was a night off from making dinner and bathing my one-year-old.  Not that I don’t absolutely love washing spagbol off of a sticky toddler. 

In 2021 the first Latte Art Throwdown for Bury St Edmunds was introduced. Hosted by Butterworth & Son in conjunction with Wrights Cafe. It was a night filled with eager coffee fanatics, perfect pints, shared laughs, and of course, brilliant pours. Fast forward 5 years and the event has turned into what one could call a tradition amongst the coffee community.  Though if I had my say,  I would suggest a local holiday that’s printed on a calendar and anticipated on a level similar to Christmas!

But that’s just me.

The 2025 BSE Latte Art Throwdown held true to expectations and started with a bang and ended with a fizz… though perhaps that was the Prosecco? It was a pleasure to attend this year’s competition, and it brings me so much joy to see how much it continually unites the cafes and competitors. Even 5 years on, the energy and camaraderie between cafes and baristas remain just as intoxicating as it were the first time we all met.

Kick-off was at 18:30 and thankfully most of us arrived way ahead of the six o’clock mark. Otherwise, I fear the thrill of chatting and catching up would have gotten the better of us resulting in a later start. 

The competition consisted of three rounds based on a knockout system until eventually there was one winner who took home the prize. Taylor from Bread Source nabbed 1st prize: an X54 Mahlkonig grinder gifted from the Brew It Group – ignore me while I bite down on my dressing gown in envy! Second place went to Jacob from Honey + Harvey, who triumphantly walked out with an Acaia Pearl scale and an Outpeak canister. Hannah from Applaud Coffee can now brew crisp cups from home after placing third and scoring a new Hario V60 set. You can see why I might compare the evening to Christmas… Who wouldn’t want any of those prizes under the tree? 

I certainly got my steps in over the course of the evening, going back and forth between the machine and the three judges: Katie Egan from Butterworths’ very own office, Howard Barwick from Covoya Coffee, and Maddie Evans who won the most recent LAT in Norwich.  Although I only sat down during the intervals to charge my dwindling phone battery, I still think I had the best “seat” in the house as I got to see the action up close and listen to the judges deliberating. What a win!

Overall, the evening was fantastic from start to finish. I have to say that everyone who played a role in organising and running this event did so brilliantly, making it seem effortless to onlookers. Shout out to Katie Egan for thinking about the smallest details. Had she not been thorough, we would have spent the evening updating the leaderboard in crayon and not the brand-new Sharpie she included in the camera bag!

The buzz from the coffee community was palpable as we all came together to celebrate our shared love (or love-hate for some) of latte art. Being able to sit and enjoy delectable cocktails and punchy beer, courtesy of Wrights Cafe made the evening unforgettable.  I think I speak for all of us when I say… Bring on the next one! 

I’ll pop it in the diary now, shall I?