Ben Stanley pours milk into a mug of espresso, staring intensely over the edge of the rim as he gives the cup a swirl. He waits for the cup to fill, then tops it off with a few final drops of milk. A picture of a swan emerges on top of the drink.
Stanley is the operations manager at Perets Dessert & Coffee Bar, a cafe in downtown Oklahoma City specializing in late-night treats. But among those in the coffee scene, Stanley is known for his latte art — a talent that is taking him to the Latte Art World Championship Open in Los Angeles beginning on August 21.
The competition will focus on free-pour art, meaning baristas can't use tools to help create their designs. The images are made solely by pouring frothed milk into an espresso mug and manipulating the cup.
For the past two years, Stanley has participated in latte art competitions in Oklahoma and beyond. He credits his rise to success to keeping a positive mindset.
"You have to be okay with failing a lot. You have to have a lot of patience. And then you also have to be able to learn from your mistakes," Stanley said. "I think that's why I got so good so quickly, is because every pour is a learning opportunity for me."
Although he's only been competing for a short time, Stanley has been a coffee fiend since middle school, when he and his dad began making weekly coffee shop visits. As he started thinking about potential careers, he knew he wanted to be in a creative field. He bounced between different subjects like photography and graphic design, but he found they required too much computer work for his liking. Latte art didn't. So it stuck.
Despite the success he's seen on the smaller circuit, Stanley wasn't going to apply for the world championships this year until a friend encouraged him to do so. Spending time with his friends in the coffee community is one of the parts he is looking forward to the most about his trip to LA.
"You get to go to a cafe that's hosting it [a competition] and hang out with other like-minded baristas and have that time of community and some fun competition," Stanley said. "It's like having your friends over for Mario Kart or something."
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
