CityNews — Seven days, seven different pieces of art. For the second year in a row the Le Meridien Hotel will be showcasing different latte art designs in their in-house coffee shop. The week long event, dubbed “Around the World in 7 Days,” is meant to engage and inspire hotel guests and associates, while also raising awareness about the popular caffeinated beverage.
Each day of the celebration features a different location and piece of latte art, all curated by celebrated Master Barista Noppadol Sae-uang and latte art specialist Suchi Atchaekkalap. Monday, the first day of the celebration, focused on China with the latte art being in the form of the Chinese character of good luck and fortune. Next came Northern Europe and the Eiffel tower; Wednesday was America with a fun cartoon character of Mickey Mouse, then the Middle East and a pyramid design, Southeast Asia and the ubiquitous figure of an elephant, Africa with a rendition of a lion and finally the Mediterranean and artwork in the form of bunches of grapes.
Le Meridien Hotel’s around the world will celebrate coffee with each location being able to choose their own designs. All coffee served at the event will be from illy, an Italian coffee brand that the hotel has been in partnership with for the past seven years.
Chiang Mai is known to be a coffee hub thanks to the large amount of coffee grown in the area. While the hotel does also serve local coffee they focus more on the European heritage style, hence its use of an Italian brand of coffee and a wide assortment of French pastries.
Latte Art Specialist Suchi Atchaekkalap.
illy coffee is a nice soft coffee with a low caffeine content. The coffee used at the hotel is 100 percent Arabica that is medium or golden roasted, meaning you can “drink four to five cups a day because the caffeine is quite low,” explained Master Barista Noppadol Sae-uang. Great news for true coffee addicts.
Many coffee shops simply top off a cup of coffee with a spoonful of foam, but when trying to make exquisite latte art you must instead use your hands in place of a spoon. With latte art “the actual espresso acts as the canvas and the milk that we pour on acts like the paintbrush,” said Noppadol.
While creating these designs takes lots of practice and serious concentration the end product only lasts for five minutes before it starts to dissolve. Incorporating the illy coffee brand goes along with the theme of “coffee as art” and wanting that real coffee culture.
Most coffee served in Thailand is iced and extremely dark roasted with lots of added sweetness in the form of condensed milk or sugar. The large amount of sweet additives drowns out the bitter flavor of coffee, making it taste more similar to coffee ice cream than actual black coffee. Because illy is not as highly roasted as traditional Thai coffee it is easier to drink hot and the use of sweeteners is kept at a minimum, allowing the oh-so-welcoming aroma of coffee to come through along with the actual traditional coffee flavour.
Le Meridien Staff.
While Thailand, and Chiang Mai in general, is a top place for growing coffee, not many people know a lot about the delicious bean. The Le Meridian hopes to change that. The weeklong event is meant to celebrate all things coffee along with showcasing two extremely talented artists in Noppadol and Suchi.
If you are wanting to learn more about the Thai coffee culture or just want to drink some tasty coffee that may be decorated with a fun cartoon character or historical landmark, stop in at the Le Meridien hotel. The event runs from 22-28 June and takes place in the Latitude 18 bar next to the hotels main lobby.
For more information check out:
lemeridienchiangmai.com