Just brew it: barista with intellectual disability pursues her passion for latte art
She started out using chocolate sauce to create basic patterns on drinks, then progressed to creating peacocks and swans from steamed milk. Latte art has been a passion for 23-year-old Nuraqilah Fatin, ever since she watched a video about it in school in 2014.
She started learning the craft from YouTube videos, and took a one-year internship at McDonald’s McCafe, where she got to explore basic latte art.
In 2017, she was accepted into the Holistic Programme at social enterprise Bettr Barista, which seeks to empower disadvantaged women and youth by training and supporting them to take on a professional coffee career. She now works at several Bettr Barista outlets, including the branch at DBS Plaza Singapura.
In March 2018, Nuraqilah put her skills to the test at the Singapore Latte Art Championship. She showcased her creation of a double-winged swan and three-layer inverted tulip.
Nuraqilah was placed 13th among 20 contestants. Other baristas participating included those from Kinsmen Coffee and House of Robert Timms. Her experience was captured in an interview with TODAY newspaper.
We speak with Nuraqilah, who was diagnosed with an intellectual disability at the age of 10, to find out more about her love for latte art and how she overcomes challenges.
What inspires your latte art?
I think latte art makes customers happy. When they see a nice pretty picture, even if it’s a simple design — it makes their day.
For my first competition this year, I searched Instagram for photos and videos, as well as YouTube for tips like how to steam milk to achieve a really nice texture. In latte art, the quality of the milk is really important — it has to be smooth and silky.
Pouring technique is also very important and I am always inspired by how the best latte artists do it. The design that I chose this year — and the most comfortable for me — was the swan. I started with a single-winged swan and progressed to a double-winged swan. During the competition I added more detail to make it more intricate, including a three-layer inverted tulip.
What do you enjoy most about being a barista?
I love being a barista! I like talking to customers very much.
At Income Bras Basah, we get quite a few tourists popping in from the museums nearby and I like chit chatting with them and telling them about Singapore. It always makes me happy to serve our customers. It makes me happy when they enjoy the coffee.
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?
Training for the latte art competition was very challenging and I had a bit of trouble with speed — being fast enough.
I took some time to learn to steam my milk to the ideal silky texture. Sometimes I would make it too foamy. I had a lot of support and tips from different trainers at Bettr Barista Coffee Academy to help me with my progress and that really helped.
What are your future plans?
I’m going to keep improving and practising for next year’s latte art competition!
My first competition this year has taught me a lot and I know what to expect so I want to be better prepared for the next one. I want improve on the little things that I wasn’t very good at this year.
What advice would you give to others about overcoming challenges to reach their dreams?
If you’re interested in coffee — or anything — just try your best. Learn as much as you can about it and give it a try.
Bettr Barista is a social enterprise supported by DBS Foundation.
