Latte Art in Slovenia: Eldin Menzilovic

Meet Eldin Menzilovic, a Latte Artist

Dear coffee-lovers, brew-nerds and ever resilient coffee professionals, we are happy to announce that a long-awaited interview format is coming to SpecialtyKava.Si. We are excited to bring you stories and insights of passionate coffee people of Slovenia. If you would like to be featured let us know by emailing us (andrew@specialtykava.si) or writing to our Instagram!

In this particular series of articles we would like to get you acquainted with some of the most prominent latte artists in Slovenia. 

For now, meet Eldin, a Bosnian barista living, latte-arting and roasting in Ljubljana, Slovenia. We spoke with Eldin about how he became a barista and how he managed to learn to do such beautiful patterns. 

Eldin’s Coffee Journey

– Hi Eldin, how are you?

– Hey Lev, I’m good thanks! What’s up?

– All good man. Thank you for finding the time to chit chat. How about you tell me and the readers about your coffee journey. How did you become a barista?

– I always liked coffee. From where I’m from (Sarajevo), it is a tradition to drink Turkish coffee. My parents even used to roast coffee in their garden. Since I was a child I always associated coffee with joy. I would see the happy faces of people drinking coffee. I was already hand-grinding coffee when I was 5 years old. And when I was 7, I made my first Turkish coffee for my parents. After that I would be preparing coffee for the guests and friends of my family.

– So it’s fair to say that coffee is in your blood! When did you start working with coffee?

– I started working as a waiter in Sarajevo when I was 18 or 19, something like that. And once I saw some guys making latte art on some website, I can’t recall which now. It caught my attention and I became curious about coffee. But mostly about latte art. So I started buying and reading books. After some time, I started working as a Barista in Sarajevo.

Then there was this trip to Belgrade where I actually experienced specialty coffee for the first time. I think I had espresso made out of washed Colombia and I didn’t like it that much, but the barista there took his time to explain the nuances of coffee. Since then I started exploring more things about coffee. Machinery, different beans, etc. 

– Lets focus more on latte art. How did you learn it? Did you have a mentor or did you go to any courses?

– I have learnt basic patterns on my own, but it took a lot of practice. I remember how happy I felt when I did my first swan! So I continued to work on my skills. Latte art is the first thing people see when you serve them coffee. I did have a mentor though, Sanim Kadic. He is from Zagreb and he taught me a lot about hand position and milk steaming techniques. After that it’s just practice. Plenty of it!

– Would you say that mastering latte art gave you an advantage over other baristas in Sarajevo?

– Sure! Latte art skills opened a lot of doors for me, people would recognize me thanks to it. Customers are more willing to talk with a barista who serves a beautiful cup. That allows us (baristas) to give more info on the coffee itself. And, of course, good latte art is associated with professionalism. People see my work and know that I am serious.

– I bet you competed in latte art championships. Can you tell a bit about your experience with that?

– My first championship was in Sarajevo 2018. I totally screwed up!

– No way! What happened?

– I knew how to do latte art but I wasn’t proficient enough with espresso preparation, machinery maintenance. So mostly I failed because of technical things. That served as a good stimulus to learn more about coffee preparation itself. But I would continue to compete afterwards! This failure was a valuable lesson. I actually won 2 times and once I came second in some local Bosnian tournaments.

– These days you can be found working as a chef-barista in a coffee shop in Ljubljana, Slovenia. How come?

– My current employer found me thanks to my latte art actually. I work in a coffee shop and a roastery, and now I am roasting as well. I really want to know more about roasting. This is actually why I came to Slovenia.

– Do you have a favorite coffee to use specifically for latte art?

– Anything Brazilian really. Good contrast and taste as well. 

– How would you explain what latte art is and why it is so appreciated?

– In my mind, your latte art is your craft and a unique signature you leave on a cup of coffee. And it is crucial because latte art is the first thing a guest sees. The first impression is important and well executed latte art allows me to tell guests more about coffee. I have people who follow where I work thanks to my latte art.

– What would be your advice for baristas and coffee-lovers? Maybe a belief or thought you would like to share?

– For baristas: don’t be afraid of following your dreams and don’t be afraid to mess things up. And for coffee-lovers: explore coffee and trust your barista, these people are there for you.

– Thank you, Eldin, for the talk!

– Happy to!

Outro

You can visit Eldin in Prazarna, a coffee shop and a roastery and ask him to make you a pretty coffee with milk from Monday to Friday. He is always happy to help you with the choice of coffee both for the beverage and to take back home.

Slovenia is a country of talented and passionate people. More stories about latte artists in Slovenia are coming, stay tuned and enjoy!

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