Shyam Iama - Head Barista at Stables Coffee Co.

Originally from Nepal, he studied physics before moving to the UK in 2017 to marry his girlfriend, who is now his wife. Like many people starting out in a new country, he needed to find work and his first opportunity came in his brother-in-law’s café.

That was where coffee first caught his attention. Not because of the taste, or even the coffee itself, but because of what was happening on top of it.

He watched a friend pour a beautiful tulip into a latte and was fascinated. Having always enjoyed art at school, Shyam was drawn to the creativity of latte art and began practising whenever he could.

He started in 2017, staying late after shifts to practise his pouring. He bought his own scales, experimented with different jugs and spent hours trying different patterns. At first, his focus was simply on getting better. Then, as he learned more about specialty coffee, he began to discover that there was far more to coffee than the picture on top.

He became fascinated by extraction, flavour and milk texture, learning how sweetness, fruitiness and balance could completely change the way a coffee tasted.

Competition came later. After discovering the world of latte art competitions, Shyam decided to test himself. In 2021, he entered his first competition at the London Coffee Festival and hasn't looked back.

For Shyam, competing is as much about mindset as it is about technique. Even when the pressure is high and things go wrong, he tells himself: “I’m the champion. Let’s do it.”

That mentality has taken him from practising alone behind a café counter to competing against some of the best latte artists around. He has even won an international online latte art competition, competing against more than 500 artists from around the world.

But perhaps the thing Shyam is most proud of now isn't the art he pours himself, it's seeing other baristas pour it.

At Stables, his role has evolved from creating beautiful latte art for customers to training the next generation of baristas. He takes particular pride in helping newer members of the team develop their technique and confidence, teaching them that great latte art starts with great coffee and properly textured milk.

For Shyam, the milk is more than just the canvas. Properly steamed microfoam can complement the coffee, bring out its sweetness and soften its bitterness. Getting it right and getting it right consistently, is a skill in itself.

He's now working towards becoming a certified Specialty Coffee Association trainer, progressing through the barista skills pathway. The ambition is to bring accredited barista training to Stables, helping people who are looking to enter the coffee industry or develop their careers with recognised qualifications and practical skills.