After taking out the best latte art barista battle this month, a Flinders Street cafe’s top performer is heading to Melbourne to fight for the national crown.
Ten years ago, if you told award-winning barista Vic Sun that his latte art could take him to Portugal, he wouldn’t have believed you.
“To be honest, I cannot imagine that … that would be really, really something for me,” Vic, who makes his award-winning brews at Deux Coffee on Flinders Street, says.
Vic was crowned the winner of MILKLAB’s Barista Battle on November 6. It is one of four latte art competitions he has entered since moving to Adelaide – and his third win.
The event saw 24 local baristas compete in four rounds of latte milk art. Contestants rolled dice to determine which pattern to forge in froth and which MILKLAB plant-based milk they would pour.
From a love heart, to a bear, and a kangaroo in the last round, Vic’s impressive collection of milk artworks earned him the winner’s badge over two dozen competitors.
“I’ve been working as a barista for so long, it’s a recognition for myself and it’s [an] accomplishment for myself as well,” he says.
Vic will now head interstate to represent SA at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo’s Australian Barista Battle in March next year.
If he takes out the national crown, his next stop is Europe, representing Australia as a “Master Barista” in the MILKLAB International Barista Battle in Lisbon, Portugal.
From restaurants to roasting
Vic lived in Tasmania for 18 years before moving to Adelaide last March.
After studying at TAFE in Tassie to become a chef and working in sushi restaurants, Vic decided to switch careers after falling in love with a good brew.
“I’d done enough with kitchens, all those night shifts. I wanted to do something else, and then I started to drink coffee … and was lucky enough to get a job in a café and became a barista,” Vic says.
His barista skills were learned over multiple jobs across different Tasmanian cafés, including Hudson’s Coffee, Vilicia Coffee, and Bear With Me. Vic says he was mostly self-taught and started a role as a specialty coffee roaster just two years into his barista career.
Now he spends “countless” hours at home practising latte art.
“It’s not just about the job … doing latte art is something I really like. I think that’s another thing that supports me to keep doing the barista job as well. I really love it, it’s not just about the money,” he says.
After being hit with a craving for change, the 39-year-old decided to move to Adelaide for the bigger city and warmer weather.
“It’s a very nice place to live … I brought my parents here to stay with me for quite a while as well and they also enjoy the life here,” he says.
Vic currently works for Deux Coffee on Flinders Street and has previously worked for Yuna Café and Restaurant in Mile End – known for their specialty coffee from Ona roasters and Japanese-inspired menu.
“I’m really happy with all the staff, the owners, my bosses,” Vic says.
“They always give me a lot of support on competing, so I’m really grateful.”
The big win
Vic’s girlfriend Ying Miao and friends were in the crowd on the night of his big win in the latest barista battle and he says they seemed “more excited” than him when Vic was announced the winner.
“I always try to keep myself calm, try not to have too much emotion because [of] the competition. So maybe I wasn’t that excited at that point, but I was really happy,” he says.
His parents shared in this excitement and are keen to see how much further their son can go on the national stage, while his bosses at Deux had “no doubt” he would win.
“My boss lady Ellie she keeps telling the customers, ‘He’s the champion, he just won the competition’. She’s really happy for me, I can tell,” he says.
Altura Coffee was packed for the competition held by the alternative milk company.
“Thanks to MILKLAB for giving me a chance. This is the first time I could compete nationwide with all the best baristas around Australia. I feel really grateful to MILKLAB for organising such a great event,” Vic says.
Vic will head interstate to represent SA at the Australian Barista Battle at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo in March 2027. If he wins that, he will be invited to become a MILKLAB Master Barista and compete in the MILKLAB International Barista Battle for a trip for two to World of Coffee in Lisbon, Portugal.
