Develop Your Latte Art Skills with New Card Game ‘Throw It Down’

We learn more about the interactive card game and speak to the creator, Amsterdam-based artist Doedelz.

BY EMILY JOY MENESES
FOR BARISTA MAGAZINE

Photos courtesy of Naomi Doedelz

One of the hottest new products at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival in April wasn’t an espresso machine. It wasn’t even a grinder. It was, in fact, a deck of cards.

These weren’t just any cards, though—these were cards for coffee geeks. Specifically, they were developed for latte art fanatics.

Good things tend to happen when art meets coffee, which is what happened when artist Naomi Doedelz, who goes by “Doedelz,” worked as a barista between freelance gigs. As such, she started going to latte art throwdowns with friends, and that’s when the idea for the card game, Throw It Down, hit.

“I’ve experienced many (latte art) throwdowns myself, (and) I realized we often pour the same set of patterns. So, to switch it up, I started drawing out various patterns that could be poured from the basics most of us are familiar with,” Doedelz shared with Barista Magazine. “The artistic style the cards carry comes from simple pen scribbles my latte art teacher would make, to help me understand the patterns I was pouring.”

Featuring Doedelz’s own artwork, the deck of cards is designed to help players develop their latte art skills, either individually or in a group. The concept is simple: Pick a card and mimic the pour.

Doedelz, who worked in Amsterdam cafés for eight years, says that while the cards initially served as an educational tool she used herself, the project began to expand after she was asked to create latte art illustrations for District Throwdowns, a series of latte art competitions in and around Amsterdam.

“With (District Throwdowns), I had the opportunity to experiment and try various approaches with the deck. Feedback from the baristas who were competing also helped me out a lot,” she says. “It really became a deck of cards that was created by other passionate baristas, and I hope to pass that passion on to others.”

Designed for All Skill Levels

Doedelz emphasizes that Throw It Down is for novices and experts alike. Whether you’re still practicing your tulip or feel ready to try your hand at pouring a phoenix, the game has something for everyone. “As someone who’s more of a visual learner, for me, (things) click better when I clearly see how a pattern is poured,” Doedelz says. “This is also why I (included) on each card information on how the pattern is poured.”

While the game is poised to add an extra level of excitement to latte art throwdowns, Doedelz notes that it can make for a fun, interactive experience between baristas and café guests. “Let one of your regulars pull a card that you then have to pour for them, or challenge your colleague with a pattern,” she says, adding that the cards are a great way “to have some fun behind the bar.”

Throw It Down is currently a starter deck comprising nine cards, but Doedelz notes her plans to expand it into a 25-card deck. “It’s been a slow process, but everyone has been so supportive so far,” she says. “And it still feels a little surreal as it’s coming closer to becoming an actual product.”

”This really became a passion project for me next to working behind the bar,” she says, “and I hope to inspire others to keep challenging themselves and to get inspired.”

Pre-Orders Open Soon

Pre-orders will soon be open for Throw It Down. To stay updated, follow Doedelz on Instagram @cosmic.sipp.

This article originally appeared in the August + September 2025 issue of Barista Magazine. Read more of the issue online here for free.

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