Sabita Lama of Leaf Café wins Milklab Barista Battle Sydney heat

Sabita Lama of Leaf Café won the New South Wales heat of the Milklab Barista Battle series on 13 July at The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney.

Last year’s New South Wales winner Anamika Dangol of Leaf Café came in second and Jun Lee of The Grounds of the City placed third in the final round.

“All the baristas who came out last night really put on a show. I was so blown away by the calibre of pours coming through,” says Milklab New South Wales State Manager Brooke Kennedy.

Participants used the Milklab range of plant-based barista milks throughout the competition.

Sabita finished with 120 points out of 150. In her final round she scored a free pour and used Milklab’s Oat milk to pour a bear, an ode to Australian Latte Art Champion Amy Zhang’s Amybear design, based on the ‘Lots-o-Huggin’ Bear from Toy Story.

Anamika was only three points behind Sabita with a total score of 117, pouring a mermaid design for her final pour. Jun’s final pour that earned him third place was a unicorn design, scoring 115.5 points overall.

“It was so good to see the Sydney barista community come together to showcase their talents and cheer each other on. Another successful event,” Brooke says.

Sabita wins return flights to Melbourne, two nights accommodation, and a ticket to the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) where she will compete in the Milklab Barista Battle Australian Final on 17 August from 3pm.

The winner of the Australian final at MICE will also be invited to become a Milklab Master Barista, and go on to compete in the international final on 18 August from 3pm.