In specialty coffee competitions, every detail matters - from the grind size and espresso extraction to the milk used for latte art and flavour balance. While dairy milk has long been the standard, alternative milks are becoming increasingly important on both the café floor and the competition stage.
That’s why SCASA is proud to partner with MilkLab by Liquid Concepts as our official alternative milk sponsor. Designed specifically for baristas, MilkLab’s range of plant-based milks ensures competitors can deliver the same high standards of flavour, texture, and latte art performance as they would with dairy.
Why Alternative Milks Need to Perform
Plant-based milks pose unique challenges in the competition setting. Unlike dairy, their protein and fat structures vary widely depending on the base ingredient (almond, oat, soy, coconut, etc.). These variations directly affect:
- Foam stability: Proteins are essential for trapping and stabilising air bubbles. Too few or poorly structured proteins, and the milk won’t stretch or hold microfoam.
- Texture and body: Fat content provides creaminess and mouthfeel. Different bases bring different textures, from the silky smoothness of oat to the lighter body of almond.
- Flavour balance: Plant-based milks add their own flavour notes - nutty, sweet, earthy - that must complement, not overpower, the espresso.
- Consistency: In competition, predictability is everything. Alternative milks must steam, pour, and taste consistently across multiple drinks.
For baristas, the right alternative milk isn’t just a preference - it’s the difference between a latte art tulip that holds its definition and one that collapses before judging.
MilkLab’s Barista-Engineered Innovation
MilkLab has built its reputation by formulating plant-based milks specifically for coffee. Through careful development, MilkLab has refined its recipes to ensure:
- Stretchability and microfoam stability: Protein structures are optimised for steaming, enabling glossy, fine foam that holds crisp latte art lines.
- Balanced flavour profiles: Each milk is designed to complement espresso, enhancing sweetness and mouthfeel without masking the coffee’s unique characteristics.
- Diverse range: From oat’s creamy neutrality to almond’s light nuttiness, MilkLab gives baristas flexibility to choose the right pairing for their coffee.
- Consistency in performance: Batch after batch, MilkLab milks deliver reliable steaming and flavour behaviour, crucial for competition standards.
In other words, MilkLab bridges the gap between plant-based innovation and professional barista performance, making them a natural fit for SCASA competitions.
Gratitude to Our Sponsor
SCASA is sincerely grateful to MilkLab for their sponsorship and support. By supplying high-quality alternative milks designed for coffee, they allow our baristas to push boundaries, experiment with flavour pairings, and confidently present plant-based beverages at the highest level.
Their sponsorship doesn’t just serve our competitions - it reflects the broader shift in coffee culture towards inclusivity, choice, and innovation. With MilkLab, SCASA competitors can showcase their skills in a way that speaks to the future of specialty coffee.
On behalf of our competitors, judges, and the wider community: thank you, MilkLab and Liquid Concepts, for helping us raise the standard of alternative milk in competition and beyond
