enya FASHION QUEEN

EDITOR Angel Huang｜TRANSLATOR Aurora Lin

在精品咖啡的世界裡，奶泡與濃縮咖啡的碰撞，往往是視覺與味覺的第一道交界。在 2026 年世界盃咖啡拉花藝術大賽（WLAC）中，代表台灣參賽的林紹興以驚豔全場的「反轉構圖」概念拿下全球總冠軍。奪冠的背後，承載的是他自 2018 年起，歷經六次選拔、九年淬鍊的漫長堅持——從最初站在台下的純粹嚮往，到親自經歷賽場上的挑戰與不甘，林紹興在日復一日每天練習十小時以上、拉花上百杯咖啡的磨練中，將咖啡拉花昇華為具有超凡技藝的視覺藝術。

A World Reimagined in a Cup

Bala Lin, 2026 World Latte Art Championship Champion

Where espresso meets milk, a blank canvas comes to life. Within the fleeting contrast of crema and silky foam, baristas create not only patterns, but stories told through precision, rhythm and imagination. At the 2026 World Latte Art Championship (WLAC), Taiwan’s Lin Shao-Hsing captivated judges with an ingenious concept of “reversed composition,” claiming the World Champion title with a performance that challenged the very way latte art is perceived. Yet the victory was never defined by a single routine. It was the culmination of nine years of perseverance, six national selections and countless hours behind the espresso machine. From first watching the world’s finest competitors from the audience to standing atop the championship podium himself, Lin devoted more than ten hours of practice each day, pouring hundreds of cups in pursuit of perfection. Through unwavering discipline and relentless refinement, he transformed latte art from a display of technical mastery into a compelling form of visual expression.

九年六賽的淬鍊

林紹興的奪冠之路並非一帆風順。自 2018 年首次參賽以來，連續挑戰了六次選拔賽，其間更遭遇兩年多的疫情停賽。第一次踏上世界賽舞台時，他坦言內心極度緊張，儘管首戰便抱回世界季軍的佳績，他卻因自覺在台上未達完美而不甘心，毅然決定再戰。然而，第二次世界賽坐鎮台北主場，因巨大的地主國壓力與現場設備的突發狀況，再度止步於季軍。隨後兩次選拔賽更接連得到亞軍，讓他一度陷入自我懷疑。

推動他最後一搏的，是出於「想對自己有個交代」的責任感。這一次，林紹興調整備賽節奏，在出發前一個月大會公告規定使用的原物料時，他便迅速摸透咖啡豆與牛奶的特性；前往美國後，他甚至在下榻的民宿中，1:1 還原了比賽舞台的高度與寬度進行模擬。如此充足的準備，給他帶來極大的安心感，不再被緊張的情緒支配，而是滿懷自信地享受舞台。

Nine Years, Six Competitions: The Pursuit of One Perfect Performance

Lin Shao-Hsing’s journey to the world title was anything but straightforward. Since entering his first national selection in 2018, he challenged himself through six qualification campaigns, while also navigating more than two years of interrupted competitions during the pandemic. Every setback became another step in a journey defined by resilience rather than certainty. His debut on the world stage was accompanied by overwhelming nerves. Although he secured an impressive third-place finish, Lin walked away feeling he had fallen short of the standard he had set for himself. Rather than celebrating the achievement, he chose to return—determined to discover how much further he could go. His second World Championship carried a different kind of pressure. Competing in Taipei before a home audience, he found himself balancing the expectations of representing the host nation while coping with unexpected equipment issues during the competition. Once again, he finished with a bronze medal. The disappointment continued as he claimed runner-up in the following two national selection events, a period that inevitably led him to question both his abilities and his direction.

What ultimately brought him back for one final attempt was not simply the pursuit of another title, but the desire to leave no unanswered questions. This time, his preparation became more meticulous than ever. As soon as the organizers announced the official coffee beans and milk one month before the competition, Lin immediately immersed himself in understanding every characteristic of the ingredients. Upon arriving in the United States, he even recreated the competition stage inside his Airbnb at full scale, carefully matching the exact height and dimensions so every movement could be rehearsed under conditions as close to reality as possible. That extraordinary level of preparation transformed his mindset. The anxiety that had once defined his performances gradually gave way to quiet confidence. When the championship finally arrived, he no longer felt burdened by expectation. Instead, he stepped onto the stage with complete trust in his preparation, allowing himself to fully embrace the moment and perform with composure.

負空間思維的跨界運用

過去林紹興的作品多以「動物園」與「寫實風格」為主軸，這次他另立新意，企圖打破傳統拉花的框架——傳統拉花或消費者觀賞時，目光往往專注於白色的奶泡線條，但林紹興運用了設計學中「負空間」的概念，並受到《黑白大廚》Logo的啟發，將咖啡色的空間納入構圖，翻轉大眾欣賞拉花的方式。在這次的奪冠作品「浣熊」中，他運用了如同繪圖軟體「反相」的功能，以往需要用白色奶泡勾勒的動物鼻子與嘴巴，這次他刻意保留濃縮咖啡的棕褐色空間來呈現，這種概念上的突破，成為他奪冠的關鍵。

Redefining Latte Art Through Negative Space

For years, Lin Shao-Hsing became known for his remarkably realistic animal portraits—works that earned him a distinctive place in the world of latte art. For the 2026 World Latte Art Championship, however, he set out to challenge not only himself, but also the conventions of the craft. Traditionally, both judges and audiences are instinctively drawn to the white milk foam that forms the visual centerpiece of a latte design. Lin deliberately shifted that perspective. Drawing on the design principle of negative space, and inspired by the logo of the Korean culinary competition series Culinary Class Wars (Black & White Chef), he incorporated the espresso’s rich brown surface as an essential part of the composition, inviting viewers to see the image from an entirely different perspective. His championship-winning piece, Raccoon, perfectly embodied this creative breakthrough. Much like the “invert” function in digital illustration software, features that would traditionally be outlined in white milk foam—such as the raccoon’s nose and mouth—were instead defined by the untouched espresso beneath. By allowing the coffee itself to become part of the artwork, Lin transformed negative space into a powerful visual language. That conceptual shift became the defining element of his performance, demonstrating that true innovation is not always about adding more, but about seeing familiar forms in an entirely new way.

從冠軍到教育者的角色

林紹興分享，自己對於細節極致追求的習慣，很大程度源於涉足咖啡業前擔任民宿管家的經歷，當時負責客房維護的磨練，養成了他對追求完美標準的個性。在日常生活中，他則不斷透過跨界學習來精進美學，除了親自去動物園觀察動物的神態，也會閱讀西方藝術史、看畫展，近期還喜歡透過看電影的方式，像是《進擊的鼓手》、《賽道狂人》，來汲取面對嚴苛考驗時的意志力與心態調適。

奪冠之後，今年林紹興預計暫時卸下賽事壓力，好好彌補訓練時忽略的生活本身。面對未來，他也看見了更重的責任——隨著與他同期的資深選手陸續退役，他期許自己未來能轉型為教練或教育者的角色。他觀察到，台灣有許多熱愛拉花的年輕人，往往不知如何系統化地準備比賽或爭取分數，他希望將自己九年來的實戰經驗傾囊相授，帶領新生代咖啡師快速掌握國際賽事訣竅。就如同他早期受到 2018 年世界冠軍的啟發一樣，如今他也渴望走向國際展會分享經驗，成為啟發別人的燈塔。

From World Champion to Mentor

Lin believes his meticulous attention to detail was shaped long before he entered the coffee industry. Before becoming a professional barista, he worked as a guesthouse manager, where maintaining guestrooms to exacting standards instilled in him a disciplined pursuit of perfection. That same mindset now extends to every cup he pours, where even the smallest detail matters. Beyond coffee, Lin continually broadens his artistic perspective through interdisciplinary learning. He visits zoos to observe the expressions and movements of animals, studies Western art history, explores museum exhibitions, and, more recently, draws inspiration from films such as Whiplash and Ford v Ferrari. Their stories of discipline, resilience and composure under immense pressure resonate deeply with his own journey as a competitor.

Having reached the pinnacle of latte art, Lin plans to step away from competition for a while, allowing himself to reconnect with the life that years of intensive training inevitably pushed aside. At the same time, he recognizes that winning the world title marks the beginning of a different responsibility. As many of Taiwan’s veteran competitors gradually retire, Lin hopes to transition into the role of coach and educator. He has observed that many young Taiwanese baristas possess exceptional passion for latte art, yet often lack a systematic understanding of competition strategy and judging criteria. By sharing the knowledge accumulated throughout nine years of competing at the highest level, he hopes to help the next generation navigate the international stage with greater confidence and clarity. Nine years ago, Lin looked to a world champion for inspiration and found the courage to pursue a dream that once seemed beyond reach. Today, having claimed the very title he once admired from afar, he hopes to become that same source of inspiration for others. For him, the finest latte art is never defined solely by flawless symmetry or impeccable technique, but by the perseverance, conviction and quiet dedication poured into every single cup.