When Anthony Luat’s creative juices start flowing, he doesn’t reach for a paintbrush or clay. He brews espresso and steams milk.

Luat, the 21-year-old head barista trainer for Hono­lulu Coffee, placed first in the Latte Art Competition at last year’s inaugural Art of Hawaiian Coffee event, sponsored by DFS Galleria Waikiki. His winning design was a delicate fern that he created in 30 seconds by swirling steamed milk atop freshly brewed espresso.

For latte art, according to Luat, the darker the espresso the better, so there’s good contrast with the white milk. Also, the milk should have a smooth, silky consistency, resembling wet paint.

"Latte art is all about wrist action — carefully pouring the milk into the cup so it floats and wiggling your wrist," Luat said. "If you don’t move the cup, the design will last for about 10 minutes."

Some two dozen baristas from throughout the state will be competing in this year’s Latte Art Competition, and Luat will be back to defend his title. The winner will receive $500 cash and a $1,000 DFS gift certificate.

"We run the competition in heats, and it’s really exciting toward the end as it narrows down to the best baristas," said June Higa, promotions manager of DFS Hawaii. "All the action is shown live on a screen behind the stage. The cameras have a bird’s-eye view, so the audience can see the designs as they’re being created in the cups of coffee, which are the baristas’ blank canvases."

Baristas must finish their design within three minutes, without the use of stirrers or any other tools. The most creative, intricate motifs completed in the fastest times receive the top scores.

Other considerations include aesthetics and symmetry, incorporation (the formation of the ribbonlike layers of milk and coffee) and contrast (the more distinct the contrast between the white milk and the dark brown coffee, the better).

This year’s judges include Pete Licata (Hono­lulu Coffee’s former director of coffee quality, winner of the 2011 U.S. Barista Championship and runner-up in the 2011 World Barista Championship) and Hiro­shi Sawada from Japan (winner of the Free Pour Latte Art World Championship in 2008).

Latte art contests abound on the mainland, but in Hawaii there are few such events. "Last year’s contestants told us our competition was a great way for them to develop their skills and gain experience to compete under pressure," Higa said. "We hope one day another barista from Hawaii will repeat Pete Licata’s success and win national and worldwide recognition."

Art of Hawaiian Coffee attendees can also drink in an exhibit of coffee-themed art by DFS employees on 8-ounce Styrofoam cups. "Being in retail, DFS has many creative employees, and this is a way to showcase their talent," Higa said. "They can use only black Sharpies for their drawings. All entries will be displayed, and prizes will be given in four categories: Abstract, Most Creative, Most Comical and Best Overall Artwork."

On Friday, 100 employees put DFS Galleria Waikiki in the Guinness World Records by completing the "World’s Largest Coffee Mosaic Art" with 5,642 cups of coffee.

It took three hours for them to create a 16-by-25-foot portrait of Elvis Presley, a frequent visitor to Hawaii who filmed three movies and headlined three concerts here.

Varying amounts of milk were mixed with the coffee to create the 10 shades of sepia in the portrait.

Although the Elvis mosaic is no longer on view, spectators will be able to watch DFS employees constructing a mosaic of a Hawaii scene Thursday afternoon. About one-third the size of the Elvis portrait, it will require more than 2,000 cups of coffee and will be displayed until DFS Galleria Waikiki closes that night.

The Art of Hawaiian Coffee is the brainchild of David Charles, DFS Hawaii’s managing director. Like other local coffee festivals, it celebrates the fact that Hawaii is the only state in America that grows coffee. But whereas other festivals focus on specific regions, Charles wanted to feature a variety of quality coffees from around the state.

The second annual event will spotlight 13 farms from Oahu, Maui, Molokai and Hawaii island. They include Rusty’s Hawaiian and The Rising Sun from Kau on Hawaii island, which were among the 10 winners of the prestigious 2012 Roasters Guild Coffees of the Year competition.

"You could say that event is the Olympics of coffee roasting and brewing even though the honorees aren’t ranked; they all receive equal recognition," Higa said. "More than 250 entries representing 26 countries were submitted this year, so competition was really stiff. What’s amazing is a third producer from Kau, Ali‘i Hawaiian Hula Hands Coffee, also made the top 10."

At the Art of Hawaiian Coffee, attendees can meet and chat with growers, learn about their work and taste their specialty brews. Some of the participating farms are small (no more than 15 acres), and their owners are hands-on with every step of production — from growing, picking and roasting to packaging, sales and marketing.

Children will be kept busy with activities, including decorating cups and sheets of paper with coffee beans. Exhibits will share the history of Hawaii-grown coffee, including antique equipment from Lion Coffee/Royal Kona Coffee. Among those items are a cast-iron double-wheel coffee grinder (circa early 1900s); wooden crates for storing and shipping coffee (circa 1870-1880); and a 1920s Lion Coffee 1-pound tin (Lion Coffee was one of the first companies in America to pack coffee in tins to maintain freshness).

"The Art of Hawaiian Coffee is an educational as well as a fun experience," Higa said. "As people visit the vendors’ booths, they’ll see how coffees from the various regions differ in flavor, aroma, body and aftertaste. Many of the coffees they’ll sample are truly specialty coffees that are limited in quantity."

Like many local coffee aficionados, Higa is happy to see Hawaii’s exceptional coffees receive the respect and awards they deserve. "We should be very proud of our baristas and coffee farmers," she said. "The Art of Hawaiian Coffee celebrates their achievements and shares their remarkable stories with thousands of visitors and kamaaina. We hope they enjoy our event and support the farmers by taking home bags of their favorite local coffee. It’ll remind them of how special Hawaii is every time they sip it."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.