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Congratulations are in order for Stephen Morrissey who captured the crown in Copenhagen and became the new World Barista Champion, adding another trophy to the crowded mantle at the U.K.’s nascent Square Mile Coffee Roasters.

The time and resources dedicated to these competitions by the folks who finish on top is as much awe-inspiring as uhh-inspiring, a quixotic pursuit even by the windmill chasing standards of coffee freakdom. Ultimately, I hope it proves to be worth something more to Stephen than just the admiration of his colleagues - though I’ll throw my sincere admiration and affection for the guy onto that pile for good measure. I predict he’ll soon leverage his charms into having his own TV show, a line of custom sneakers, and be flying on Bono’s private jet to the next Cup of Excellence auction.

My pal James Hoffmann, who recently won the title of World Barista Champion, has thrown down the gauntlet for some equally silly barista shenanigans. His absurd latte art challenge is attracting some interesting entries, the best of which will be up for voting very soon. The exact prize is unclear, but the glory is irresistible for some. I got the privilege of photographing Ryan Wilbur of Intelli L.A.’s fully-absurd submission today.

Devin makes the sacrifice for Ryan’s art, now immortalized in jpg.

I’ve heard several baristas speak of this idea in the past, but this may be the first time its been done. Ryan’s canvas was provided by fellow barista Devin Pedde, who is recovering nicely. I took many photos of the stunt which can be found on Flickr. Some of them might even be considered a bit racy!

UPDATE: Sarah at Barista Magazine posted the mock cover we photoshopped and sent her as a joke. Good times.