In a world where coffee consumption has become an art, Maia Potter is an artist.

No longer is she limited to get-and-go lattes with their cardboard cups and plastic lids.

Certainly not.

Instead, the 26-year-old roastmaster for Melello Coffee Roasters of Medford crowns each steaming cup with a creamy flourish: a heart, a leaf, a chocolate-and-cinnamon rendition of the Taj Mahal.

"I really inherently believe there is art in every cup of coffee," says Potter, who put her vision to the test last weekend in the Millrock Latte Art Competition in Las Vegas, Nev.

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To those who’ve never heard of latte art, Potter’s fourth-place finish in a field of 20 might not attract much attention. But it’s considered quite an accomplishment in coffee circles, where growing numbers of baristas are learning to sketch in the media of hot espresso and steamed milk.

Dozens of would-be latte artists and onlookers converged in Las Vegas for the second annual event. Potter, who has worked at Melello’s for nearly four years, says her jitters had nothing to do with caffeine as she worked to produce three cups of latte art in five minutes.

"You can do it in theory," says Potter. "But on a machine you’ve never used before using coffee you’ve never drunk?"

She sighs heavily at the memory.

Creating latte art is much, much harder than it looks, Potter says.

"It’s got to be just so. You’ve got to get the shots just right and the tamping just right and the steaming just right," she says.

Possiblities for error are endless, says Potter, who can’t even count the number of practice lattes she’s poured.

"If you screw up and don’t have enough milk, it’s a blob," she says, offering one mistake as an example.

Potter, who holds a degree in Latin American history, got rerouted from museum management to coffee production in San Francisco. She found the intricacy of the beans far more fascinating than any exhibit.

"It’s incredibly complex," she says. "You have to learn each coffee and each nuance."

She first encountered latte art after arriving at Melello’s.

"I saw my boss pull a beautiful heart," she says.

Indeed, owner Sal Melello says he’s been known to turn out a nifty design or two.

"I can do a Sumo wrestler’s butt," he says.

Of course, not every latte is a work of art.

"Most people want their cup, a big, tall lid and go," Melello says.

But for those who pause a moment, the creativity transcends mere coffee.

Potter steadies her wrist as hot milk pours from a silver pitcher. In the cup below, the milk mingles with rich espresso, rising in dense foam nearly to the brim.

Just as overflow seems inevitable, Potter executes a few quick flicks, ending in a single smooth flourish. There, on the surface of the latte, floats a creamy heart in a sea of coffee.

"Generally, the reaction is ‘Wow,’" she says.

Potter plans to continue to perfect her latte art. The guy who won last week’s contest, Daniel Wayne of Lux Coffee in Phoenix, Ariz., was a worthy competitor.

"He did it with just more excellence," Potter says. "More power to him — but I’ll beat him next year."

Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com