Coffee has come a long way in the past decade and thanks to barista’s everywhere has entered a cycle of constant reinvention to find new ways to present itself. It’s no longer just a drink of choice for many of us and in cases like myself has become a way of life as coffee culture grows. Within this culture a phenomenon I want to touch base on is the rise….and rise….of latte art and how coffee has become a creative outlet.
Latte art was one of the first ways coffee and art joined forces by skillfully pouring foamed milk to create unique designs like the tulip or classic Latte heart, which has already become a standard skill as a Barista in many independent coffee shops in big cities like London. Invented all the way back in 1980’s Seattle by the legendary David Schomer, it has undoubtedly had a confounding impact on the industry where competitions and even championships now riddle the industry with a conveyor belt of Latte art designs. However, as much as this type of mastery has come a long way with no signs of slowing down, its popularity has only paved the way for a multitude of other art forms to which i say…….Latte art was just the beginning!
Two art forms that have in my opinion made waves in the industry continuing a new age of Latte art include 3D Latte art and Latte paintings. Enter the challengers:
Coffee Amo – 3D Latte art
Coffee Amo is a quaint coffee shop located in Kuala Lumpur,which as well as serve up a great selection of coffee prides itself on being a 3D Latte art specialist. Offered free to customers they layer foam upwards to bring coffee to life in the form of cute animals and creatures.
Kangbin Lee – Latte paintings
Kangbin isn’t actually a coffee shop but rather an up and coming barista (aka creative genius) in South Korea, who creates intricate pictures on top of Latte’s using a metal rod and colour dye palette.
There is no doubt that visually the effort and skill that goes into Latte art is one to be amazed by and in the decade of millennials makes for a perfect fit on Instagram, but as much as visually they’re a spectacle they should never cloud the true benchmark for great coffee, which in my opinion will always be taste above all else……everything else is just a bonus!
