Latte art: Is it the same if it comes from a machine?

by Monika Bartyzel (Subscribe to Monika Bartyzel's posts)
Posted Aug 22nd 2008 2:55PM
Filed under: Coffee

The gorgeous, perfect swirls on top of a latte are an art form. It never ceases to amaze me what a good latte artist can make with the sinfully good coffee drink. But just like pretty much everything in history, a machine is here to up the ante.

The Kitchn has posted a look at a latte printer, one that can give you pretty much whatever art you want on your latte -- from crisp lettering to winged horses. While it's certainly a neat idea, it just isn't the same. What's so wow-worthy about a machine that makes the art? The real jaw-dropping comes from the perfection attained by hand.

But what do you think? Weigh in below!

Tags: coffee, latte, latte art, LatteArt

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-25-2008 @ 10:04AM

Baron said...

The machine isn't really creating art, someone had to program/create the art in the machine in the first place. Technically, doing that was probably just as difficult as doing it by hand. Of course, once you get the machine programmed and in production, other than templates, the hard part is done where as baristas still have work left to do.

8-25-2008 @ 1:35PM

Greg Sherwin said...

These printers are pretty funny. They are pieces of conversational art in themselves. Latte art is rather superfluous as it is -- can you imagine global competitions for restaurant plating, plating jams, and the like?

And if we're really going to talk about art, there are far more, and better, mediums than the surface of a cappuccino to work with. Even colored chalk on a sidewalk, for example.

In a way these printers are a send-up -- they make us rethink how serious we've taken a schoolyard barista trick and add a perspective about it.

8-26-2008 @ 6:06PM

brockgraphix said...

technology and art are not enemies creating the machine that makes art on coffee foam is art on its own i think this is very cool and i wonder when starbucks will geto ne to put their logo on my coffee

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