Normally talking about the "art of coffee" warrants a dramatic eye roll in our opinion, but that might change thanks to talented "baristartist" Mike Breach.
The self-described "barista of the stars" doesn't just make a tasty cup of joe for New York's elite; Breach paints realistic celebrity portraits into his frothy beverage creations. "I had massive amounts of time at a lonely hotel barista station with not too many orders," Breach told The Huffington Post in an email interview. "I passed the time challenging myself with increasingly complex designs... People really reacted to it so I kept going and here I am today."
"Kurt Cobean" by Baristart
With impressive precision, the barista inscribes detailed faces into latte foam using a toothpick, only to watch the ephemeral artworks fade away minutes later.
"I kind of want to be like Willy Wonka with coffee," Breach says in the video above. "Make it something interesting and fun for people...take the seriousness out of it." Portraying everyone from Bob Marley to Yoda, the latte artist has certainly won our hearts (and our tastebuds) with his "espressionist" works.
Watch an interview with Breach above and head to his Tumblr for more. Apparently Breach also creates portraits on the fly for his customers, especially those who tag their Instagram shots #cutebarista.
