DIY Latte Art? There’s an App For That
Latte art is a big deal these days, and it’s gone way beyond simple shapes. Michael Breach is just one example of someone who has turned latte foam into literal art. He’s created self-portraits, drawings of celebrities and recently created Disney princesses with a toothpick and foam. We have no idea how he does it, but if you’re not quite that skilled, you can still impress people with a new app that actually creates the coffee art for you. Steam CC, the company behind the Ripple Maker coffee art maker, now has an app that copies images and messages from your smartphone onto your cappuccino or latte. We first heard of Ripples last July and couldn’t wait for the official release date and price of the app and machine. Now, thanks to the company’s presentation at CES this week, we know a little bit more: That it’s OUT (free!) on iOS with an Android version coming out in February, how much it’s going to set us back, and how the thing actually works.
The nitty gritty: The Ripple Maker costs commercial venues $999, along with an $85+ service fee per month. It works by using coffee extract-filled “Ripple Pods” along with printing technology to create the frothy images. The product was made for coffee shops, restaurants and hospitality suites, and now the app will allow anyone to create their own latte art. Users can choose an existing image from the Ripples library or use a photo from their camera roll, find venues that have Ripple Makers and submit a photo to them via WiFi. Once it’s sent, the Ripple art only takes 10 seconds to make. It sounds like quite an invention for coffee shops, seeing as how people love posting photos of their lattes on Instagram these days — hipster Barbie even does it!
“As well as being the most social of social media, images of latte art are some of the most shared pictures online,” Yossi Meshulam, CEO of Steam CC, parent of Ripples, says in a PR Newswire news release. “We are taking this creative medium to a whole new level and letting everyone express themselves and make a ripple on the world.”
Okay, seriously cool.
Do you plan on downloading the Ripples app? Let us know @BritandCo.
(Photo via Portland Press Herald/ Getty)