Here’s How Everyone Can Be a Latte Artist Right This Second
Admit it: Part of the charm of going to a local cafe versus Starbucks is the cute little heart your barista makes in your latte with the steamed milk. Or maybe it’s a flower or cute little animal or even in 3D, if they are especially skilled. Now Ripples, a new machine and app, is making latte art a cinch, so even you can do the most complex designs right in your own kitchen.
Ripples allows users to create latte art out of pretty much any image in their photo library. Seriously, any pic will do, from your dog, your fave quote or even a doodle. Using the app, you can tweak the photo, crop it, adjust the brightness and anything else you’re already used to doing on Instagram. Then the image is sent via WiFi to the Ripples machine, which creates your coffee, complete with your gorgeous latte art.
The official Ripples price and release date is still TBD, but this could be a game changer for local cafes once it hits the market. Latte art is time-consuming to train and to do. Ripples could mean a fancier cup of coffee with less waiting in line for you. But skilled baristas might not like this machine that takes away from their caffeinated works of art. Many pride themselves on their skills, and even enter latte art competitions across the country. Will latte art be as special once anyone can do it?
Still, we can’t help dream up our own Ripples creations. A latte art marriage proposal, perhaps? A clever way to ask the cute guy at the next table for his number? Using a meme to make a friend laugh? Things could get pretty out of control, in the best way possible.
What do you think about Ripples? Are you loving it, or do you think it takes away from the craft of latte art? Sound off in the comments.