A barista in Osaka is wowing Twitter

August 1, 2013 5:05 AM

A café worker in Osaka produces detailed coffee cup sculptures using milk and a toothpick at Twitter. Some more images, and a video.
posted by Schroder (23 comments total)

This is just what he does on his break, right? It isn't something people actually stand in line for, is it?
posted by pracowity at 5:17 AM on August 1, 2013

These creations are incredible.

One of the things I love about my adopted country: there are people here who latch onto something and just fucking go for it, all the way, and become absolute masters of it: just so jaw-droppingly good at what they do. And you'll generally find that they are, outwardly, at least, and consistently, very humble about it.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:18 AM on August 1, 2013 [9 favorites]

Working as a barista in a small coffee shop within a regional grocery store (Wegmans), I once got a customer compliment via Twitter. I occasionally make hearts or leaves in customers' lattes if they're nice to me or look like they need cheering up. The customer tagged the twitter post with a hashtag, and Wegmans Corporate responded asking for my name, followed by my store manager giving me a gift card. It's good to be appreciated.
posted by horizonseeker at 5:18 AM on August 1, 2013 [21 favorites]

Awesome find. THe Peanuts ones are particularly cool.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:29 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

I've seen a lot of hearts and leaves and even some Taj Mahals (which makes no sense for coffee, really, but it works with the technique), and I thought "OK, more of this stuff, whatev... Holy Heck!" So thanks, this woke me up even more than my morning coffee.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:31 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Neat, almost makes me wish that I didn't drink black coffee.
posted by octothorpe at 5:37 AM on August 1, 2013

By the way, for those who aren't necessarily familiar with all the various Japanese pop culture/anime characters, the linked video is called "GLOOMY" because it features an image of an attack by Gloomy Bear.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:40 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

These have been showing up in my FB news feed lately. The two-cup sculpture (the second pic in this link) is my favorite.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:44 AM on August 1, 2013 [2 favorites]

Plus side: they look cool
Minus side: the coffee is cold, it has your barista's sweat in it, you feel bad for drinking it, who wants peanuts in their coffee?
posted by MuffinMan at 5:46 AM on August 1, 2013 [3 favorites]

MuffinMan: "who wants peanuts in their coffee?"

Plus side: DEVOURING SNOOPY IN ONE SLURP
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:34 AM on August 1, 2013

Seconding MuffinMan: Looks pretty, but the coffee's cold.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:49 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Flapjax: that's what I love about it, too. Whatever you can think of, there's someone in Japan NOT half-assing it.
posted by ctmf at 7:52 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

I love that kitty watching koi that Halloween Jack referred to and there's something very special about this creature bubbling up through muck.

Those of you worrying about the taste are missing the point - I would happily stand in line for one of these not for coffee but for experience, for art, for the special feeling that someone has labored over their craft and produced something ephemeral, just for you.
posted by maryr at 7:52 AM on August 1, 2013 [3 favorites]

(Mind you - I probably wouldn't stand in line for the experience twice, but I'd bring my friends when they were in town.)
posted by maryr at 7:56 AM on August 1, 2013

I've seen a few of these linked on FB and other places and it's amazing. Thanks for reminding me about this and that art comes from all sorts of different sources.
posted by josher71 at 7:56 AM on August 1, 2013

what a jerk, taking three minutes. no way will your coffee burn your face off after three minutes.

actually, these are pretty great, in case you missed what I was getting at.
posted by IvoShandor at 8:03 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Looks pretty, but the coffee's cold.

I doubt the technique allows him to take all that long. If the coffee had gone cold the foam would be pretty visibly decayed.
posted by yoink at 8:50 AM on August 1, 2013

maryr: "this creature bubbling up through muck."

A Slime draws near!
posted by Redfield at 9:04 AM on August 1, 2013 [2 favorites]

And you'll generally find that they are, outwardly, at least, and consistently, very humble about it.

And this is why, if you find yourself in a sparsely populated izakaya, you should not don the hand pads in order to help the little local amateur boxer who is "maybe not so good" practice when the regulars ask you to.
posted by Hoopo at 9:05 AM on August 1, 2013 [2 favorites]

A barista in Osaka is wowing Twitter

That sentence is like a little 2010s time capsule.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 10:26 AM on August 1, 2013 [6 favorites]

Actually, even better, but you have to listen to the Pod F. Tompkast to get it:
"It's nighttime on the Internet. A barista in Osaka is wowing Twitter."
posted by Horace Rumpole at 10:27 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

The article says it takes 3-5 minutes to craft these -- an eternity in latte time. But they are very cool for someone else's not-hot drink.
posted by bearwife at 12:38 PM on August 1, 2013

With thanks to flapjax at midnite, above, for explaining 'gloomy'
posted by Schroder at 7:20 AM on August 5, 2013