Coffee is not just a beverage. Toasting, grinding the beans and pouring a good coffee requires many skills which must be mastered. Not only taste but also presentation plays an important role in the coffee world and in recent years latte art has become increasingly popular.
But what is it, exactly? To create latte art the barista carefully pours milk into the coffee in such a specific way so as to create pretty pictures and patterns that can be customized depending on the barista’s skills.
What country could have combined good coffee and kawaii art better than Japan?
Let’s discover some of the best latte art in Japan!
Latte Art in Japan
Hat Coffee
Kohei Matsuno is the owner of Hat Coffee between Asakusa and Kuramae in Tokyo. The concept is simple: you pick your drink, show the barista the picture you would like to be recreated to the staff and then choose 2D or 3D latte art. Have your camera ready, sit down and relax.
Photo credit: @44izm44
Cafe ChocoTea
Cafe ChocoTea, located just north of Tokyo, in Saitama prefecture, makes the prettiest 3D coffee art, in which the foam is shaped like cats or bears that look like they’re going to jump out of your cup. We recommend pairing your coffee with some french toast or fluffy pancakes.
Photo credit: @p_minu07
Bar Ista
Bar Ista in Osaka is a specialty coffee shop that has won prizes at competitions such as “the world coffee battle” in 2018. Sit down and chat with the owner and baristas for a coffee with a pretty custom latte art. Bar Ista doesn’t just serve delicious coffee and cute latte art, though. If you’re in the mood for some alcohol try the bar’s revolutionary coffee-based cocktails.
Photo credit: @yosshi_1104
Reissue
Reissue, in Harajuku, is one of the most popular cafes for latte art in Tokyo. Choose your preferred hot drink, pick your favorite character or animal and just show a picture to the staff, who will take care of recreating the picture for you.
If you can’t make up your mind, you can also simply decide to let the staff take the lead and you will definitely not be disappointed by the final result.
You can have a look at their previous work on their official website where they have a fully stocked gallery of their latte art creations.
Photo credit: @kiachan70
Up To You Coffee
Up To You Coffee, in Ueno, Tokyo has proudly reached third place at the latest world latte art championship. The baristas here will provide you with some of the most instagrammable cups of free pour coffee in the east of the capital.
Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe is a small cafe in a laid-back shopping street in Asagaya, Tokyo. Whilst the latte art here has less of a “wow” effect than some of the others, the warm atmosphere, the tasty siphon brewed coffee, and the cute penguin-shaped foam in your cappuccino is the perfect way to spend a rainy autumn afternoon.
Streamer Coffee Company
Streamer Coffee Company has a simple and quite minimalist approach to latte art: if you are genuinely looking for good quality beans and outstanding free-pour 2D latte art, you definitely need to visit one of Streamer Coffee Company’s shops around Tokyo.
Photo credit: @tokyo.foodies
Latte Art in Japan
Photo credit: Canva.com (this photo is an image from a free photo site)
If you want to step up your average coffee experience you should try one of these cafes for the prettiest latte art in Japan. The coffee not only looks great but also tastes amazing – we promise!
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20% Off Starbucks Bakery Items in New Food Waste Prevention Initiative