Over the past 5 years, Korea’s coffee industry has exploded to place the country as the 11th largest consumer in the world. In a country where beauty and aesthetics are culturally paramount, it should come as no surprise that the blossoming of an art movement has accompanied this steep industry growth: ‘latte art’.
One Korean latte artist in particular is taking the internet by storm with his jaw-dropping designs. Lee Kang Bin uses nothing but a thin metal rod and an assortment of food dyes to create detailed masterpieces atop the milky froth of a simple latte or machiatto. His unique style and technical skills have earned him almost 120k followers on Instagram, as well as the judge’s seat at a number of international latte art competitions. Lee speaks of his use of food dyes:
“I wanted to surpass the limitations of traditional latte art by introducing colors and a wider range of designs.. I think it’d be a great addition to the art bar section of the WLAC (World Latte Art Championship), and I hope to breathe new life into an otherwise isolated path in the industry.”
Here’s a selection of Lee’s most impressive works:
To stay up-to-date with Lee’s latest designs, follow him on Instagram.