Coffee lovers in Seoul have fallen for the colorful, high-detailed drawings of a 27-year-old artist -- on latte foam.
Barista Lee Kang Bin recreates famous paintings, draws scenes and constructs 3D cartoon characters, anything his customers can imagine, in what he calls "cream art."
His cream art version of Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece "Starry Night" was a sensation and helped make him as popular as he is now. More than a hundred people visit the cafe every day, he said, to see and taste his coffee creations.
Lee said he thought of the latte art specialty five years ago.
"I first started cream art as a way to express myself," the barista told ABC News. "One day, I thought of drawing on top of cream using chocolate and strawberry syrup."
This NYC bakery makes the most Instagram-worthy succulent cakes Raccoons, meerkats and bunnies all on a single street in SeoulHe said he serves his cream art lattes cold because warm coffee can distort the drawings. Cold Dutch coffee is the base ingredient, with cold milk and foam poured on top.
To create his artistic expressions on the foam, Lee uses a variety of colored syrups. For a little over a year now, he has also been serving a 3D version of cream art, to add more fun to the cup of latte.
Lee wants cream art to catch on in other places, too. To help spread the idea, he regularly shares his know-how with other baristas.
"One day, I’d like to see cream art latte in the menu of every single café worldwide, as ice coffee is sold everywhere around world," Lee said.