Latte art has become very popular in recent years, with more and more talented baristas using the fragile milk foam as a miniature canvas for their artworks, but Japan’s Kohei Matsuno is already taking the delicate art form to a whole new level with his amazing 3D latte masterpieces.

Kohei Matsuno used to work in an Osaka restaurant where he used latte art to surprise his clients. However, he noticed people are not so easily impressed with the usual designs on their cups of caffeinated beverages anymore, so he decided to step up his game. He had become an expert at creating traditional Japanese landscapes, popular manga characters and realistic portraits on milk foam, but he still felt restricted by the flat surface of his delicious canvas. To make things really interested he began using large amounts of milk foam to design all kinds of cute shapes, decorating them with with a sharp utensil, usually a toothpick. This ingenious trick has made Kohei one of the most popular latte artists in Japan. Using the alias “Mattsun”, the young barista now spends his days taking ideas from his fans and turning them into delicious reality.

Mattsun describes his original art as “a race against time”. He starts the creative process by preparing a larger amount of milk foam than for regular latte art. He then quickly pours it into the cup and starts work on shaping it as he only has a five minute window before the delicate medium begins to deteriorate. That’s one of the reasons why Kohei tries to keep his art as simple as possible, but he says people enjoy simple designs over the more elaborate ones anyway. His only tools are a spoon and a sharp toothpick.

The only problem I see with Kohei Matsuno’s pop-out latte artworks is they’re simply too cute to drink.

Photos © Kohei Matsun

Source: Mattsun via Is Japan Cool?, RocketNews24