If you think you are getting state-of-the-art in personalized service when Starbucks can offer you a selection with up to 19,000 different varieties, try this one out for size.
Mike Keen, who runs a small barista (coffee shop), called Studio 6 Coffee House, in Denver, provides a personalized portrait of the coffee client on the top of their latte. Read up on it here in the Denver Post article, Sandwiches, lattes make impression amid galleries (May 20, 2009). Mike Keen is also Director of the Denver Gallery Cuvée and runs the Untitled Art Show.
Here are a few examples of Mike Keen’s work (from his website).
As usual, when you hear about a topic, there is always more to the picture than meets the eye. Latte art is a déjà vu for people from coffee havens such as Seattle and Portland, as shown below. However, the novelty of Mike Keen, coffee shop artist, is the portrait that says this ones for you!
Combining aesthetics with the useful, the smooth surface on which the portrait or art is done proves that the latte is thick and smooth. As Mike Keen says, whereas many coffee shops attract their fair share of “jerks”, he only gets one a week. Is that proof enough that personalized service and attention works?
