What the Arrival of Evebot in Australia Means For Baristas & Human-Made Latte Art

Recently a new innovation in beverage technology has caught our eye – the Evebot. The Evebot uses 3D technology to print a range of designs, photographs or any image you could possibly desire onto your beverage. It can be used on coffees, milkshakes, beers and toast to name a few, and only takes 20-40 seconds to bang this out.

The ability to use this on coffee is what really captured our imaginations, for obvious reasons. The Evebot is certainly far more efficient and dependable than human latte artists, with an undeniably larger repertoire of art to tickle your fancies, but is it still, in fact, art?

With the Evebot set to land in Australia this month, it is worth asking the question: should human latte art and its endeavours be abandoned or replaced with this new technology? Or, is this a product that will really only belong in niche markets? Let’s explore.

There are many strong arguments to make about the continued existence of human-produced latte art, and the key to that argument lies in the word “art”. As a barista, your latte art is an expression of your care factor and represents sometimes years of striving to be better at what you do than you were the day before. The production of quality latte art can really only take place when a well-extracted espresso shot meets expertly textured milk and is poured with practised precision. You then have to combine those ingredients with a true passion for customer service; for while we strive for greatness in our artistic skills for our own satisfaction, we also use this to communicate to our customers that we care enough to present them with something that not only tastes good but gives them a moment of brief beauty in their lives.

Outside of business, coffee communities and industry competitions are built on this skill, including the World Latte Art Championship – an international competition that spans countries and is sponsored by major media and industry leading brands. It may not be a wise idea to take away a pursuit that creative professionals use to drive them constantly towards excellence.

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On a more personal note too, as a customer, receiving a well-made coffee with a unique piece of art on top is just that - unique. One of a kind. Never to be repeated exactly so ever again. You can buy as many Kmart prints of that seaside scene as you like, but you’ll never really know what it was to be perched in position, dropping the shutter down on that moment in time.

Latte art is something that is not only unique, it is art you can interact with. You can taste it, smell it, photograph it – hell, you can even have a personal conversation with the artist who poured it. It’s a nonstop exhibition! Every coffee with latte art, artistically plated meal and fresh arrangement of flowers you ever purchased was a singular event made with the love, dedication and skill of a true tradesperson.

While the Evebot certainly does not represent any of these things, it is still a fantastic creation with limitless potential. I can see it being used for corporate functions, for birthdays and weddings. Imagine the geek culture prints rolling out at comic conventions and the fun that could be created in futuristic, technology-minded cafes.

         

Human latte art isn’t and shouldn’t be considered to be going away anytime soon. But the Evebot shouldn’t be written off as a fringe product either – it certainly could make some waves and many hospitality functions undeniably more fun, as well as more efficient. 

Written by Ravelle King, Café Support Manager at Crema Coffee Garage. Image credit: Evebot Australia.