A latte fun: NYC cafe lets you print photos on drinks that look ‘exactly’ like you
These photos are worth a latte words.
Moka Matcha Cafe in Midtown can print a photo on top of any frothy beverage — and customers are getting a caffeine buzz over how accurate the foamy resemblances are.
Nate Myles of Harlem was so amazed at how the etching on top of his vanilla cappuccino looked like his original selfie, he immediately posted a picture of the liquid portrayal on his Instagram story.
“I honestly did not know it was gonna look exactly like the picture. Wow,” gushed Myles, 33, who works as a property manager at Spaces, which is housed in the same building as the coffee shop. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before, and I’ve worked as a barista for so many years and have done the art before.”
After customers place their coffee order, they can scan a QR code to upload a picture, which goes directly to a machine dedicated solely to creating the artwork.
Once the barista has made their drink, they place it underneath the machine, and in less than a minute, a rendering of the photo is embossed onto the beverage’s foam with brown food coloring for an extra $1 charge.
Moka Matcha Cafe first debuted in October at Urbanspace Vanderbilt, the food hall at 230 Park Ave in Midtown East, by Grand Central Station.
Last week, they opened a second location at the Urbanspace at 570 Lexington Ave., also in Midtown East.
Although most people order a latte or a cappuccino, which both cost $4.75, for their photo beverage, they can also select from cold beverages, like a $4.50 iced cold brew or iced latte for $5.75, as long as they have foam on the top.
“I was not expecting this nice of quality and detail,” gushed Rebecca Anih of Paramus, NJ, who ordered a latte and uploaded a snap of herself taken at Lake Welch in her native Rochester from Memorial Day weekend.
“I think this would be a great gift idea for a coworker. So many of my friends are near here, so I’m going to tell them about this,” said Anih, 37, who works in product development for the nearby beauty brand Shiseido.
Not everyone chooses to replicate photos of themselves in their beverages, according to Moka Matcha Cafe’s social media manager Gabriela Rodriguez.
“A lot of people come for dog pictures, cat pictures,” said Rodriguez, 38, who created a latte for The Post using a photo of her and her pup, Sheldon.
“When we opened the first time, this one girl posted a Hello Kitty latte and people went crazy.”
Rodriguez loves watching customers’ expressions when they receive their decorated cup of joe.
“When people see the coffee, they’re smiling. They’re like, ‘Wow, that takes me back to the memory of when I took the picture,'” she said. “They don’t want to drink it at all.”
