COFFEE ART

So originally I was planning on talking about the pros and cons of coffee, but I’ve decided that I’ll leave those two topics for the next weeks. For now, I’d like to show you all the pretty artistic side of coffee.

Most of the times we are so sleepy or so in a rush when we drink our coffee, that we don’t even stop to look at it for a second. Perhaps we might even get the ingredients mixed up and end up drinking something terrible. But there are these other times, when we drink coffee to relax for a while, and to let inspiration flow. The result? Creativity.

Here are some amazing pictures I found on the internet of drawings done on top of the coffee using the same ingredients that it is prepared with.

Fig. 1. 27 Anime Style Girl. Beautiful Examples of Latte Art. Oct 5^th, 2009. Web. Aug 24^th, 2011.

Fig. 2. Cute Dog. Coffee Coffee Coffee. Aug 3^rd, 2010. Web. Aug 24^th, 2011.

Fig. 3. Several. Coffee Art. Web. Aug 24^th, 2011.

Fig. 4. Donald. BadLatte Art.Web. Aug 24^th,2011.

For more pictures (and instructions on how to do this), you can visit these pages: http://www.ilovecoffeebook.com/coffeeArt.html

http://www.weirdomatic.com/coffee-art.html

However, this isn’t the only type of art related to coffee. There’s also a technique that consists on simply drawing and painting, but using coffee instead of paint or ink. Here are some examples, done by the Brazilian Dirceu Vega. (abduzeedo.com)

Fig. 5. Drawing. Amazing Coffee Art by Dirceu Vega.Jan 26^th, 2010. Web. Aug 24^th, 2011.

Fig. 6. Painting. Amazing Coffee Art by Dirceu Vega.Jan 26^th, 2010. Web. Aug 24^th, 2011.

To read more about him and to see other pictures, go here:

http://abduzeedo.com/amazing-coffee-art-dirceu-veiga

I personally find this very interesting and really creative. I guess it takes practice to do any of these designs or drawings. But maybe that’s the beauty of it all: patience, inspiration, and just a break from your daily routine. So, the next time you grab a cup of coffee, or consider preparing yourself one, I suggest you take a moment to let coffee fill your senses and become your muse. Who knows? Maybe you'll become the next Picasso... or not. :)

That’s all for this week, talk to you later! <3

The Beginning of Coffee

We all know coffee is really important for many people these days. Either for waking up in the morning or just as a drink while talking to friends, coffee plays a part in our daily life. But… do you know where does it come from? How was it discovered? Who were the firsts to consume it?

There are some variations of the story, but in general (and this is according mostly to what I read from the International Coffee Organization) it is said that coffee has its origins in Kaffa, an Ethiopian province in Africa. It was eaten by slaves, who started spreading out its use. The Arabs, to prevent its cultivation from expanding to other places, prohibited its exportation, but nevertheless Europeans later found a way to transport live coffee plants to their continent. (ico.org)

At first, coffee drinking was spread through the Arabs especially in places where people would get together to play games, dance, or have any kind of social or business discussions. (Sounds similar to what we do nowadays?) This lead to problems concerning political activities in these places so these coffeehouses were tried to be suppressed, but they still kept existing. By then, two other drinks were also earning importance: hot chocolate and tea. Coffee was then brought to America, having a high acceptance as well. (ico.org)

Nowadays, we can see that many different countries cultivate coffee, leading it to become an important and valuable product. I’ve heard it is actually the second most used product in the entire world, after oil. And something that shows its great popularity is the fact that we can get coffee almost anywhere, and there are so many different ways of having it.

Anyway, this doesn’t necessarily mean everyone likes it or is in favor of its use. Actually there are several points to argue against it, as well as really interesting benefits it has. Those topics will be explained and discussed later on in this blog. :)

You can read more about the story of coffee at:

http://www.ico.org/coffee_story.asp

Works cited:

"The Story Of Coffee."International Coffee Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Aug. 2011. http://www.ico.org/coffee_story.asp