"Could I have some artwork with that cappuccino?" Not exactly something you hear at Starbucks a lot, but if this coffee-printer technology goes mainstream, who knows? Wait, a coffee printer? Yep, Oleskiy Pikalo woke up one day with a hankerin' for some fancy designs on his latte, so he bought a used Philips 8155 x-y flatbed plotter and modified it to shoot out edible ink. The result is a machine that can draw surprisingly detailed art on your cup of joe — and put creative baristas everywhere to shame.
It's doubtful any Starbucks outside of Florence would install one of these suckers, if only for the reason it'll add at least 2 minutes to your order. Still, on a sleepy Sunday afternoon at the Met Museum's cafe, I'd wait the extra time for novelty's sake. Though I'd feel guilty for drinking it.
Architectradure, via Hacked Gadgets
editor@dvice.com
By murray at 2:03 PM ON 03/17/08
Neat gimmick, but it doesn't put creative baristas to shame at all. It's a simple robot. I'd rather have my coffee art done by a human (and a lot more quickly). This novelty is as lacking in inspiration as Starbucks is lacking in enjoyable coffee.
I'm totally okay with being a wet blanket about this.
By ribex at 7:02 PM ON 03/17/08
Was that also a special mug that allows you to drink from underneath the foam? Look at the part that sticks out on the right past the circular rim. Never saw a mug like that before. Is it new, or am I just clueless?
By E to the M at 10:17 AM ON 03/18/08
Zoinks, is your coffee still hot after waiting for that?
By Martin at 10:31 AM ON 03/18/08
Funny! :-) But i doubt the would use it commercially, its just too slow.
By fire-pixel.com at 10:41 AM ON 03/18/08
I think I see Jesus in my coffee!
Here's another article that's good.
Top 10 Awesome Websites That Sell Cool Products You Probably Have Never Visited But Need To.
http://www.comember.net/blogs/firepixel/
By sr at 10:49 AM ON 03/18/08
Yeah, but, wouldn't your coffee be kinda cold by the time its done...?
By kiv at 11:16 AM ON 03/18/08
"Errm...could I have sprinkles on that please?"
By The Smorgasbord at 11:25 AM ON 03/18/08
quite possibly one of the stupidest inventions I've ever seen...at least with cake decorating people see the artwork before they eat the cake, coffee is normally consumed right after it's brewed, so you would see the design for what - 5 seconds? I don't get the point of this at all.
By Aaron at 11:48 AM ON 03/18/08
I'd like to see the same thing done with green dye on the foamy head of a Guinness Pint.
By Adam at 1:36 PM ON 03/18/08
Neat, but I'm not too crazy about the concept of edible ink.
By capital_jay at 4:32 AM ON 03/19/08
Would be a shame to drink it after all that. Wait for 2 min and destroy it in 2 sec. ;)
By tomterm8 at 5:53 PM ON 03/19/08
Wow! Amazing what you can do these days. But how do you keep the print head clean?
By Michi at 1:30 AM ON 03/20/08
Interesting! Where can I get this printer?
By musket at 4:04 AM ON 03/20/08
early days yet.....let's see what the next generation of coffee printers will bring
By gwen stacy at 1:40 PM ON 03/20/08
@ Ribex. it appears to be one of those mugs that has a compartment for your discarded tea bag. i have one that looks exactly like it; the part that sticks out does not touch the liquid, it is just a ceramic pocket for your tea bag.
By Printer Support at 6:01 AM ON 04/06/08
Looks interesting.. Any idea how much it costs? I'll try to get one in my office :)
By Alex at 6:03 AM ON 05/01/08
A little on the slow side no?
By awaken15 at 1:33 AM ON 07/06/08
I like it if it is a machine that is put to the side of the regular line. Giving people a choice in using it or not. Might need to be a coin operated machine? I can see having a selection of many print options like ... I love you with a heart picture, Marry me with a diamond picture, Just a heart, Happy Mothers day, Happy Birthday, and etc... People who are willing to pay for the extra decoration can do so but not in the regular line--it would make the line go too slow.