We all are lucky to live in an ever-changing and interesting world, that’s for sure and with technology moving so fast, it’s difficult for the layman to keep up! Technology has brought us so much.

From 3D gaming to iWatches, Echo, Alexa and it’s brought us the selfie (yes, if you Google the first selfie, apparently the first one ever taken was in 1839 by Robert Cornelius, a photography lover living in Philadelphia but it’s hardly the same as today’s mobile selfie!).

Selfie-portrait: The photo Robert Cornelius took of himself in 1839

Obviously, in the 19th century there was no iPad or iPhone, yet today, anyone can take a selfie with their cell phone or pretty much anything that’s made with an inbuilt camera.

A selfie is something that people take to show friends, family and indeed the world what they’re up to and where they are. It’s also used for many to document their day to day lives, much like a visual diary.

World Selfie-Love

Let’s face it, people are certainly not camera-shy (and even if they are, they still get on-board) and actually, the selfie has opened up a whole new, fascinating world. It’s now a world where everyone can be a celebrity or have their Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame.

Social media is packed full of instant-celebrities who post their musings (and their pictures) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and the other social media platforms that continue to thrive.

People are curiously interested in everything that others do, no matter who they are or where they live. Selfie world is certainly voyeuristic – wanting to get inside other people’s lives and see what they’re up to, their interests, loves, hobbies and their overall lifestyles.

Selfies are everywhere, you can print your face on a mug, a tablecloth, a T-shirt, have your own wallpaper made (if you’re that way inclined!), even send a birthday card and personalise it with the recipient’s face (oh, and yours too). You can even get a 3D selfie made, that’s how significant the selfie is.

Everyone’s Doing It

We see everyday people creating their own selfies, we see minor celebrities, Hollywood A-listers, presidents and prime ministers – even royalty taking their own fabulous selfies so it seems the selfie is certainly here to stay. Millennials are expected to snap over 25,000 selfies in their lifetimes so selfies are big business.

That’s why there’s no great surprise to learn that you can now get your very own selfie on a personalised cappuccino. We’re talking about the frothy topping that covers your favorite cup of coffee. Yes, deep in the heart of London is a brand new craze that is set to topple any other coffee crazes out there. We’re talking about the Selfieccino.

Meet the Selfieccino

Just a few months ago, at the back end of last year (December 2017 to be precise), the world’s first ever Selfieccino drink was unveiled in the centre of London and it’s not just limited to your face either.

Selfieccino

Want to remember your favorite holiday?

You can print it on your cappuccino.

• Want to surprise your best friend or your boyfriend?
• Why not serve them up a cappuccino with their face on?
• Have a favorite canine pet?

Well now you can emblazon his or her canine (or cat, bird, tortoise, gerbil, hamster, rat…whatever you want) features on the top of your coffee cup and savour them for a few minutes before you devour their coffee-infused photograph! Yes, the Selfieccino has many uses – but it’s certainly not cheap.

Each London Selfieccino costs £5.75 (approximately $10) so you’d better save your pennies!

So if you live in London (or indeed the surrounding areas), or you’re planning a quick visit soon and you really love your coffee, it’s worth heading down to the Tea Terrace at the department store, House of Fraser on Oxford Street (address 18 Oxford St, London W1C 1HF, right in the heart of the busiest shopping area in the centre of London).

Tea Terrace at the department store, House of Fraser on Oxford Street

It’s situated very close to Bond Street Tube Station or you can get to it from Oxford Street Tube Station and hundreds of London buses from all over the city take you to almost outside the door. Be warned, you might have to queue though, that’s because it’s popular.

The Tea Terrace created more than 400 Selfieccinos within just three days of launch and each coffee takes a few minutes to prepare. The Selfieccino continues to be a firm favorite with locals, workers and tourists who can’t get enough of seeing their name in…well, coffee.

Not Heard of the Selfieccino?

Just check out your social media – The Twitter hashtag #Selfieccino has been going mad across social media for months since the first launch. If you haven’t yet heard about the Selfieccino perhaps you need to look at your own social media and make sure you’re following the right trends.

It’s definitely become a viral event that is bringing people flocking to the London-based department store.

The CEO of the Tea Terrace is the person who’s brought the idea to the café; Ehab Salem Shouly is obviously proud of the new technology and the interest it has brought him, his coffee shop and the department store.

So How Does The Selfieccino Technology Work?

The technology is brilliantly clever and definitely should be applauded.

It’s a coffee machine, but it’s no ordinary coffee machine. It’s connected to WIFI and has its own printer. You order your coffee and send a selfie via WhatsApp direct to the café (there’s a dedicated phone number, so no risk of your picture getting into the wrong hands).

Once the selfie image arrives, the barista simply uploads the photograph to the machine. Then, the selfie image is then scanned by the coffee machine’s computer and in turn, printed.

Finally, it ends up as the latte art design in the milky foam at the top of your coffee. Ingenious!

It even looks like a photograph with the coffee-coloured sepia-style image made out of flavourless food colouring.

However, don’t get a Selfieccino if you’re in a hurry, as mentioned, the entire selfie printing on coffee process takes around four minutes from beginning to end.

Perhaps get a take-out cappuccino while you’re waiting for the final product?

Who Created the Technology?

The Selfieccino technology originally comes from cinoprinter.com and it doesn’t just print on coffee either. It was a crowd-funded project that met its target very quickly too.

The technology is so advanced that it can now print on yoghurt, cakes, beer, ice cream and other similar consistency foods. It’s also not that expensive, at € 1500,000 (not including tax and shipping). The cartridge lasts 60 days and can produce up to 600 prints. The cartridge price is € 40 excluding taxes and shipping costs.

Meet the Ripplemaker

However, there is another rival Selfieccino technology available too, from Ripples which turns an ordinary coffee drink into a visual experience.

Ripple printer

It’s also cheaper for coffee shops, at $999 with a $75 monthly subscription.

Not only does it print images, it can also put text on top of a cappuccino.

So imagine the impact you could have, with, for example, a wedding proposal?

Or suggesting going out on a date with someone you’ve had your eye on?

You could say that Latte art has certainly moved on because now you can make statements or create a real memory.

The Ripplemaker works differently to the Cinoprinter in that it makes a foamy coffee in the usual way but the customer selects an image from a content library.

The Ripple maker works on standard cups that are up to 110mm wide and it is Wi-Fi connected. Using the Ripple, you can produce your own bespoke design but it needs to be approved by the barista first. It prints the image in seconds – so slightly different to a selfie but it is still capable of a selfie-style finish.

Imagine the potential – you could use it to enhance your business brand by printing your logo direct to coffee when serving it to potential clients. You can definitely use the technology to connect with customers and even promote your business events using the Ripple’s technology.

It certainly guarantees your message to be seen by the consumer.

Where Else Can You Get a Selfieccino?

Well, if you don’t live in the United Kingdom or you’re not planning to travel there any time soon, there are other places where Selfieccino cafés are popping up and the plan is for every centre to have one, eventually.

If you’re in India, go to Fort in Mumbai and visit Kalaghoda.

Fort in Mumbai and visit Kala Ghoda #Selfieccino

This westernised coffee shop can produce the same style selfie images as the Tea Terrace in London and serves lots of other delicious delicacies, plus it’s a little more exotic than sitting in a department store in Oxford Circus, London (although the shopping might not be as exciting).

You can also enjoy Ripplemaker Selfieccinos in Israel at the Royal Beach Hotel in sunny Eilat.

Royal Beach Hotel in Eilat

If you’re not Israel-bound then don’t worry, the Ripplemaker plans to roll out its exciting new technology to the USA, Europe and Asia so a Selfieccino could be coming your way soon….

So Has the World Gone Mad With Self-Obsession?

Some people will see the light and frothy side of the Selfieccino but others feel the world’s gone mad!

What’s next?

• Printing selfies all over your handbag (oh, that’s been done!)?
• Is it about the coffee or the selfie?
• Or is it about both?
• Or will the craze die out?
• It’s possible it’s a combination of all of the above but does it add fun to coffee or detract from the real beauty of what coffee is?

Maybe we’ve just all become a little too self-obsessed.

There was and still is the birthday cake with the birthday girl or boy’s image featured right on top of it, only for someone to slice through the nose and mouth and serve you up with a mutilated face complete with sponge and buttercream – quite scary for little children.

Doesn’t that ruin the moment? That could be the problem with the Selfieccino. For those less confident in their looks or with low self-esteem, it could cause upset. It can even disconnect people from reality and that’s because the Selfieccino is not just a cup of coffee.

Pop into the ladies’ toilets (and possibly the gent’s toilets, I haven’t checked those) in the House of Fraser Department Store, close to the Tea Terrace, and you will more than likely find hordes of women of all ages (even children) preening themselves in front of the mirror and all for the £5.75 cup of Selfieccino coffee, which will be gone in just a few minutes!

For many, it’s seen as a waste of time, energy and money yet for some, a real-life event that will be showcased on social media for others to gawp at for years to come!

Just another Selfie Fad?

For most, definitely those that don’t take themselves too seriously, a photograph, including one printed on a Selfieccino is just another different and fun way of capturing life’s moments and one more interesting image to upload onto Instagram. For others, yes, it could be described as self-obsession gone mad – and for genuinely serious coffee lovers, it’s just a fad.

Of course, you could argue that images and coffee go perfectly well together!

The first-ever “modern” selfie was taken in 2013 by an Australian at a 21st birthday party. He tripped and split his lip, took a photograph and posted it on social media. It became a craze.

Latte art comes from the USA, back in the 1990’s when coffee culture first emerged as a huge fashion trend (and still is by today’s standards), it is still very much a craze that isn’t going away. Decorated patterns on top of cappuccino started to pop up all over the USA, starting in Seattle. In the 2000’s, latte art spread across Europe and into Asia.

In fact, there are now barista world championships held especially for latte art. It’s certain that both selfies and latte art are crazes that won’t disappear and neither will coffee. It’s probably only a matter of time before the Selfieccino enters one of the worldwide recognised latte art competitions.

Oh and let’s not forget that presentation of food and drink is paramount today. Consumers want something that looks beautiful and tastes great, so really, a selfie on top of coffee seems like a logical progression. What could be more beautiful than your own mug shot perfectly placed on top of a frothy cup of coffee?

Social Media Helps Build Crazes

It’s also worth mentioning that the rise of social media has made latte art a very popular worldwide hobby, the hashtag #latteart continues to grow strong. Baristas and customers alike thoroughly enjoy sharing images of their incredibly decorative cups of coffee and if you hop onto Instagram, you’ll find more than 5 million tagged posts – yet only 60 for the Selfieccino.

However, hop on Twitter and you’ll find literally hundreds of thousands of Selfieccino posts, proving that this trend definitely isn’t going away anytime soon.

Get On-Board with Selfieccino Fun!

So, at Coffee Corner, we say if you get the chance, embrace the Selfieccino, certainly if you have an opportunity to experience this fun-loving craze you should definitely take advantage of it. Get your face in your coffee (literally) and post it all over your social media. Then, try the coffee – if your face fits, you can even wear it!