Selfieccino: Coffee as a Photo Booth

The selfieccino works because it turns a familiar drink into a small event. It is part latte art, part photo booth, and part proof that coffee culture is as much about experience as caffeine.

Self-portraits long predate smartphones. The Library of Congress dates Robert Cornelius’s surviving photographic self-portrait to October or November 1839. A printed coffee portrait is a much newer way to display one.

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

Selfies can turn a drink into a souvenir: a portrait, a holiday photo or a shared joke on the foam.

A selfieccino is a coffee drink topped with a printed image. The decoration can be the attraction, but the coffee underneath still matters.

Meet the Selfieccino

The name combines a selfie with a cappuccino, though suitable foam-topped drinks can carry other photographs, designs or text.

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.

Prices and availability depend on the venue. Check its current menu before making a special trip.

A photo opportunity

A printed drink is suited to a celebration or a keepsake photo. Whether it is worth a premium depends on the drink, the image and the price.

So How Does The Selfieccino Technology Work?

The technology is brilliantly clever and definitely should be applauded.

The drink is prepared separately, then placed under a food printer. Ripples describes its Ripple Maker as a printer for foam-topped drinks. Upload methods vary by system and café. Ask how an uploaded photo will be stored and deleted; a dedicated phone number does not guarantee privacy.

Once the image is selected, the operator positions the prepared drink and starts the print.

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

Use food-printing ingredients intended for the device. Ripples lists different extract-based pods, including a coffee-based brown pod; ingredients vary, so check the exact pod if you have an allergy.

Allow time for the drink, upload and queue as well as the print itself; ask the café about the wait.

Commercial drink printers

Different food-printing systems have different compatible surfaces and consumables. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions rather than using ordinary printer ink or assuming every cartridge suits every machine.

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

For a café, compare the current machine price, compatible pods and any service plan. An old launch price is not a current ownership-cost estimate.

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.

A drink printer decorates a drink that has already been prepared. It does not replace espresso brewing or milk texturing.

Cup compatibility and controls depend on the model. Confirm the requirements for the exact printer before buying cups or planning a service workflow.

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.

A clear design can make the drink more memorable, but printing a logo does not guarantee attention or repeat business.

Where can you get a selfieccino?

Ask a local café, hotel or event caterer whether it currently offers image printing. The historical venue pictures below illustrate drink printing. Confirm current availability directly with a venue before planning a visit.

Novelty is a matter of taste

Some people enjoy a personalized souvenir; others would rather spend the money on the drink itself. A portrait on foam need not carry any larger claim about the customer’s personality or mental health.

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!

Printed images and hand-poured latte art use different techniques. Printing supplies the picture; free-pour latte art depends on how the milk is poured into the espresso.

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?

Sharing the result

A clear, well-lit photograph can preserve the design after the foam is gone. Share it if you want to, and get permission before posting someone else’s portrait.

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!