Mike Breach New York barista, author of a series of detailed portraits of celebrities on coffee lattes. Country: USA

New York Barista

Mike Briche, a New York master barista, didn't settle for the ordinary set of drawings - he paints real portraits on his coffee. Drawing on coffee - latte or cappuccino - is a common pastime for bartenders; even skillfully maneuvering the cup under the coffee machine's spouts can create quite attractive patterns - and armed with special tips, the barista has practically limitless possibilities. However, most often, the pictures created by coffee artists are relatively simple - animal silhouettes, simple symbols, or short phrases. Mike Briche, a New York master barista, didn't settle for the ordinary set of drawings - he paints real portraits on his coffee. The complexity of the resulting pictures is simply astonishing - not everyone can depict such detailed portraits on paper, let alone on the challenging and capricious canvas that coffee is. Mike Briche came up with this unusual activity out of boredom; last year, out of sporting interest, he decided to see how complex a portrait he could create. The result greatly surprised Briche himself, and the customers were immediately delighted. Rumors about the talented barista quickly spread through the neighborhood, and over time, Briche acquired new, fairly well-known clients. Many celebrities enjoy tasting Mike Briche's high-art coffee; it would take a long time to list Mike's VIP clients; it is enough to say that one of his guests was Chelsea Clinton herself. Of course, creating such detailed images requires a lot of effort and time. Mike started, like many of his colleagues, with simple drawings and patterns; he used a special bamboo needle as a brush. Gradually, Briche perfected his brush skills. Now, instead of hearts and butterflies, Mike draws the faces of William Shakespeare and Che Guevara, Jim Morrison, Halle Berry, and many other real and fictional celebrities. The main problem of Mike Briche's work lies in their blatant impermanence - hardly any portrait can last more than three minutes, and unfortunately, the coffee itself cools down during this time. However, the customers do not complain - they can easily drink the coffee elsewhere, but they can only admire such impressive artwork in the establishment where Mike Briche works.