The very best baristas know how to make their customers feel special. They go the extra mile, even when they don’t have to. They might genuinely inquire how you’re doing, say a kind word, take extra care when brewing your drink, or add a free treat alongside your cup of joe. Meanwhile, some coffee shop employees like to surprise folks with stellar latte art. However, things don’t always go according to plan..!
Our team here at Bored Panda, which runs almost exclusively on caffeine and bamboo, has curated a list of some of the finest latte art fails from around the globe. Some of these designs are so bad that they’re genuinely good. Others are works-in-progress that are full of soul. It’s a delicious serving of comedy. Go on, take a coffee break, and scroll down for a good dose of humor and goofiness. You deserve it!
#1 Can Hardly Tell Them Apart
Image credits: joeheenan
#2 Dog Latte Attempt. Not A Very Good One
Image credits: Menace_tosociety
#3 My Latte “Art”
Image credits: JDMVilla
Coffee, milk, frothers, espresso machines, thermometers, and pitchers aren’t the only useful ingredients and equipment needed to make good latte art. You also need plenty of patience, the courage to try, and a growth-oriented mindset.
Like celebrated American painter Bob Ross said, there are no mistakes; there are just happy accidents. We absolutely love this philosophy!
#4 I Tried To Make A Latte Cat
Image credits: Naptime23_7
#5 Not All Lattes Art Turn Out How We Hope
Image credits: csc_dubbo
#6 The Time When My Husband Tried To Recreate Our Dog In A Cup Of Coffee
Image credits: RayL11455
Embracing your mistakes and learning from them, instead of shying away, is a wonderful way to go through life. This way, you’re actively honing your skills. The alternatives would be either analysis paralysis (thanks, perfectionism) or being so upset after a couple of failures that you never want to try your hand at latte art ever again.
If wowing coffee shop customers is something you want to do, you have to be okay with making some errors along the way.
#7 Latte Art Fail. This Is My Favorite One From The Past. When You Wanted To Draw A Boat, But You End Up With ET
Image credits: agarojewska
#8 The Sad Face Even Has A Comb-Over. Good Luck On Today
Image credits: joestaten
#9 When You Want To Draw A Woman’s Face On Coffee And You Remember You Don’t Know How To Draw
Image credits: agarojewska
You can’t really make latte art without first steaming your milk (or heating it up if you’re at home). Get it to around 65°C (149°F) and swirl it to create microfoam. Then, slowly but steadily pour the foamy milk onto the top of the coffee while turning your pitcher.
Adjust it as you pour to create the design you want. You can then use whatever tools you have at hand to refine the design—a toothpick or wooden stirrer both work fine.
Wet milk foam, which has less air in it, is great for two-dimensional latte art. Meanwhile, dry milk foam, which has more air in it and is thus denser and more stable, works better for three-dimensional designs.
#10 When Twisted People Try To Do Latte Art
Image credits: louizavery
#11 I’m Reaching My 4th Month Working For A Licensed Store And I Still Don’t Know How To Pour A Flat White. So I Tried Practicing When The Crowd Level Decreased A Little
I unintentionally made a masterpiece. I present to you a cat’s butt.
Image credits: Nia_444
#12 Bad Swan, Good Nessie
Image credits: pantenepterodactyl
Coffee is a ubiquitous drink in many parts of the world. However, it’s easy to forget just how widespread the demand for it really is. Grown in over 70 tropical countries, coffee is the second most exported commodity in the world, after oil. But if you think that it’s mostly an American drink, you’re sorely mistaken.
#13 Tried To Layer Two “Latte Hearts”, But Got A Doggo Instead
Image credits: coffeeart_withjill
#14 I Asked For A Cute Kitty With My Latte
Image credits: Persyah
#15 Still Learning Latte Art Technique. I Either Get My Milk Frothy Or Not Micro-Foamed Enough For Regular Pour Art. I Like To Name My Abominations
Image credits: Tbone3319
The World Population Review points out that the United States merely stands in 25th place in the hierarchy of the biggest coffee-guzzlers on Earth. Your typical American drinks around 3 cups of coffee, on average. However, they’re outpaced by the Finnish who are known as the biggest lovers of the drink on the planet. They enjoy around 4 cups of coffee per day.
Right behind Finland, the biggest coffee enthusiasts are Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Canada.
#16 First Time Trying A Swan. I Think I Nailed It
Image credits: absolutelysurreal
#17 I Tried… My First Attempt Was Delicious, Had To Drink Some Before A Picture
Image credits: freyfrey96
#18 When You Ask For A Caramel Latte On Almond Milk And End Up With What Can Only Be Described As A Cross Between An Old Man With A Goatee And A Chicken
Image credits: twowheelsinc
Bored Panda recently interviewed neuroscientist Nicole Avena, Ph.D., an expert in nutrition, diet, and addiction, about creating a healthy relationship with coffee. She explained to us that coffee can definitely be a part of a healthy diet if we consume it in moderate amounts.
Typically, you should not be consuming more than 400mg of caffeine, or 4 cups of coffee, each day.
#19 This Is Why I Can’t Be A Barista
Image credits: basil_wonder
#20 When Even Your Coffee Is Surprised By How Ugly Your Latte Art Is. But It’s Delicious. I Swear
Image credits: caradepezcafe
#21 A Local Place Is Advertising This Beetroot Latte Monstrosity
Image credits: ssfritz
“A standard cup of coffee contains roughly 95mg of caffeine; however, this can vary depending on the type of coffee being consumed. Coffee can be great because it can help boost your energy levels and give you just what you need to power through a busy day at work. But as with anything, too much of a good thing can be detrimental,” the author of ‘Sugarless: A 7-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction’ told us during an earlier interview.
#22 Such A Beautiful Art
Image credits: kanpai_coffee
#23 At Least They Tried
Image credits: hymaycreative
#24 First Attempts At Latte Art, Last Picture Is What I Was Trying To Make
Image credits: st0nkb0nk
“In general, healthy adults should limit caffeine intake to less than 400mg of caffeine each day. When exceeding this amount, undesirable side effects such as insomnia, anxiety, dehydration, elevated blood pressure, and increased heart rate can occur,” she warned Bored Panda about the negative aspects of enjoying too much caffeine during the day.
Another—sneakier—issue lies in what we like to add to our coffee. “For example, if we get our coffee from Starbucks and add 10 pumps of sweetener, vanilla sweet cream cold foam, and sprinkles to our coffee, it isn’t going to be the best addition to a healthy diet,” Dr. Avena pointed out to us.
#25 Is This The Sun?
Image credits: aicepalacio
#26 My Attempt At 3D Latte Foam Art. I Don’t Think I Should’ve Used Chocolate Sauce
Image credits: catparent1666
#27 Another Latte Art Fail, But Does Anyone Else See Harry Battling A Dementor?
Image credits: americashotmom
“Instead, flavoring your coffee with spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger, and adding a splash of skim, 1% milk, or unsweetened non-dairy milk, can be a great way to add flavor without all the added sugar,” she suggested. On top of that, it’s best not to consume any caffeine after 2 pm so that your sleep isn’t negatively affected.
If you want to reduce your caffeine consumption without fully giving up coffee, consider swapping out one of your cups of joe for a mug of green tea. It contains two to three times less caffeine than coffee and has a host of other benefits.
“Research on the health impacts of green tea has shown that green tea consumption can assist in cancer prevention, lowered blood pressure, lower rates of heart disease, and lower cholesterol levels. If you drink large amounts of coffee in the day, swapping out one of your cups of coffee for a hot green tea is a great way to still get some caffeine in, without going overboard! There are also hot tea options that contain little to no caffeine like chamomile tea!” Dr. Avena said.
#28 Me As A Barista
Image credits: poorlycatdraw
#29 It Took Me About 15 Minutes. By The Time I’m About To Drink, It’s Already Cold
Image credits: stellarlight21
#30 I Was Trying To Make A Baby Yoda Latte Art
Image credits: littleolefee
Which of these latte art fails made you giggle and smile the most, dear Pandas? Were there any designs that you thought were genuinely good despite the artists having made some mistakes? Have you ever tried making latte art yourselves? Tell us what you think in the comment section! And… we hope you enjoy your coffee break, whenever that happens.
#31 Mondays. Hope You All Had A Better Start Into The New Week
Image credits: zugvogelcoffeeroastery
#32 I Failed My Latte Art, And It Turned Out Looking Like An Embryo
Image credits: cassidilla_
#33 A Rare Day When My Milk Froth Allows Me To Practice My Coffee Art. I’m Calling It A La Point Family’s Christmas Tee
Image credits: pedalsewlightly
#34 Let’s Call It A Swan?
Image credits: CountryCarandConsole
#35 Here Is My Attempt At A Snail Which Dissolved Into A Blob. And Also, This Coffee Was Cold
Image credits: sophie_gould
#36 I Didn’t Think I Could Make A Worse Attempt Than My Last One
Image credits: thespazmatazz
#37 A Failed Heart Turned Into A Fish
Image credits: Znekcihc
#38 I Know This Latte Isn’t Beautiful But It Makes Me Happy. It’s My First Attempt At Doing Any Kind Of Art Thing
Image credits: loveylevi17
#39 It Looks Like The Disney Castle
Image credits: ThePrimeagen
#40 If You Can’t Think Of Anything Nice To Say, Don’t Say Anything. I’ll Just Say Good Try
Image credits: stephenfry
#41 I’m Learning Latte Art. I’m Not Good
Image credits: IAlwaysFinishMy
#42 A Failed Feather? A Dinosaur With A Bubble For An Eye?
Image credits: coffee.art.fails
#43 Made My First Latte Swan. Everyone Is Always Shocked To Find Out I’ve Never Been A Barista
Image credits: testcook
#44 My Face When I Over-Aerate The Milk And Still Fail At Latte Art
Image credits: Jdahli1
#45 Failed The Latte Swan Art. I Accidentally Made It Into A Dog Wagging Its Tail Very Quickly
Image credits: nightzirch
#46 My Latte Art Is Improving
Image credits: HuttsLP
#47 An Onion Maybe?
Image credits: dimsimprincess
#48 Depressed Bunny
Image credits: AmNotLost
#49 Don’t Mean To Brag, But, I Think I Nailed The Whole Latte Art Thing
Image credits: ReneV423
#50 Our Newest Barista’s Latte Art Is Coming Along Very Nicely
Image credits: wildiriscoffeehouse
#51 Coffee Portrait, But A Bad One
Image credits: spfxgirl
#52 Moon? Banana? Pac-Man? What Do You See?
Image credits: jquallo
#53 Latte Art? Latte Fail? What Is It?
Image credits: cafefam
#54 I Call This “The Surprised Drooling Panda”
Image credits: bennickeldandrea
#55 When It’s More About The Taste Than The Art
Image credits: foundinthekitchen
#56 At Least It Tasted Great
Image credits: latte.art.fails
#57 What Is This Supposed To Be?
Image credits: spfxgirl
#58 This Is How My Latte Art Is Going
Image credits: CaptainMunie
#59 A Barista Tried To Do The Lord Of The Rings Art On A Caramel Latte
Image credits: reddit.com
#60 Accidentally Failed At Making Hearts On My Latte And Ended Up With A Man With A Mustache Instead
Image credits: scienceisthebestart
#61 I Tried My Hand At Latte Art. All I Got Was A Butt
Image credits: gluten-free-pancakes
#62 I Asked My Barista To Give Me The Mona Lisa On My Latte
Image credits: MamaRebbe
#63 My Attempted Swan Turned Into The Sorting Hat From Harry Potter
Image credits: teapotthead
#64 Santa Latte
Image credits: carebear8555
#65 I Tried To Make A Heart
Image credits: stinemonsen
#66 I Think I’ll Just Give Up Trying To Make My Husband’s Coffee Pretty
Image credits: ange__nz
#67 Back To Coffee Art Fails
Image credits: mdenardi99
#68 Evening Coffee. Delightful Art. Must Be One Of The Best Latte Arts I’ve Seen. No Doubt
Image credits: necrofosho
#69 One Of These Times I Will Get A Good Latte Art
Image credits: bethanydc
#70 First Attempt At A Coffee Art
Image credits: ceporet
#71 My Daughter Asked For A Love Heart. I Accidentally Made A Butt Instead
Image credits: max_nark
#72 Oh My God. Latte Art Fail Of The Day
Image credits: lepetitsalonhk
#73 Behold! My Latte Art Creation
Image credits: futbolguy12
#74 I Heard You Guys Like Latte Art
Image credits: onefornine
#75 I Was Trying To Make A Heart
Image credits: 3spressotree
#76 First Time To Pour A Swan
Image credits: littlesiriusmuffin
#77 I Watched One YouTube Video About Latte Art, Failed Epically
Image credits: YoungUrbanWitch
#78 When You Do The Best Pour Of Your Life But Bump It After Setting It Down
Image credits: xtina2345
#79 My First-Ever Attempt At Latte Art, It Only Gets Better From Here. It’s A Swan, By The Way
Image credits: if4themew09
#80 Sugary Wildberry-Vanilla Latte With Only God Knows What Abstractionism On Top
Image credits: gretekaulinyte
#81 My Attempt At Coffee “Art” Is This Stumpy 3-Legged Lab
Image credits: wolfheartdesign
#82 My Attempt To Draw A Swan. Forgot It Was Just A Regular Cup Not A Bucket
Image credits: gracie.le_a
#83 It’s The Gorilla Face, I Guess
Image credits: coffee_art_fails
#84 I Had To Share My Biggest Fail I’ve Ever Done At Work
Image credits: coffeeartistul
#85 Coffee Art Fail
Image credits: jimmy_leong
#86 Tribal Latte Art Fail
Image credits: marcelokatsuki
#87 When You Realize You Need A Latte Photo For Your Instagram After Drinking It
Image credits: eliurabe