Little Miss Bento

I was really thrilled to have the opportunity to meet and learn 3D latte art with Japan’s 3D latte art pioneer and trend setter, Kazuki Yamanoto-san.

Yes, he is the one who started 3D latte art t in Japan!! And now 3D latte art has found its way to cafes even outside Japan.

Kazuki-san (Twitter handle – @george_10g) is a professional barista and a well known latte art artist in Japan. He gained huge social media following with his amazing latte art creations, both 2D and 3D latte art; and his Twitter account has amassed over 145K followers.

A big thank you to Yuka san from TripleLights, she helped me set up this exclusive session with Kazuki san. Yuka san is a professional licensed guide and conducts many interesting tours for visitors in Japan.

TripleLights is a travel service based in Japan that provides licensed private/group tours for foreigners who are coming to Japain foreign languages (majority of their tours are held in English). Read more here. 

I know many of you are curious and want to know how you can enjoy a cuppa of latte art by Kazuki-san.

The talented and (young!) 27 year-old Kazuki san is currently doing freelance events and regularly updates his social media accounts on this upcoming events.

And breaking news! He will be managing a cafe at Harajuku from early next year, so stay tuned to his social media platforms for updates!

To make 3D latte arts, of course the most important step was to prepare and froth the milk, and also to make the espresso coffee. So yes, you will need a milk frother for this, so an espresso machine as least a small home-size one is needed.

Ah.. my earlier barista training has proven to be useful.

Very swiftly and easily, Kazuki-san created the first 3D latte art design – a cute bear. I love the little paw too.

I tried making too… hahha but scooping of the milk foam to form the shapes is really not that easy! haha. Just check out mine in the foreground in the photo below.

Not giving up, I went on to make a kitty version instead. This time though it was a little flat, I think it looked better than my bear!

Next up was a 3D latte art design that I had saw on Kazuki-san’s twitter and requested him to teach me. It was a super cute lying down Snoopy.

Awwww… how perfect! and how cute!

And this was mine (please pardon the weird position of the eyes). haha!

We also had fun making some 2D latte arts. I definitely find 2D latte arts much much easier! I made Shappo from Sentimental Circus and also the all time favorite, Totoro.

A Chat with Japan Latte Art Artist, Kazuki Yamamoto-san (@george_10g)

1. How did you start latte arts and what inspired you on this journey?

My father actually owns a cafe, where I was working at. I wanted to create something new and different, and begin experimenting in latte arts design. As I started to post my creations online, many started following me and I was even invited overseas to showcase latte art. 

2. What are the more popular designs?

Japanese love kawaii characters and some of the popular (and requested) designs include Rilakkuma, Hello Kitty and Snoopy.

3. Are there any designs that you have not been able to do?

(thinking).. actually no. Haha, I have been able to achieve all the designs.

4. What are the challenges in making latte art designs and what is the most difficult latte arts design you have created?

The biggest challenge is time! As the coffee is best served to the customers hot, I have very little time to create the design. The maximum time I have is 5mins. 

The most challenging design was the 3D latte art of a Beetle car. 

6. What is your next dream as a latte art artist?

My biggest dream is to have my very own cafe. I am very excited and happy that I am one step closer to my dream, as starting from early next year, I will be managing a cafe in Harajuku. Stay tuned to my Twitter and Facebook page for more updates. 

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Back closer at home, some of the cafes in Singapore that offer 3D latte arts include Brew Maison and Chock Full of Beans. Note that they may require reservations and latte art drinks may be available only when the latte art artist is around.