Meet Lee Gang-bin.

A South Korean barista and co-owner of Café C.THROUGH in Seoul, Lee uses coloured icing – a technique he calls “cream art” – to transform regular cups of coffee into incredible works of art.

Seriously, they are incredible.

While latte art might seem like a tired trend, what Lee does with a double shot of espresso and a whole lot of milk is on such another level that you can’t ever tire of it.

Speaking to CNN, Lee explained that:

“Coffee is a fairytale to me. It helps me express exactly what I want and brings my dreams to life. People who specialize [sic] in latte art usually only use two colors: black and white. But I wanted to break that color limit.”

And break that colour limit he does:

Told you they were incredible.

Check out his process:

Ink painting😆👍 . . A price guide for ‘Creamart’ ‘Bear’ design is ￦7,500 if want another design, have to reservation but only Three cup of Creamart a day . . ☡☡☡reservation is closed. So I don’t get reservations for a while. ‘Bear’ design Orders can be anytime. . 403-3, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu Monday & Tuesday 14:00 – 10:00 Everyday 12:00 – 10:00 . . . . . #씨스루 #cthrough #카페씨스루 #커피스타그램 #경리단길 #경리단길카페 #경리단길맛집 #녹사평 #녹사평카페 #이태원 #이태원카페 #이태원맛집 #라떼아트 #크리마트 #먹스타그램 #today #instagram #dailyart #coffee #barista #latte #latteart #cafelatte #coffeetime #creamart #espresso #artwork #art

A post shared by 이강빈 (@leekangbin91) on Jul 18, 2017 at 8:55pm PDT

It takes Lee as long as an hour to whip one up, and he only makes on average three a day by reservation only, each costing around $6,63 (R87).

This is how it all began:

Lee has been making coffee for 10 years, branching into latte art seven years ago.

“I started to learn about coffee when I was 18 years old,” he says. “At that time, baristas were not well-known in Korea so I worried a little bit. Soon this worry went away as I became so interested in the job.”

He says it’s helped that he’s always had the support of his parents.

“People around me were critical of me becoming just a ‘coffee guy,'” says Lee. “But I stuck to my decision, just like many Koreans. I wanted to show that I could become successful with coffee.”

Of course, the cafe’s menu features other, more traditional items like hot chocolate. Remember that magnum hot chocolate recipe we shared with you?

Here’s what Lee would do with it:

씨스루 의 대표메뉴인 #스카치노 는 100ml 정도의 많지 않은 양이지만, 스카치노 베이스 위에 커피크림을 제조하기 위해서 필요한 콜드브루 커피를 위해서 6시간 이상의 시간을 들이고 베이스 를 제조하기 위해서 직접 볶은 두가지의 블랜드 를 사용하여 일정시간 냉장숙성 후 제공하고 있습니다. 오늘 역시 이른시간 출근해서 정성 가득 담아 만들어뒀습니다 🙂 결론은 #대존맛😏😏😏 . . . . . 라떼아트 1:1 교육 & 원두납품 문의 카톡 : CTHROUGH . “price for “creamart” or “bear” are ₩7500($7.5) each, if you would like another design, you need to make a reservation but are only allow up to three different creamart(s) a day. . 📌📌📌Reservations are closed as of now so I will not take any reservations for a while, but “bear” designs can be ordered any time” . 403-3, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu Monday & Tuesday 14:00 – 10:00 Everyday 12:00 – 10:00 . . . #씨스루 #cthrough #카페씨스루 #커피스타그램 #경리단길 #경리단길카페 #경리단길맛집 #녹사평 #녹사평카페 #이태원 #이태원카페 #이태원맛집 #라떼아트 #크리마트 #먹스타그램 #today #instagram #dailyart #coffee #barista #latteart #coffeetime #creamart #artwork #art

A post shared by 이강빈 (@leekangbin91) on Aug 16, 2017 at 9:13pm PDT

Me please.

Follow Lee on Instagram for more ideas about how to turn to that plain Joe into a work of art.

Maybe some inspiration for our local hipster baristas?

[source: cnn]