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 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

#3 Dog Latte Attempt. Not A Very Good One

Image credits: Menace_tosociety

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 The Time When My Husband Tried To Recreate Our Dog In A Cup Of Coffee

Image credits: RayL11455

#5 I Tried To Make A Latte Cat

Image credits: Naptime23_7

#6 My Latte "Art"

Image credits: JDMVilla

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 I Asked For A Cute Kitty With My Latte

Image credits: Persyah

#8 When Twisted People Try To Do Latte Art

Image credits: louizavery

#9 Not All Lattes Art Turn Out How We Hope

Image credits: csc_dubbo

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 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

#11 When You Want To Draw A Woman’s Face On Coffee And You Remember You Don’t Know How To Draw

Image credits: agarojewska

#12 The Sad Face Even Has A Comb-Over. Good Luck On Today

Image credits: joestaten

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 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

#15 Bad Swan, Good Nessie

Image credits: pantenepterodactyl

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 Me As A Barista

Image credits: poorlycatdraw

#18 I Tried... My First Attempt Was Delicious, Had To Drink Some Before A Picture

Image credits: freyfrey96

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 When Even Your Coffee Is Surprised By How Ugly Your Latte Art Is. But It's Delicious. I Swear

Image credits: caradepezcafe

#20 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

#21 This Is Why I Can’t Be A Barista

Image credits: basil_wonder

"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 Another Latte Art Fail, But Does Anyone Else See Harry Battling A Dementor?

Image credits: americashotmom

#23 Such A Beautiful Art

Image credits: kanpai_coffee

#24 Is This The Sun?

Image credits: aicepalacio

"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 A Local Place Is Advertising This Beetroot Latte Monstrosity

Image credits: ssfritz

#26 It Took Me About 15 Minutes. By The Time I'm About To Drink, It's Already Cold

Image credits: stellarlight21

#27 I Failed My Latte Art, And It Turned Out Looking Like An Embryo

Image credits: cassidilla_

“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 First Attempts At Latte Art, Last Picture Is What I Was Trying To Make

Image credits: st0nkb0nk

#29 My Attempt At 3D Latte Foam Art. I Don't Think I Should've Used Chocolate Sauce

Image credits: catparent1666

#30 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

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 At Least They Tried

Image credits: hymaycreative

#32 I Was Trying To Make A Baby Yoda Latte Art

Image credits: littleolefee

#33 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

#34 Mondays. Hope You All Had A Better Start Into The New Week

Image credits: zugvogelcoffeeroastery

#35 An Onion Maybe?

Image credits: dimsimprincess

#36 Don't Mean To Brag, But, I Think I Nailed The Whole Latte Art Thing

Image credits: ReneV423

#37 Let's Call It A Swan?

Image credits: CountryCarandConsole

#38 I'm Learning Latte Art. I'm Not Good

Image credits: IAlwaysFinishMy

#39 My Latte Art Is Improving

Image credits: HuttsLP

#40 I Didn't Think I Could Make A Worse Attempt Than My Last One

Image credits: thespazmatazz

#41 Here Is My Attempt At A Snail Which Dissolved Into A Blob. And Also, This Coffee Was Cold

Image credits: sophie_gould

#42 Failed The Latte Swan Art. I Accidentally Made It Into A Dog Wagging Its Tail Very Quickly

Image credits: nightzirch

#43 A Failed Heart Turned Into A Fish

Image credits: Znekcihc

#44 What Is This Supposed To Be?

Image credits: spfxgirl

#45 Made My First Latte Swan. Everyone Is Always Shocked To Find Out I’ve Never Been A Barista

Image credits: testcook

#46 My Face When I Over-Aerate The Milk And Still Fail At Latte Art

Image credits: Jdahli1

#47 If You Can't Think Of Anything Nice To Say, Don't Say Anything. I'll Just Say Good Try

Image credits: stephenfry

#48 Latte Art? Latte Fail? What Is It?

Image credits: cafefam

#49 Coffee Portrait, But A Bad One

Image credits: spfxgirl

#50 It Looks Like The Disney Castle

Image credits: ThePrimeagen

#51 This Is How My Latte Art Is Going

Image credits: CaptainMunie

#52 I Asked My Barista To Give Me The Mona Lisa On My Latte

Image credits: MamaRebbe

#53 A Barista Tried To Do The Lord Of The Rings Art On A Caramel Latte

Image credits: reddit.com

#54 A Failed Feather? A Dinosaur With A Bubble For An Eye?

Image credits: coffee.art.fails

#55 Depressed Bunny

Image credits: AmNotLost

#56 I Call This "The Surprised Drooling Panda"

Image credits: bennickeldandrea

#57 Santa Latte

Image credits: carebear8555

#58 My Attempted Swan Turned Into The Sorting Hat From Harry Potter

Image credits: teapotthead

#59 When It’s More About The Taste Than The Art

Image credits: foundinthekitchen

#60 I Tried My Hand At Latte Art. All I Got Was A Butt

Image credits: gluten-free-pancakes

#61 Moon? Banana? Pac-Man? What Do You See?

Image credits: jquallo

#62 At Least It Tasted Great

Image credits: latte.art.fails

#63 Our Newest Barista’s Latte Art Is Coming Along Very Nicely

Image credits: wildiriscoffeehouse

#64 I Think I'll Just Give Up Trying To Make My Husband's Coffee Pretty

Image credits: ange__nz

#65 Back To Coffee Art Fails

Image credits: mdenardi99

#66 I Tried To Make A Heart

Image credits: stinemonsen

#67 Accidentally Failed At Making Hearts On My Latte And Ended Up With A Man With A Mustache Instead

Image credits: scienceisthebestart

#68 First Attempt At A Coffee Art

Image credits: ceporet

#69 One Of These Times I Will Get A Good Latte Art

Image credits: bethanydc

#70 Oh My God. Latte Art Fail Of The Day

Image credits: lepetitsalonhk

#71 My Daughter Asked For A Love Heart. I Accidentally Made A Butt Instead

Image credits: max_nark

#72 Behold! My Latte Art Creation

Image credits: futbolguy12

#73 Evening Coffee. Delightful Art. Must Be One Of The Best Latte Arts I've Seen. No Doubt

Image credits: necrofosho

#74 When You Do The Best Pour Of Your Life But Bump It After Setting It Down

Image credits: xtina2345

#75 My Attempt At Coffee "Art" Is This Stumpy 3-Legged Lab

Image credits: wolfheartdesign

#76 I Heard You Guys Like Latte Art

Image credits: onefornine

#77 I Watched One YouTube Video About Latte Art, Failed Epically

Image credits: YoungUrbanWitch

#78 First Time To Pour A Swan

Image credits: littlesiriusmuffin

#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 I Was Trying To Make A Heart

Image credits: 3spressotree

#81 It's The Gorilla Face, I Guess

Image credits: coffee_art_fails

#82 Sugary Wildberry-Vanilla Latte With Only God Knows What Abstractionism On Top

Image credits: gretekaulinyte

#83 My Attempt To Draw A Swan. Forgot It Was Just A Regular Cup Not A Bucket

Image credits: gracie.le_a

#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

#88 Coffee Portrait, But A Bad One