The art is lost because sips were taken. I wasn’t as patient drinking as they were in making.

It’s no secret that Urth Caffe is one of my favourite places to go. If you come to stay with me, I will take you there and not feel the slightest guilt at turning you into a Spanish Latte addict. But one of the reasons why I love going there is in the details and the lesson within.

Generally, Urth is one busy cafe no matter which location you go to. I find myself more often than not in the Santa Monica one but the one on Melrose is fast becoming a second home. People always coming in and out, lines always forming but moving fast, tables filled with people and lively chatter.

But no matter how busy they are behind the counter, no matter how many people barked at them, no matter the craziness that ensues, the baristas always take the time to make art.

Every hot drink gets a design and which design depends on which drink. They make turkeys, hearts, leafs and a few others I can’t recall. They have to pour the drink into the cup just so, then they take a stick and create art. Even if it’s in a to go cup in which a lid will cover it all up, they take the time. Even if they have 100 orders to fill in 5 minutes, they take the time. No short cuts, no huffing, no auto-pilot. They literally pay attention to each pour and stroke of the stick.

Although I’ve watched them make drinks dozens and dozens of times, and although my guests who see it for the first time always ooh and ahh over the intricate details in their Japanese Tea Latte, I hadn’t ever really appreciate the effort it takes to make each task count, over and over again, no matter how busy or how often you do it. It’s far easier to go on auto-pilot with the every day than to appreciate.

But it’s so much more beautiful, happier and I think interesting, if you can.