I used to be a frugal traveller. Now I’ll spend $49 on a cup of coffee

I’m a reformed cheapskate. I used to be hyper-vigilant about how I spent my money on holidays. Although deliberating about whether to pay an extra few dollars shouldn’t have been necessary. If I’d squandered my hard-earned money to get to [insert destination here], why not enjoy it to the full?

There are moments I wish I could go back in time and change my almost embarrassingly frugal mentality. I had a chance in Rio de Janeiro to go paragliding, spreading my harnessed wings from Pedra Bonita mountain to zoom over the city’s golden coastline with a miniature Christ the Redeemer under my toes. What a moment that would’ve been. I’d wanted to do it for so long. But I started feeling guilty about digging deep into my savings and decided to leave it for another time when I had a bigger holiday budget to adopt a “when in Rome” (or Rio) attitude. Guess what? I haven’t been back.

Coffee as art.Credit: Illustration: Jamie Brown

The same mindset can apply to smaller purchases like coffee. The daily lifeblood can be more than just routine; instead, it can offer a unique experience, as I’ve discovered in a few places around the world.

I combined seeing artistry in action with getting caffeinated at Reissue Tokyo. Located in the Harajuku district, this upstairs cafe presents coffee as 3D/2D “latte art”. Thirsty patrons can select what picture or character they would like recreated in foam and chocolate sprinkles by talented barista Van Goghs.

The popular cafe doesn’t shy away from the fact its creative cups are expensive. One coffee sells for ¥1300 yen ($13). But who comes here for just a bean-fuelled buzz? Make it Instagrammable, and they will come.

Patrons fill the cafe’s tables, taking endless photos of what are drinkable masterpieces (if often lukewarm by the time they are done). Despite waiting for a seat, I’m given a menu with picture ideas for my novelty brew. Do I want an Anime character hand-drawn on my foam or an adorable 3D sculpture of a teddy bear? In the end, I consult Google to reimagine an iconic cultural moment.

Learning about the art of Turkish tasseography meant paying $45 for a cup.Credit: iStock

I watch the artist meticulously sculpt my quirky request using a needle-like coffee art pen. After five minutes, my order is ready. An excited Oprah stares back at me with her enduring “You get a car” meme crafted as latte art. Beans aside, I get a good kick out of it.

At Sketch, London’s acclaimed bar-restaurant art hub, the 18th-century Mayfair multi-storey townhouse mixes avant-garde with all shades of the colour wheel, with each of the venue’s five spaces elaborately decorated with changing installations by a roster of artists and designers. It seems reasonable to fork out £6 ($12) for a flat white to see incredible artwork and to visit the emporium’s futuristic egg-shaped pod toilets, which also regularly receive makeovers.

In Istanbul, I join a coffee-making workshop to learn more about the birthplace of coffee culture and the ancient, nuanced art of Turkish tasseography. Post-cuppa, a guide interprets symbols depicting the past, present and future in leftover coffee granules. I’m wide-eyed for the reveal, eager to hear my destiny decoded through muddied beans. At $49 it’s the most expensive coffee so far.

Next time I’m abroad, I’ll be again looking out for another caffeine hit that will perk me up twofold. And I’ll no longer feel guilty about blowing the budget for it.