Both last weekend in New York and this weekend in San Francisco I experienced a small thrill: Latte art.

You go to a coffee shop and order a cappuccino. And the barista goes hog-mad and creates a stunning work of art out of foam. These designs are  created in espresso-based drinks in one of two ways. First, the barista may manipulate the flow of milk from a metal jug into the espresso (this is called "free pour" latte art). Second, designs may be drawn on with a little metal instrument or using stencils or powders.

Watch this video to get a feel for what I'm talking about.

The beauty of it is that latte art is coming to a coffee shop near you. The Southeast Regional Barista Competition takes place this weekend at The Harborview Center (300 Cleveland St., Clearwater), with baristas from all over the southeastern states competing for foam supremacy. It's free and open to the public, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the finals held Sunday 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.