The so-called “coffee-ring effect” denotes the accumulation of nonvolatile compounds at the edge of an evaporating sessile drop. This ubiquitous phenomenon can be seen as both a scientific challenge and an obstacle in industry. We are devising new ways to harness the coffee-ring effect and exploiting it to convert it into a powerful tool for applications ranging from ubiquitous particle patterning to low-cost point-of-care diagnostics.