Barista

Competitor at the Barista World Championships (2006).

A barista (Italian [baˈrista]; English /bəˈriːstə/ bə-REE-stuh or /bəˈrɪstə/ bə-RI-stuh; from the Italian for "bartender") is a person, usually a coffeehouse employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.

Etymology and inflection

The word barista is an Italian word, and in Italy, a barista is a male or female "bartender", who typically works behind a counter, serving hot drinks (such as espresso), cold alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks.

The native plural in English is baristas, while in Italian the plural is baristi for masculine or mixed sex (baristi: "barmen", "bartenders") or bariste for feminine (bariste: "barmaids").

Application of the title

Gwilym Davies, WBC champion 2009.

While the title is not regulated, most coffee shops use the title to describe the preparer of coffee and operator of an espresso machine.

Good espresso-making is essential to a barista's role.

Latte art is a visible sign of a trained barista and well-frothed milk.

A Barista with his mobile espresso bar in Ystad, Sweden 2013.

Baristas generally operate a commercial espresso machine, and their role is preparing and pulling the shot; the degree to which this is automated or done manually varies significantly, ranging from push-button operation to an involved manual process. Espresso is a notoriously finicky beverage, and good manual espresso making is considered a skilled task. Further, preparation of other beverages, particularly milk-based drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes, but also non-espresso coffee such as drip or press pot, requires additional work and skill for effective frothing, pouring and most often latte art.

The barista usually has been trained to operate the machine and to prepare the coffee based on the guidelines of the roaster or shop owner, while more experienced baristas may have discretion to vary preparation or experiment.

To make the coffee well, there is a series of steps needing attention, including grinding the beans, extracting the coffee, frothing the milk and pouring.^[1]

Beyond the preparation of espresso and other beverages and general customer service, skilled baristas acquire knowledge of the entire process of coffee to effectively prepare a desired cup of coffee, including maintenance and programming of the machine, grinding methods, roasting, and coffee plant cultivation, similar to how a sommelier is familiar with the entire process of wine making and consumption. A barista can acquire these skills by attending training classes, but they are more commonly learned on the job.

Competition

Formal barista competitions originated in Norway,^[2] and today the most prestigious is the World Barista Championships, held annually at varied international locations.^[3] Baristas worldwide compete, though they must first compete in a competition held in their own country to qualify to enter in the WBC.

Training

There are many schools providing barista training worldwide, many of which belong to the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE).

See also

• Bikini barista
• Soda jerk
• Sommelier
• Coffee portal

References

1. Anand, Shitka (10 November 2011). "How to make perfect coffee: Sydney's best baristas reveal their secrets". CNN. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
2. Wendelboe, Tim (May 1, 2005) The Future of the World Barista Championship. "CoffeeGeek.com" Retrieved on 2006-oct-25
3. "World Barista Championship".