WHAT IS THE JOB OF A BARISTA?
Its a word that originates from Italy, and it is used to address all bartenders there. On the other hand, in France, the United Kingdom and Germany, the term has taken on another meaning with the arrival of specialty coffee: today it often refers to a coffee specialist.
The profession of barista is often compared to that of a sommelier. If the two are similar in their knowledge of the terroirs, aromas and specificities of each of their respective products, they differ in one important aspect: the barista is also responsible for preparing the drinks from scratch! Unlike wine, coffee must be ground and brewed fresh, on demand, in order to extract all the aromas. The same coffee beans can be brewed in a plethora of ways: espresso , V60 , Chemex , Aeropress , etc. The barista must therefore find the ideal recipe for each coffee and for each brewing method, in order to serve you a drink that will reflect the incredible work done by the producers and the roasters.
WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD BARISTA?
Compared to other drinks such as wine or tea which have been consumed for millennias, coffee has only found its widespread popularity recently, mostly in the 20th century. And it is only even more recently that coffee begun to be recognized for its aromatic complexity. The harvesting , fermentation and brewing methods of coffee are all still in constant evolution. The barista must therefore keep up with these innovations in order to bring you the best cup of coffee. As you may have guessed, an essential quality for a barista is curiosity! The best baristas are constantly looking for new recipes, processes, flavors profiles and even practicing new latte art designs.
One aspect that sets a good barista apart is the attention to detail. Specialty coffee differs from more commercial coffee by its emphasis on detail and precision. The dose of coffee is weighed to the tenth of a gram, and the quantity of water used is measured to the nearest ml. The barista must also tasked with tasting the coffee throughout the day to ensure that the espresso remains as delicious as ever.
Ultimately, coffee remains a very social drink. A good barista is therefore always ready to chat and share his coffee knowledge. Speaking of which, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to stop by our coffee shops! our baristas will be delighted to share their coffee expertise with you!
HOW TO BECOME A BARISTA AND DEVELOP YOUR EXPERTISE?
Becoming a barista requires an undeniable interest in service and the food professions. There is no specific diploma recognized by the state yet. Most baristas are trained on the job, as many of the basic skills of the trade require manual practice and tasting a lot of coffee. If you want to embark on the adventure of specialty coffee as a barista, do not hesitate to contact us!
Nowadays, you can easily familiarize yourself with the knowledge and techniques employed by baristas. There is a large amount of content on coffee available for free on the internet: videos, articles, our blogs , forums, etc. There is no shortage of sources! If you prefer physical media, there are also some good books like “Café” by Hippolyte Courty or the books by Scott Rao (some of them are quite advanced). Otherwise the easiest way to gain knowledge is always to chat with your barista (if they're not too busy).
If you want to go further in your knowledge of coffee, some professionals offer short courese, often on a particular aspect of coffee brewing , such as espresso, filter coffee, latte art, etc. These training courses tend to be quite expensive so we recommend that you learn by yourself a little beforehand (for free on the internet or with books), in order to fully benefit from the experience.
If you are already a seasoned barista but you would like to be ahead of the trends, you can watch barista competitions. They exist in all countries and for almost all brewing methods. During these competitions, participants are likely to innovate in order to win. Whether its new recipes, a unique fermentation process, or a special brewer, these competitions often highlight novelties that may be adopted by the industry or individuals only years later.
If all this has made you want to taste exceptional coffee, discover all our specialty coffee beans from the Araku Valley in India, all organic and Fair Tarde.
