Baristas

All about baristas

Those people who can make all the difference in making you a coffee that makes you smile

Strictly speaking a barista is someone who is proficient in making espresso coffee, although in the USA the term is often also used for coffee shop employees who prepare both espresso and regular coffee drinks.

The name is believed to have originated in Italy, where it applies to servers of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, but generally outside of Italy it is specific to servers of coffee-based drinks.

Although most baristas are trained on the job and there are few if any recognised training schemes or qualifications it is still a highly skilled job, since it involves everything from knowing how to make specialised drinks and decorating the surface of the drink with often complicated designs to operating complex machinery.

In the UK, there is a City and Guilds qualification in Barista skills, where students cover things like:

• ingredients and equipment
• drink recipes and preparation
• presentation of beverages
• serving of beverages
• customer service essentials.

There is also a World Barista Championships.  The competition originated in Norway but is now held annually at different venues around the world.

Competitors must each prepare 4 espressos, 4 milk drinks, and 4 original signature drinks to exacting standards in a 15-minute performance set to music.

The 2022 championships will take place in Melbourne, Australia in September.