James Hoffmann at the World Barista Championship (2006)

A barista (/bəˈriːstə, -ˈrɪs-/ bə-REE-stə, bə-RIST-ə, Italian: [baˈrista], Spanish: [baˈɾista]; "bartender") is a person, usually a coffeehouse employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks, and often teas as well.

Etymology and inflection

The word "barista" comes from Italian and Spanish, where it means a male or female "bartender" who typically works behind a counter,^[1] serving hot drinks (such as espresso), cold alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks.^[2] Prieto (2021) shows that the word "barista" has been documented since 1916 in both Spanish and Italian.^[3] The native plural in English and Spanish is baristas, while in Italian the plural is baristi for masculine (literally "barmen", "bartenders") or bariste for feminine (literally "barmaids").^[2]

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. In Starbucks, over the counter employees are referred to as "baristas", although the preparation process is fully automated.

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.^[4]

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 winemaking 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,^[5] and one such is the World Barista Championships, held annually at varied international locations.^[6] Baristas worldwide compete, though they must first compete in a competition held in their own country to qualify to enter in the WBC, such as the United States Barista Championship. The knowledge sharing at WBC is credited with spreading the beverage espresso and tonic to North America.^[7]

See also

• Bikini barista
• Milkman
• Soda jerk
• Sommelier

References