Barista facts for kids
A barista is a person who makes and serves coffee drinks, especially those made with espresso. You'll usually find baristas working in a coffeehouse or cafe. The word "barista" comes from Italian and Spanish, where it means "bartender."
Contents
What is a Barista?
The word barista comes from the Italian word for "bartender." In Italy, a barista serves all kinds of drinks, both hot and cold, and even snacks. The word has been used since at least 1916 in both Spanish and Italian.
In English and Spanish, if you're talking about more than one barista, you say "baristas." In Italian, it's a bit different: "baristi" is for male baristas, and "bariste" is for female baristas.
What Does a Barista Do?
Even though there aren't strict rules about who can be called a barista, most coffee shops use this title for the person who makes coffee. This person also usually operates the espresso machine.
Making Espresso and Coffee Drinks
A barista's main job is to use a special commercial espresso machine. They prepare and "pull" the espresso shot. This can be a simple push-button process or a more hands-on task. Making good espresso is considered a skilled job because it's a tricky drink to get right.
Baristas also make other popular drinks. These include milk-based drinks like cappuccinos and lattes. They also make non-espresso coffees, such as drip coffee. For milk drinks, baristas need to know how to froth milk perfectly. They also often create latte art, which is a visible sign of a trained barista.
Skills and Knowledge of a Barista
Baristas are usually trained to use the espresso machine. They learn how to prepare coffee following the rules of the coffee shop or roaster. More experienced baristas might even get to try new ways of making coffee.
To make great coffee, a barista pays attention to many steps. These include grinding the coffee beans just right. They also focus on extracting the coffee from the machine. Frothing the milk correctly and pouring it well are also important.
Beyond making drinks, skilled baristas learn a lot about coffee. They understand how to maintain and program the coffee machine. They also know about different grinding methods. Some even learn about coffee roasting and how coffee plants are grown. This is similar to how a sommelier knows all about wine. Baristas can learn these skills in classes, but they often learn them while working.
Barista Competitions
Formal competitions for baristas first started in Norway. One of the biggest is the World Barista Championships (WBC). This event happens every year in different places around the world. Baristas from many countries compete. To enter the WBC, they first have to win a competition in their own country. An example is the United States Barista Championship.
See also
In Spanish: Barista para niños
