The Barista

[kingseven]

Correct me if I am wrong but I was always told barista, as a term, came from the Italian for Barman.

Barman isn't considerd a particularly talented occupation. Pulling pints isn't considered rocket science - regardless of the fact we are very picky about our beer. But from within barman came a new group who developed the name Mixologists. What they were interested in doing was taken drinks in new directions, new marriages of flavour and texture, colour and presentation. This is a respectable trade - you can make one hell of a name for yourself if you can build and create amazing drinks.

Why hasn't this happened in coffee? Espresso contains 100s of flavours to potentially marry to new foodstuff or liquids. There is no coffee mixologist, no coffee chef. Just a bar man.

I suspect its time for a change.

But where and how? What do you think?

[Raf]

I was thinking about this myself - especially re what you say about the 100's of flavours to marry to new foodstuffs or liquids. The new trend in haute cuisine is something called molecular gastronomy, and I think coffee/espresso and the marketing of it could benefit greatly from it. Essentially, molecular gastronomy is a scientific approach of taste - it deconstructs foodstuffs to molecular level and then researches why, e.g., egg whites can become so foamy, and how you can influence this process. It also answers the question why pizza and tomato sauce in general is so damned good. It's crazy, but the guys who started the hype (Hervé This, followed closely by Ferran Adria in his El Bulli laboratory) are the first in history to research the scientific backgrounds of taste - there's a lot of research into food safety, or health, or the DNA of chickens and whatever, but it's never about what happens when you fry a potatoe, or roast a chicken.

Molecular gastronomy is a marriage between physics, chemistry and cooking - just like espresso and coffee preparation! In fact, you could argue that the inventor of the espresso machine was one of the first molecular gastronomists. If you want to know more, search Google for the French professor Hervé This, Pierre Gagnaire (three star Michelin chef) or - in England - a restaurant called The Fat Duck. Maybe they did some research into coffee as well (but I doubt it). I think we need someone in the coffee biz who takes the Schomer thing even further: into the lab!

[Joey]

...There is no coffee mixologist, no coffee chef. Just a bar man.
I suspect its time for a change.
But where and how? What do you think?

...Beany Man
...the Bean Blender
...Bean Bartender ...Beantender ...
melanger - mixing ... the Melanger ...

just dropping thoughts - but as I'm still having jet leg problems I'm not good at that right now -
joy

[anette]

There is no coffee mixologist, no coffee chef. Just a bar man.

Yes there is! There is the barista! The term does come from italian for bartender, but I think the bartender traditionally has had a different status in italy than in england? (I'm neither italian or english but just a guess.) The italian bartender/barista has always had espresso as an integral part of his job, so when the coffee community outside of italy needed a title to describe the new specialized coffee making profession "barista" is the term they adopted. it doesn't go back that far, so no wonder the title isn't that well known or recognized. When I tell people I'm a barista they think it's spelled barrister and that I wear curly wigs and black cloaks to work. To explain I sometimes say that it's like a bartender only with coffee instead of alcohol.

The professional barista faces a lot of challenges in getting his or her title rcognized and respected, taken seriously if you wish. First of all it's a very new thing, although most people know what a cappuccino is they don't realize that it takes a certain skill to make one, and that there is so much more beyond pushing a few buttons to being a barista. It is a craft, a skill similar to being a chef.
The second is that we face a culture of coffee houses and chains that produce factory coffee, not hand made coffee. Bless them for promoting coffee drinkage and making it hip and cool, but I don't think swithcing from manual to automatic machines does much to promote the barista's skills. It's a job that attracts young people, for better and for worse, it's usually not amazing money, and it's a hard job! People don't stay in the profession long and excellence takes long to develop.

The mixology in coffee is out there, it's just not sexy! Order a vanilla latte in any coffee shop and you don't get the flares, the shaking, the showing off of drink building that you can get in some flashy bar. Coffee isn't flashy, but I dare say that it IS sexy, it is sensual, and you can make a show out of building your drinks that tells people that there is more to coffee than instant and mate. That's what latte art is all about, it's demonstrating skills, it's setting a standard. that's what the signature drinks in the championships is about, composing your drink like a chef composes his meal, presenting it with pride, creativity and style.

The way baristas are seen does need to change. It's hard, it's drawn out but it's coming. Ask a thirteenyearold in Norway what he wants to become when he grows up and fourth on his list is a barista. Why? Because it's cool. It's cred. It's because they see that the baristas get all the girls! (Right?) It's because the media takes an interest and puts the baristas on tv, in the morning shows demonstrating how to make espressos at home and in the newspaper covering the championships. My old boss was on the side of milkcartons in every household in the country giving tips on how to make iced lattes! In the states they have a barista guild, establishing that their job is a profession like any other. Other countries are doing the same. Maybe the Uk will get there too. Maybe we need more media attention, maybe we need to work even harder for excelling in the job, educationg customers and the public in what we do and proving through quality that what we do is a craft that takes talent, training, dedication and deserves recognition for it.

I want my passport to say I'm a barista.

And now I need to get back to work.

[Joey]

Personally I think Barista is a nice word which everybody can pronounce well, no matter which language he/she is speaking. And in the last couple of years at least SOME peopleknow what this is. If we invent a new name now it will take another couple of years to get it in the public

As you do, Anette, I also always use the example with "the bartender just without alcohol" (or almost) to explain the term - figured out that this works best to get an "ahhhh" effect

I will work hard to get my future baristas to be known for their coffee knowledge in all ways.
They will not only know 40 different kinds of coffee, they will be able to make it in several ways (espresso, drip, karlsbader, vac pot, turkish, etc...) and make wonderful recepie creations - so I want people to know that there is a waiter on one side and a barista on the important other side of the counter to provide the best coffee possible.
(Usually in Austria the waiter pushes the button without knowing anything about coffee and serves it)
As we have "sommeliers" here in AUstria for presenting and expaining wines in a good restaurant, I want people to understand that the barista is something like a coffee sommelier, too.

I like the milk carton idea, maybe I should ask my providing company to get on a carton, too... he, he....

Cheers
Joey

[phil]

FWIW I like the connotations of "sommelier" far better than those of "barman". Nice one Joey, and welcome back from your trip btw.

Now if a sommelier wears a silver "tastevin" on a cord around his neck, what should a barista wear?

[Joey]

A chain made of coffeebeans
Saw that on the coffee fest in seattle as a merchandise product, looks nice >lol<
Joey

[Raf]

A small portafilter, of course.

[anette]

Joey, what's a karlsbader?

[kingseven]

I am very much into molecular gastronomy. I have a session next week with a chef looking at some new ideas. I may have something to report. I've already learnt an awful lot about flavour perception, taste and stuff like that from phone and e-mail chats. It's something that I'd really like to get into as it is, in terms of espresso, reasonably unexplored.

The sommelier idea I couldn't agree with more - reading that article about appelation systems in coffee was fascinating. Its an area of the industry I know far too little about.

Love the chemistry though!

[Raf]

Who's the chef? It's a very interesting area indeed, and if you read french, I can highly recommend the works of Hervé This (maybe translated into English already as well). Too bad I'm not very scientifically schooled.

[kingseven]

I can't read french so This' "The theory of taste" is off the reading list for me.

The guy I am meeting is the head of food research at a three-star restaurant outside London. The head chef is quite well known, but I don't get to meet him unless I come up with something special. Its great to talk to people who have access to machines, technology, even money that I don't. I just hope I have something to trade back....!

Hopefully I should have something amusing for my signature drink for next years UKBC!

[moccafaux]

I am not that sure about the need to "upgrade" a profession by
re-naming it. Personally, I prefer a simple craftsman to any "artist" with his head in the clouds. And soon as a job has gotten the credentials of being "cool" it seems to attract the wrong kind of people anyway.

[kingseven]

Thats not really what I was saying. I was interested in taking being a barista in a new direction - not one that is "better" than a traditional barista - just different.

[moccafaux]

I see.
I dont think that this new direction will happen where "the common man" is customer. At least not this side of the alpes. In germany people spend lots of money on fancy machines for drip-coffee, but buy the at best mediocre stuff from Tchibo and Jacobs. More important, the consume of ready-made Cappuccino (you know the stuff: vietnamese robusta, milkpowder and sugar stuffed in a can) is steadily increasing. we have three new coffee-shops in our town and only one is offering things like lungo and ristretto. the others mimick Starbuck and its creations by name.
So outside the tight circle of the few coffee-gourmets most people tend to drink any muck containing caffeine. Even in really good restaurants the coffee - any type - tends to be way below the quality of the food and wine. And obviously noone complains.
Maybe in italy, with its tradition of a quick coffee on the way, people appreciate a good one and tend to prefer one bar over the other.
But here, i dont think it will happen. but hope so.