At the Pike Place Market store I can sit around and jive talk about coffee for hours, but many others don't necessarily want to know more about it—instead, they're drawn to the experience of drinking it, socializing with friends, talking about the previous night, peeling off layers of a cranberry walnut muffin, until we reach that coffee buzz which makes surviving the upcoming day all that much more plausible. No wonder so many successful coffee shops around the country create living rooms for their customers with dark wooden floors, light colored walls, communal tables, and the endless aroma of freshly ground beans. We're drawn to comfort in the aroma of brewing, the barista's choice of music, and the milk-infused...
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Note: Serious Eats contributor Allison Hemler is a NYC-based barista who recently traveled to Seattle to check out the internal coffee college at Starbucks HQ. This week, she'll be educating us on tidbits she picked up in class, with today's focus on the espresso. A latte poured by a barista at Stumptown Coffee in Portland, Oregon. Any seasoned barista will tell you what the time before being cleared on an espresso machine is like. You're stuck at the cash register, acting as the interpreter between the customer and the artist behind the La Marzocco who pulls shots, steams milk, and applies a delicate touch to a porcelain cup as it makes its way to a caffeine-starved owner. The barista does...
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This weekend, January 23 to 25, the 2009 Western Regional Barista Competition is being held at the Spring Arts Tower in downtown Los Angeles. The event is free and open to the public, so check it out if you want to see 25 competitors from California and Washington unleash their espresso-making skills. Of course, a steady stream of free coffee will be provided. [via Boing Boing]...
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Photograph from journeyscoffee on Flickr Last Saturday, Serious Eats member EtherMaiden asked, "What makes a good barista?" Cafe owner and barista ChelleyD01 gave this informative reply: A good barista knows their customers drinks when they walk through the door. They know when milk is to temp without having to use a thermometer. They know that fresh, cold milk will bring good volume and best taste every single time rather than dank, reheated milk over and over again. They know that many steaming pitchers are needed as when flavor syrups are steamed WITH the milk, as opposed to being added cold, it brings a better flavor to the drink. They know that good, freshly ground beans are amazing and will...
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