What is a Professional Barista?

A professional barista? Everyone has an image of what a professional barista looks like. You might be thinking of someone who can create amazing latte art, who can work efficiently and effectively behind the espresso machine, or someone who can serve coffees in a beautiful cafe environment.

All of those things are true, but it goes so much further than that. To be a truly professional barista, you need to have an understanding of the full story behind every cup of coffee that you serve. You need to understand where the coffee comes from, how it has been processed, how it has been roasted, and how all of those factors impact the flavour of the cup.

Armed with this knowledge, you can make informed decisions, rather than just following procedures, or guessing what to do. Consistency is another key factor that defines a professional barista. Anyone can make one good cup of coffee, with everything set up perfectly. A professional barista can repeat that cup of coffee over and over again during a busy morning service, under the pressure of a long line of customers, and with multiple orders on the go at the same time.

Achieving that level of consistency comes from practice, systems and discipline. Interpersonal skills are another vital factor that people often neglect. As a barista, you are not just working with coffee, you are working with people. You need to be able to listen to your customers, understand their preferences, and provide them with a great experience. You can make someone an amazing cup of coffee, but if they had a horrible experience, they are unlikely to remember the coffee.

Provide someone with an amazing experience, and they are much more likely to remember the experience, even if they can’t remember the coffee! Finally, the technical skills that a barista needs to master cannot be ignored. This includes extracting shots of espresso, texturing milk, dialling in grinders, maintaining equipment, systems for workflow and efficiency, the list goes on and on.

A professional barista doesn’t just “operate” equipment, they understand the function and purpose of that equipment, and how making adjustments will impact the final product in the cup.

At BrewSkillArt, we aim to equip students with all of those skills, and with a full understanding of how they fit into their daily workflow. Our classes are heavily focused on practical time behind the espresso machine, but we are also big believers in the importance and value of theory, and how it applies to practical skills. We believe that professionalism is something that can be learned and developed over time, through practice, repetition, and experience. It is not something that you are simply born with. Finally, being a barista is not just about the coffee. It is not just about being able to extract a shot of espresso, or texture milk. Being a barista is about being precise, creative and responsible with every single cup of coffee that you serve.