What is a barista? This is a word that I hear thrown about quite loosely. I find it quite insulting that starbucks has chosen this term for all of their employees. Their massive influence on the public has yielded, that anyone who works in a coffee house is a barista.
To me this is just not true, I feel that to be a barista you need to be an artisan. Not only do you need to have strong knowledge of the bean but you also need to know your way around all of the equipment that you work with.
I do understand that most employees of coffee shop do not aspire to be lifelong baristas, and that some of the best baristas also do not share this view. It is also very clear to me that I could spend a lifetime in the industry and never learn half of what there is to know about the bean.
I am just interested at what point do you think that you became a barista, or is it just a catch all word that I am over emphasizing?
P.S. I did not label myself as a barista until after I had come back from my first regional competition and reflected on my standings in the community.
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