Q&A : The barista
8:47:00 PM
My morning habit is to grab a coffee before work. It's inevitable to think who is that person that will make me a great coffee. When i see the barista who prepares nice shots i feel that my day is going to be great . Though not all of us appreciate a lot the effort of the person preparing our favorite coffee. I thought that it is a good idea to write an article dedicated to a barista and ask him couple of questions that a coffee lover may have.
Dimitris is a good friend of mine and a barista who owns a small cafe in Athens,Greece. 90/10 inspired by the proportion of coffee he uses in his coffee house. Often i would text him asking plenty of questions about coffee . Whenever in Athens I will definitely drop by to enjoy one of the best coffees i have ever tasted and of course chat with him.
I always was a fan of the speciality coffee as a consumer .This was the first step that led me and my sister to a decision to open a cafe. The fact that i could prepare something that i really like on my own was one of the main reasons that i became a barista.
2. Would you consider moving to training?
I am interested but i feel that i still have a lot of knowledge to gain until then. This is one of my future goals. I like sharing my love for coffee especially with people that are not familiar with it.
3. What is that you like best about the work?
Everything.The setting of the grinder and the coffee machine in the morning . The communication with the people visiting our cafe. The whole procedure throughout the day of the weighing coffee. The cleaning of the coffee machine after the end of the shift at night. I just simply like the nature of the job!
4. How much coffee do you make when you're not on the job?
I don't usually prepare my own coffee when i'm not working. I would rather enjoy a good coffee in one of the so many specialty coffee bars that we have in Athens.
5. Do you make espresso at home?
No, i prefer to make filter coffee from Aeropress.
6. What skills does a good barista need?
My trainer, Dimitris Orfanos, gave me a very good advice : 'Forget everything and make sensory'. He is totally right, the best skill that a barista should have is the sense of good taste and smell. I think this should be one of the first seminars that a barista should have in the beginning of his/her career. A good barista should respect the materials given,only this way he can prepare the best quality of coffee.
7. What is very important to you in this job?
You may have the best barista in front of you but if he is not able to be polite , then you forget everything about the coffee.
8. Which is your favorite coffee place to go?
Qahwa Cafe.
9.When you walk into a coffee bar, what do you look for- both in machinery and in the baristas?
I always like to work in a clean bar, so i automatically check the conditions of both the bar and the machinery. I think it is important for a barista to explain to the client the coffee he prepared.
At 90/10 you will taste one of the best coffees from Samba Coffee Roasters
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