The general populace does not know what a barista is, what they do and where to find them. It is not a barrister, the nefarious land shark known by many as a lawyer. I have two or three that have voracious appetites. A barista is the person who creates a specialty coffee such as a cappuccino or latte. You might think that there are dozens of these just in Nassau County, but to be exact, only two or three coffee establishments employ the services of a barista. Which means that you are probably getting a professional milk steamer rather than a barista.
Why should you know if a barista and not a milk steamer is serving you? The same reason you should know if your hairstyle is being done by a beautician and not your gardener. A great barista can create a perfect puck whereas a machine or a milk steamer cannot.
This then begs the question: What is a perfect puck?
A barista performs several steps before the brew basket is placed in the espresso machine. To create a puck the professional barista will adjust the grinder for changing humidity, dose the grinds into the basket, sweep the basket for the proper amount of espresso grind, level the grinds, tap the basket to insure the edges are even, press the grinds, polish the top of the grind and then inspect the polish for imperfections. This seems to be an involved process but a great barista can accomplish all the above in about 90 seconds, creating the perfect puck.
The barista is actually bending a law of physics to create a perfect espresso. Water follows the path of least resistance. OK, so do politicians, but they are not behind an espresso bar. The barista is making sure the hot steaming water is forced evenly over all the grounds in the brew basket. If the perfect puck is not created, the water will blow through one section of the puck and all the rest of the espresso grind will never have an extraction. The end product that you should be looking for is the perfect creama.
OK, this begs another question: What is the perfect creama?
Creama is the reddish tan froth on the top of the espresso. Without this the espresso is useless. In Italy, it is expected the patron will inspect the creama. If the creama is not right, the patron has the right to demand another puck be created. There should always be approximately a quarter inch of creama on the top of any espresso. Remember, espresso is the basis for a great latte or cappuccino.
An espresso machine cannot replace a barista nor can a barista create the perfect puck and creama without the espresso machine. Many establishments use what is know as a super automatic espresso machine. A super automatic espresso machine that will grind, puck, dispense coffee and sell you a CD by the Ocean Sounds Meditative String Quartet. Assembly line milk frothers operate these machines. If you’re getting your latte from one of these, you might as well push the button yourself at the local gas station.
As a patron, the whole process of the barista should be visible to you. You are paying for a specialty coffee drink and you deserve what you pay for. The barista who can bend the laws of nature is the only barista that should be tipped for a job well done.