WHEN THE BARISTA IS NOT THERE

The Barista is the professional of the bar and cafeteria as well as the latte art. His professionalism is highly sought after, both in Italy and abroad.

It was once generally used as a second job for temporary employment by young people and students.

Today, throughout the world, the profession of Barista is often the choice rather than a necessity.

What does a Barista do (and how does he do it)?

Barista in Italy is not an easy job because it involves different responsibilities, tasks and daily activities.

A professional Barista excels collaboratively and independently by possessing analytical, problem solving, organizational and decision-making skills. Their motivation, honesty and willingness provide customers unparalleled service which in turn produces patron loyalty.

In addition, a bar in Italy is the center of social aggregation par excellence, the place for a break or to spend a few hours.

Baristas are not only performers but also the embodiment of the café itself. They are casual and quick in preparing coffee, cappuccinos or drinks while offering impeccable service in the shortest possible time. Additionally, they provide a courteous reception which puts customers at ease and coming back for more.

The Barista strives to master the art of the smile, professionalism, industry culture with lots of experience!

The cup of coffee is the fulcrum of the place’s success

When a customer asks for “a macchiato and a cappuccino” he expects a quick, courteous service as well as excellent products.

The customer takes it for granted to drink good coffee when he enters a café.

Even in times of crisis, coffee continues to be the main reason why you enter a café. A café can survive provided you serve a satisfying coffee, appreciated by regular customers.

Today the competitor of a café is not just the café nearby

It can be another place, the vending or the coffee machine for domestic use.

A professional Barista knows this. For this reason he studies coffee, expresses his best in the various steps behind the coffee machine (starting from the choice of blends to the grind) to put a perfect espresso into the cup and, last but not least, tells the coffee.

This way, he can keep his customers loyal every day, cup after cup.

In order to enhance coffee, you need to study and practice continuously. Behind every good extraction, there are as many unsuccessful attempts and tests, but also experiments, books read, calculations and proportions.

The processing of artisan products requires technique, exercise and precision. Factors that can not be improvised.

It means knowing the journey of the coffee bean from the plantations to the cup, and then aspects of botany, agronomy, chemistry, physics and the complex production process that leads to the perfect espresso. It means training.

The role of the Barista is fundamental in the success of a good espresso

because the Barista is the last link in the coffee production chain.

The hand of the Barista by definition, because it contemplates the human factor, does not guarantee constancy, but for this it gives an added value to the drink and it increases the sensory experience of the consumer.

Unfortunately, all too often the Barista is an improvised operator without the necessary professional skills or passion. They do not realize that being a Barista is a true and proper profession. It requires experience, technical mastery, knowledge of how to manage, check and maintain all the products and equipment involved in making a perfect Italian espresso.

Research promoted by Nestlé collected the most tragic mistakes of those who prepare and serve coffee at cafés.

Very often we make the mistake of betting everything on the brand, getting sponsored signs, cups, sugar packets and all kinds of equipment, but we ignore the practical and scientific rules that are the basis of the success of a cup of espresso.

The raw material is important, but you have to be careful not to ruin it… along with the mood of the customers.

It is useless to have an army of grinders if there is no obligation to clean them every day, given that the poor maintenance of the machines is the main cause of unsuccessful coffee.

Rather, it is much better to opt for coffee pods

it certainly makes less of a scene than coffee beans being ground, but in many cases is the ideal solution.

The Barista who chooses to grind coffee in the moment is wise to learn how to do it in a professional manner since incorrect grinding is the reason for bad coffee 30% of the time. The perfect espresso must always be extracted from ground coffee at a pressure of 9.4 bar and a temperature of around 92°C, otherwise a drink with an altered and distorted taste that is too watered down will be the result.

Rather, it is much better to opt for coffee pods

in which the coffee, once ground, is enclosed in pods, packaged in a protective atmosphere to best preserve the aromas until the time of extraction.

Even the quantity is absolutely not left to chance: in each pod there are always 7 grams of coffee.

Thanks to the coffee machine, each pod is always extracted at the right pressure and temperature, day after day, month after month, allowing anyone to taste and always offer a perfect coffee.

Good to know: this system, among its many benefits, requires minimal maintenance, reduces waste and is eco-friendly.

Furthermore, if the coffee beans are particularly suitable for places with high daily consumption, then the pod is the most effective solution to guarantee quality when the machine is not constantly working.

At the restaurant, in Italy

The emblematic example is the coffee at a restaurant in Italy: everyone prepares it, serves it, puts it on the menu regardless of the type of cuisine offered, but the potential of coffee continues to be exploited and valued very little.

Having made it a habit or ritual of end meal for centuries, has perhaps led us to consider coffee as a basket of bread, a napkin or a knife: something that is good, but on whose quality and characteristics it can also be overlooked, since it will never be as important and decisive as a first, a second or a glass of wine.

Nothing could be more wrong!

Have you ever thought that a coffee could also be paired with certain menus and dishes?

In a historic moment of strong competitiveness in the catering sector, coffee is a resource that everyone has but few value. At the moment.

To do this you don’t need exceptional resources: just look for the right solution.

It is important to devote time and passion to the search for quality coffee and the right methods to prepare and serve it “on the rule of art”. To transform a distracted gesture into a tasting that completes an impeccable dinner.

After all, coffee is the last thing that is served and remembered by the mind and the palate!

Why make life unnecessarily complicated?

For smaller businesses such as restaurants, hotels, pastry shops and places serving conservative amounts of coffee but still want to offer an impeccable espresso coffee like what a Barista would prepare, the ideal solution is the coffee in pod.

Everyday at SpecialCoffee we put all our efforts into providing Ho.Re.Ca. professionals the dedicated products and solutions designed to meet the various business’ needs.