Our word of the day/week/month/year is Barista

Titus Andronicus

We've been bombarded with this Barista thing lately, tell you the truth, I had to Google it.
Think it means coffee maker, as if it's such a professional task it demands such a fancy term.

I put it up there with fuel dispensing operator & sanitation engineer.

Obvious attempt to justify the jacked up the price of coffee is obvious, I shall not be utilising this new term.

libelula

Um, Baristas have been around for years. And years.

wes

Its a pretty cromulent word.

buck65

Coffee in Ireland is deplorable generally, out of every 10 restaurants I've been at I reckon 3 would have decent coffee, 3 more acceptable to weak and 3 more absoulute shyte.

That leaves one which might serve tea by mistake.

whiskeyman

Titus Andronicus wrote: »

as if it's such a professional task it demands such a fancy term.

....


I shall not be utilising this new term.

'using'

Mint Aero

Quite a lot of bad ones out there. Can't help but feel, seeing as this is Ireland and all. Perhaps we should create a scheme where people can go on the dole for 6 months before being allowed entry to a coffee engineer course, we can create loads of coffee welfare officers. They can then progress into a 2 year Barista diploma course. Qualify then gain access access to a 2 and half year FASbridge internship. All said and done, send them off to London where there's demand for good coffee and not just paper cups from Centra with a sausage roll.

SEPT 23 1989

are you not "passionate" about coffee OP?

Pinch Flat

Places with baristas usually serve "gourmet coffee".

Personally I see zero skill in grinding some beans and putting them under a gaggia then pouring it into a cup of boiling water. Each to their own.

Mesrine65

Barista, coffee engineer :rolleyes:

Next we'll be calling prostitutes 'Lingum Technicians' :pac:

What do you expect of a world that has degrees in Media Studies or Experimental Theatre?

anncoates

Good to see us working through the hate list:

Fart-sniffing, hipster beer drinkers [✔]

Fart-sniffing, hipster coffee drinkers [✔]

Fart-sniffing, hipster wine drinkers [✔]

Anybody different to me [✔]

Calibos

Fart-sniffing, hipster ascii masters [✔]

5starpool

I look forward to reading more about words that are new to you but not to everyone else, OP.

anncoates

Calibos wrote: »

Fart-sniffing, hipster ascii masters [✔]

ASCII Masters would be quite a good (for want of a better word) name for a hip young band, actually.

jimgoose

anncoates wrote: »

ASCII Masters would be quite a good (for want of a better word) name for a hip young band, actually.

Not in the same territory as "jimgoose and his EBCDIC Converting Dinosaurs". :cool:

Generic Dreadhead

I think you'll find it's pronounced "Pulled Pork"

jimgoose

libelula wrote: »

Um, Baristas have been around for years. And years.

Aye. The coffee equivalent of a Sommelier, which is French for "creepy-looking chappiemiladdo who recognises everything by it's Nuances of Toast."

circadian

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Places with baristas usually serve "gourmet coffee".

Personally I see zero skill in grinding some beans and putting them under a gaggia then pouring it into a cup of boiling water. Each to their own.

That's why you aren't a Barista.

The Backwards Man

How come we've no soda jerks?

Badly Drunk Boy

I'm glad I don't drink coffee. I'd hate to have to deal with baristas, and Iced, Half Caff, Ristretto, Venti, 4-Pump, Sugar Free, Cinnamon, Dolce Soy Skinny Lattes, and Non-Fat Frappuccino With Extra Whipped Cream And Chocolate Sauce, and 5 shot venti, 2/5th decaf, ristretto shot, 1-pump Vanilla, 1-pump Hazelnut, breve,1 sugar in the raw, with whip, caramel drizzle on top, free poured, 4 pump mocha.

Chilled water is refreshing. Milk is good.

jimgoose

Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »

I'm glad I don't drink coffee. I'd hate to have to deal with baristas, and Iced, Half Caff, Ristretto, Venti, 4-Pump, Sugar Free, Cinnamon, Dolce Soy Skinny Lattes, and Non-Fat Frappuccino With Extra Whipped Cream And Chocolate Sauce, and 5 shot venti, 2/5th decaf, ristretto shot, 1-pump Vanilla, 1-pump Hazelnut, breve,1 sugar in the raw, with whip, caramel drizzle on top, free poured, 4 pump mocha.

Chilled water is refreshing. Milk is good.

I ventured gingerly into one of those American-style fancy-dan coffee places for the first time lately. After much squinting I figured out that they do, in fact, sell a decent-sized cup of strong, rich coffee with a splash of milk. I think it's called a North American Lesser-Spotted Hardarse, or something, but I couldn't swear to it. :pac:

There was coffee shop called Cuppa Joe's near where I used to live in the US, opposite a Starbucks. It sold black coffee, decaf coffee and milky coffee, and tea with no lemon in it, at $1.25 a cup, refills free, and old-timey stuff like apple pie a la mode, peach cobbler and home-style cooking.

It was great, until it became ultra-hip to out-hip the vogue hipsters with the pretentichinos across the road by keeping it authentic, and the place became flooded with cardigans, soul patches, and Pendleton scarves.

Pinch Flat

circadian wrote: »

That's why you aren't a Barista.

Yeah I missed the boat. I'm 43 now and in a Senior Management position, is it too late? How do I break this news to my missus and kid "Daddy is growing a beard and starting to make coffee from Monday"

circadian

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Yeah I missed the boat. I'm 43 now and in a Senior Management position, is it too late? How do I break this news to my missus and kid "Daddy is growing a beard and starting to make coffee from Monday"

As long as you enjoy what you're doing then there's no boat missed.

Phil Mitchell

When I was young I used to think a batista was a female barrister

Pinch Flat

circadian wrote: »

As long as you enjoy what you're doing then there's no boat missed.

Yeah who knows barista could have worked out differently - happy making coffee but completely broke. maybe the cao should take note and put I down as a 3rd level choice.

Anyway I do like my coffee. A cafetière or a nice fresh espresso from a stovetop espresso maker does it for me.

Spunge

Candie wrote: »

What do you expect of a world that has degrees in Media Studies or Experimental Theatre?

well those are far more respectable than a barista

Titus Andronicus

I take it when one attains the level of "Barista" that one is not on €8.65 an hour anymore, what are we talking €25/€30 sound good ?.

Wacker The Attacker

Don't we call Baristas "you" in this country, as in "Get me a coffee you ye little bollix and don't be giving me this barista stuff"

MadsL

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Places with baristas usually serve "gourmet coffee".

Personally I see zero skill in grinding some beans and putting them under a gaggia then pouring it into a cup of boiling water. Each to their own.

Will I list them for you as you seem, er, blind to what is happening in fromt of you.

Choosing the correct grind of coffee
Choosing the correct amount of coffee
Packing the coffee machine head correctly
Selecting the correct temperature and amount of hot water to pass through the coffee, at the correct pressure.
Selecting the right fat content of milk for the drink being made
Steaming the milk to the correct temperature, warm enough to allow the proteins to sweeten the milk but not so hot to take skin off the tongue of anyone drinking it (most common problem)
Presenting the drink with the correct foam to warm milk ratio.
Creating coffee 'art' when pouring the drink - some of which can be quite incredible.

Yeah, no skill in any of these tasks is there? Maybe actual watch someone next time.

MadsL

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Yeah I missed the boat. I'm 43 now and in a Senior Management position, is it too late? How do I break this news to my missus and kid "Daddy is growing a beard and starting to make coffee from Monday"

Of course no-one has ever asked, "what do Senior Management actually do?"

token101

Candie wrote: »

What do you expect of a world that has degrees in Media Studies or Experimental Theatre?

Benefits Street?

impr0v

MadsL wrote: »

Will I list them for you as you seem, er, blind to what is happening in fromt of you.

Choosing the correct grind of coffee
Choosing the correct amount of coffee
Packing the coffee machine head correctly
Selecting the correct temperature and amount of hot water to pass through the coffee, at the correct pressure.
Selecting the right fat content of milk for the drink being made
Steaming the milk to the correct temperature, warm enough to allow the proteins to sweeten the milk but not so hot to take skin off the tongue of anyone drinking it (most common problem)
Presenting the drink with the correct foam to warm milk ratio.
Creating coffee 'art' when pouring the drink - some of which can be quite incredible.

Yeah, no skill in any of these tasks is there? Maybe actual watch someone next time.

Are you a barista perchance?

People, especially men, who say they can't get through the day without their coffee. Even though man has managed it pretty well for a rather long time. Right up to the Celtic Tiger.

Come the revolution, I want them shot first.

Pinch Flat

MadsL wrote: »

Will I list them for you as you seem, er, blind to what is happening in fromt of you.

Choosing the correct grind of coffee
Choosing the correct amount of coffee
Packing the coffee machine head correctly
Selecting the correct temperature and amount of hot water to pass through the coffee, at the correct pressure.
Selecting the right fat content of milk for the drink being made
Steaming the milk to the correct temperature, warm enough to allow the proteins to sweeten the milk but not so hot to take skin off the tongue of anyone drinking it (most common problem)
Presenting the drink with the correct foam to warm milk ratio.
Creating coffee 'art' when pouring the drink - some of which can be quite incredible.

Yeah, no skill in any of these tasks is there? Maybe actual watch someone next time.

Yeah fair enough, I've had a barista serve me a woefully overpriced coffee that's undrinkable (most of the time) and a few that can actually get it right. Like everything, I guess there's a knack to it.

MadsL wrote: »

Of course no-one has ever asked, "what do Senior Management actually do?"

Manage the baristas I guess. In my own industry it's usually someone with a good bit of experience that can manage complex projects and teams and make sure the firm stays profitable from one year to the next.

Ok I'm starting to regret it now - looking back on my life, it would have been so much better if I was serving friggin coffee in my mid 40's.

lukesmom

On a side note, Nescafé Azera Intenso is the best instant coffee I have ever bought.

budgemook

"Senior management" requires less skill IMO. Someone who talks sh!te and is happy to be hassled all day every is perfect.

Making good coffee is a skill. I suppose anyone could learn to if they put their mind to it but most are probably put off by people calling them a hipster.

Pinch Flat

budgemook wrote: »

"Senior management" requires less skill IMO. Someone who talks sh!te and is happy to be hassled all day every is perfect.

Making good coffee is a skill. I suppose anyone could learn to if they put their mind to it but most are probably put off by people calling them a hipster.

You're dead right, all those years of training, postgrads and specialisms - all wasted.

I could be still wearing skinny jeans, v-neck t-shirt, with my ironic tat just visible at the neck line, arriving to work on my fixie and serving up good coffee to my synth playing hipster clientele.

Tin Foil Hat

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Places with baristas usually serve "gourmet coffee".

Personally I see zero skill in grinding some beans and putting them under a gaggia then pouring it into a cup of boiling water. Each to their own.

Making decent coffee isn't as easy as you think. For starters, you don't use boiling water.

Pinch Flat

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

Making decent coffee isn't as easy as you think. For starters, you don't use boiling water.

I like to keep it simple - a cafetière or a stovetop espresso maker. Makes glorious coffee and I'll be selective about what I use. Don't get me wrong - I love coffee and won't leave the house without a decent shot of caffeine in the mornings.

For all the people jumping to the baristas defence, fair enough - coffee was enjoyed by ordinary joes years before the barista even came about and the pretentiousness that came with it.

With the proliferation of baristas it's not evident in the coffee that's been served - putting terms like gourmet, hand selected or what ever terms that are used to sell it - it's just not evident. Our coffee is on the while overpriced and of poor quality compared to what passes in other european countries.

Desolation Of Smug

A very old friend of mine owns Caffe Vergnano 1882 in London. He is a Barista. Best Coffee there is.

Others using the title, not so much.

Pinch Flat

Pinch Flat wrote: »

I love coffee and won't leave the house without a decent shot of caffeine in the mornings.

What would happen if you did?

Pinch Flat

[Deleted User] wrote: »

What would happen if you did?

I'll try it tomorrow morning and report back. I'm on a 7.25 am flight to London so maybe not the best morning to give it a go

Desolation Of Smug wrote: »

A very old friend of mine owns Caffe Vergnano 1882 in London.

So that looks like it's worth checking out

Desolation Of Smug

Pinch Flat wrote: »

I'll try it tomorrow morning and report back. I'm on a 7.25 am flight to London so maybe not the best morning to give it a go



So that looks like it's worth checking out

He is a perfectionists perfectionist who happened to focus on good coffee. Check the reviews! Good coffee. We get a lot of muck over here...Tim Whorethem springs to mind...

MadsL

impr0v wrote: »

Are you a barista perchance?

Nope. I once was, but that was a looooong time ago, before people actually called them baristas or even used the term hipster. In short, I was a barista before baristas were invented.

I'm working my way towards becoming a Cicerone, solely to introduce the word to AH and watch the world burn.

Pinch Flat

Desolation Of Smug wrote: »

He is a perfectionists perfectionist who happened to focus on good coffee. Check the reviews! Good coffee. We get a lot of muck over here...Tim Whorethem springs to mind...

Yeah thanks checked out the shops - looks like they have three, two quite close together in the City and one at Leicester square

Aongus Von Bismarck

I was back in Dublin recently with work. There has been an explosion in coffee shops. Alas, much of the coffee remains putrid. This obsession with under-roasting the coffee bean is the latest exploration of poor taste and bad judgement.

The coffee in Germany tends to be excellent, without this weird fetishisation about the drink. The coffee produced in my apartment is as good as any I would think, due in the main to a great investment in a Jura coffee machine.

You can keep your nespresso to be honest.

MadsL

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Idue in the main to a great investment in a Jura coffee machine. .

This.

Do not buy anything else. Think they are spendy? Calculate your 50c a cup Nepresso "rape the environment" machine over five years.

I love my Jura so much that we put in 220v circuit into the house here in the US just so we could use it. Combined with a local roaster who sells beans loose a few days after roasting and it's te best coffee I ever had.

We have owned it for five years and never a minute's trouble, it simply works - like a Swiss watch. Where are they made? Switzerland.

Aongus Von Bismarck

MadsL wrote: »

This.

Do not buy anything else. Think they are spendy? Calculate your 50c a cup Nepresso "rape the environment" machine over five years.

I love my Jura so much that we put in 220v circuit into the house here in the US just so we could use it. Combined with a local roaster who sells beans loose a few days after roasting and it's te best coffee I ever had.

We have owned it for five years and never a minute's trouble, it simply works - like a Swiss watch. Where are they made? Switzerland.

It's a wonderful machine! We had a nespresso, but I was always hugely impressed with the quality of the coffee that the Jura produced in work. So splashed out on a home model. The Nespresso was donated to a local charity shop soon after.

tastyt

Pinch Flat wrote: »

You're dead right, all those years of training, postgrads and specialisms - all wasted.

I could be still wearing skinny jeans, v-neck t-shirt, with my ironic tat just visible at the neck line, arriving to work on my fixie and serving up good coffee to my synth playing hipster clientele.

Wow postgrads and all??

Are you the wolf of wall street by any chance?? Any barista in Ireland should be honoured to attempt making a cup of coffee for you sir.

One senior management latte coming up!!

rubadub

Titus Andronicus wrote: »

Think it means coffee maker, as if it's such a professional task it demands such a fancy term.

I shall not be utilising this new term.

Yeah, makes me sick, like that new term "chef", oh look at me, Mr La-dee-da Chef, -shut the fuck up, you're a food maker.

Same as barmen/bartenders, you're a fucking drink pourer.