Barista

A barista (/bəˈriːstə, -ˈrɪs-/ bə-REE-stə, bə-RIST-ə, Italian: [baˈrista]; "bartender") is a person, usually a coffeehouse employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks and other beverages.

The word "barista" comes from Italian, where it means a male or female "bartender" who typically works behind a counter,[1] serving hot drinks (such as espresso), cold alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks.

Espresso is a notoriously finicky beverage, and good manual espresso-making is considered a skilled task.

A barista can acquire these skills by attending training classes, but they are more commonly learned on the job.

[citation needed] The knowledge sharing at WBC is credited with spreading the beverage espresso and tonic to North America.

James Hoffmann at the World Barista Championship (2006)
Gwilym Davies , WBC champion 2009
Good espresso -making is essential to a barista's role. The term "espresso" comes from the Italian esprimere, which means "to express," and refers to the process by which hot water is forced under pressure through ground coffee. [ 3 ]
Latte art is a visible sign of a trained barista and well-frothed milk.
A barista with his mobile espresso bar in Ystad , Sweden, 2013