What's a Barista?
A professional operator of an espresso machine is a "barista", the Italian word for a bartender. In Italy and other parts of Europe, the barista is considered a career position, often with skills and training passed down from generation to generation. In other parts of the world, the job of the barista has been frequently seen as an employment choice for young people, one to get them started in employment, but is not seen as a career choice.
Though popularly believed to be an Italian term, the word barista (plural: baristi [masculine or mixed sex] or bariste [feminine]) was adapted in the United States as a derivative of the Italian word meaning "bartender" and is now part of the lexicon of some American coffee shops. The term is derived from the Italian use of the word bar, which is similar to the American or British café. In Italy, the barista typically works behind a counter, serving both hot (such as espresso and other coffee-based ones) and cold alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
In North America and other parts of the world, the title of barista has long been in use, especially in Italian-style cafes and coffeehouses, but the use of the term gained mainstream popularly when Starbucks started to call their counter staff by this title. Since the late 1990s, the term barista became synonymous with the person in a cafe who specialized in preparing espresso-based beverages for customers. Along with this came the term "home barista" to distinguish the home espresso enthusiast.
There is a current movement both outside of Europe and even within parts of the continent to build pride and professionalism among baristas, encouraging them to consider their work as a serious craft, worthy of the respect granted to other food preparation artisans. In some ways this trend is meant to follow the traditions in places like Italy, France, and Portugal where the barista is considered a respectable career decision. In other ways, this trend is part of what is seen as the "Third Wave" in coffee, where transparency in information sharing is paramount, and the open discussion of ideas, concepts, opinions, and education are shared, even amongst competing businesses in the world of coffee and espresso. The trend is part of the bigger process in specialty coffee to promote coffee as a culinary drink, not as something "regular" or average.
In the United States, the Barista Guild of America was founded to promote the professionalism of baristas. Along with the Barista Guild, the Barista Championships also promote professionalism amongst baristas. The Barista Championships start as a series of regional events in numerous countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Great Britain, Norway, and Sweden, among others. The competition culminates in the annual World Barista Championship.
The World Barista Championship (WBC) is the current premier barista competition, with the winners of each national barista championship (or an otherwise appointed competitor) competing for the world title. Competitors prepare and serve 12 coffee beverages - four espresso, four cappuccino, and four signature drinks for four sensory judges. There are two rounds of judging, the first a preliminary round and the second a finals round, featuring the top six competitors. The Tokyo 2007 WBC is the first to be held outside Europe or the U.S.,and marks a growing trend for increased coffee consumption in Asia.
The barista competition format was created in Norway, and the WBC had been dominated by Scandinavian countries until 2007. It is owned and organized jointly by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE)
CHAMPIONS
Year - WBC Location - Name - Home
2010 (London, England) Michael Phillips, United States
2009 (Atlanta, USA) Gwilym Davies, United Kingdom
2008 (Copenhagen, Denmark) Stephen Morrissey, Ireland
2007 (Tokyo, Japan) James Hoffmann, United Kingdom
2006 (Berne, Switzerland) Klaus Thomsen, Denmark
2005 (Seattle, USA) Trouls Overdahl Poulsen, Denmark
2004 (Trieste, Italy) Tim Wendelboe, Norway
2003 (Boston, USA) Paul Bassett, Australia
2002 (Oslo, Norway) Fritz Storm, Denmark
2001 (Miami, USA) Martin Hildebrandt, Denmark
2000 (Monte Carlo, Monaco) Robert Thoresen, Norway
