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Revision as of 20:08, 5 November 2005 by A. Manley Lush (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The term barista (the Italian word for "bartender" - masculine or feminine; plural: baristi (masculine) or bariste (feminine)) has been used in English to denote a maker of espresso based beverages. Its journey into English has been accompanied by a slight shift in meaning. When using the term in English, a barista denotes one who has acquired some level of expertise in the preparation of espresso based coffee drinks (e.g., cafe latte, cappuccino, cafe mocha and machiatto.)
The vast majority of people standing behind a coffee machine have had little training in all but the most rudimentary aspects of espresso preparation. The correlation between machine cleanliness and functionality, coffee freshness, its resistance to water pressure and the effect of heat require a very thorough understanding to produce a great espresso. Unfortunately for most cafe customers, they very rarely experience the product of this knowledge. For further discussion, please see Latte art.