Barista art is the art of brewing up a perfect cup of barista espresso. A barista is a trained professional person skilled in making barista coffee. It takes long practice and study to perfect this technique. For these professionals, making an espresso is not just about switching on the espresso machine, but about selecting the perfect coffee beans, grinding them to just the right consistency, tamping the fresh ground coffee in just the exact manner and then brewing a barista cup in just the right way.
Selecting the coffee beans is the first step in barista art. Coffee beans come from different parts of the world and these different varieties have distinctly different flavors. It takes an experienced, discerning palate to appreciate these differences. Most baristas have their own informed preferences, often showing a partiality for beans from one particular region or the other. Fresh coffee beans are selected and roasted to a dark color.
After the coffee beans have been roasted, they are ground down to a very fine consistency. Different flavors of beans may be ground together to create special blends. Knowing which varieties will go well together again requires an in depth knowledge about coffee bean varieties. The grinding is carried out in a special coffee grinder; many coffee grinders have a setting display so it is possible to grind the beans to the correct range.
Now the finely ground coffee is ready to be brewed. The grounds are tamped compact into the brew basket and run through the espresso machine. There are different kinds of espresso machines and they do make a big difference in the final taste of the brewed espresso. Espresso enthusiasts often tend to devise their own brewing procedures with their espresso machines, by adjusting brewing pressure and brewing temperature.
Experiments in barista art have led to the brewing of frothy barista espresso, barista lavazza, foamy top cappuccino and creamy lattes. Latte art patterns are a highly popular form of barista art. Skilled baristas, with a deft flick of the wrist, can create faces, leaf patterns, fruit shapes, hearts and other designs on the latte surface. This is a skill that can be acquired only after several months of regular practice.
The popularity of barista art around the world is self-evident in the growing number of barista outlets. Many cities have a barista day to honor barista art and organize brewing competitions and tasting sessions. There is even a barista magazine to keep coffee lovers updated on the happenings in the espresso world.