If you don’t know the difference between a barrister and a barista, and are feeling more and more alienated from all your coffee-savvy acquaintances, here’s a primer on the absolute basics of the coffee bar. A barista, in native Italian, means anyone who prepares drinks in a bar. The term is not necessarily reserved for those who work in coffee bars, but with the morphing of Starbucks into the 21st century corner soda fountain, it has come, in the U.S., to be associated almost exclusively with those who make coffee-based beverages. Espresso is the specialty of the barista, and baristas struggle mightily to master its creation.
A single espresso–served in a one-ounce “shot” portion–is brewed from the same amount of roasted ground coffee as is normally used in three regular cups of regular coffee. Espressos can be blended with steamed non-fat, skim, or whole milk, milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream. A lattes an espresso with milk–one shot espresso per three shots of milk is usual–breve is an espresso with half-and-half, and a creme is an espresso with heavy cream. Order them in short, tall, grande, or quad, depending on how many shots, from one to four, of espresso you want. Anyone asking for a quad gets the caffeine equivalent of twelve cups of regular coffee, and espressos are not meant to be nursed. Three sips per shot is considered proper form.
Consider the consequences before you order. Cappuccino, the other signature drink of coffee bars, is espresso diluted with foamy steamed milk–about half and half–so that it is a light brown color. Some say it received its name from the similar color of the capes worn by the Capuchin monks; others say it was named for their hair styles. The Capuchins’ heads are shaved in a tonsure, leaving a bald spot on the top of their skull. When the steamed milk is added to the espresso, it forms a ring which spreads out to the edges of the liquid, leaving an open spot, surrounded by a fringe of white. Now you know.
