All About Coffee & the Barista Profession

• Coffee comes from the seed of a cherry on a tree that grows in a subtropical belt around the world, from sea level to about 6,000 feet.
• Coffee trees are evergreen and can reach 20 feet in height, but are pruned to 8-10 feet for easier harvesting.
• Coffee cherries are picked by hand because they ripen at different times.
• It takes about 2,000 Arabica cherries to produce one pound of roasted coffee, with each cherry containing two beans.
• An average coffee tree yields only 1-2 pounds of roasted coffee per year and begins producing crops after 4-5 years.
• "Barista" is an Italian term for "bartender", referring to someone who serves both hot espresso drinks and cold alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages.
• In many countries, baristas are respected professionals skilled in coffee blends, espresso, machines, and roasting.
• Some baristas specialize in latte art, elevating their craft to an art form.
• A barista in a coffee house is an expert in preparing espresso and espresso-based drinks.

Barista vs Bartender

• Baristas promote coffee consumption.
• Baristas determine customer coffee preferences.
• Responsibilities include presenting and explaining the coffee drink menu.
• Baristas follow specific recipes and preparation techniques for coffee drinks.
• Baristas are in responsible for replenishing coffee bean supply.
• Bartenders mix and serve drinks.
• Bartenders manage drink orders for table customers.
• Bartenders record each drink sale.
• Bartenders wash glasses and utensils.
• Bartenders maintain a clean bar and stock before opening.
• Bartenders close the bar and act as a cashier.
• Bartenders serve as the host and promote the bar's products.

Duties and Responsibilities of Baristas

• Baristas need product knowledge to promote coffee consumption.
• Skill development is needed to enhance barista techniques.
• A proper uniform is required, including suitable attire, footwear, and an apron.
• Baristas must properly handle and maintain tools and equipment.
• The work area must be prepared by the barista.
• Setting up the bar/work area should take 30-40 minutes.
• It's important work area is clean and safe.
• Common work-area hazards should be removed.

History of Coffee Industry

• Coffee was discovered in the 6th century in Ethiopia, specifically in the Kingdom of Kaffa.
• A goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats acting unusually energetic after eating berries from strange bushes.
• Kaldi tried the berries himself and experienced renewed energy.
• A religious leader boiled the cherries in water and found that the concoction kept him alert during prayers.
• Monks then dried the fruit and sent it to other monasteries, leading to the spread of coffee's discovery.
• Coffee berries were transported from Ethiopia to the Arabian Peninsula and first cultivated in Yemen.
• Coffee was first roasted over open fires in Turkey.
• The roasted beans were crushed and boiled in water, creating a crude version of coffee.
• Coffee arrived in Europe via Venetian trade merchants.
• Initially, coffee faced criticism, with some calling for a ban and labeling it the "drink of the Devil".
• Pope Clement VIII, a coffee drinker himself, blessed and baptized coffee, declaring it a "Truly Christian Beverage."
• Coffee was brought to America by French Infantry Captain Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu.
• De Clieu transported a coffee plant to the Caribbean island of Martinique, where it was first cultivated in America.
• Coffee spread to the rest of tropical South and Central America from this humble beginning.
• Coffee spread globally because of European and American colonization.
• Brazil became the largest producer of coffee, followed by Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Timeline of Coffee

• Prior to 1000 AD: discovered by the Galla Tribe in Ethiopia who ate it ground up and mixed with animal fat.
• 1000 AD: Arab Traders cultivated the plant for the 1st time on plantations and boiled the beans, creating a drink they call "qahwa"(to prevent sleep).
• 1453: Coffee introduced to Constantinople by Ottoman Turks.
• 1475: The world's 1st Coffee Shop, Kiva Han opened.
• 1511: Khair Beg, tried to ban coffee for fear that its influence might foster its opposition to his rule.
• 1600: Coffee introduced to West by Italian Traders, grabbed attention in high places.
• 1607: Captain John Smith introduced coffee to North America.
• 1645: Italy gets its first coffeehouse.
• 1652: First coffeehouse in England.
• 1668: Coffee becomes favorite breakfast drink in New York's City.
• 1668: Edward Lloyd opens his coffeehouse in England and has many merchants and maritime insurance agents as guests which turns into world-known insurance company, Lloyd's of London.
• 1672: 1st coffeehouse was opened in Paris
• 1675: The Turkish Army surrounded Vienna. Franz Georg Kolschitzky opened Central Europe's 1stcoffeehouse.
• 1690: The Dutch became the 1st to transport and cultivated coffee commercially.
• 1713: The Dutch provided Louis XIV of France with a coffee bush .
• 1721: 1st coffeehouse was opened in Berlin.
• 1727: The Brazilian coffee industry got its start when Lt. Col. Francisco de MeloPalheta was sent by the government to arbitrate a border dispute between the French and the Dutch colonies in Guiana.
• 1732: Johann Sevastian Bach composed his Kaffee-Kantate (an ode to coffee).
• 1773: The Boston Tea Party made drinking coffee a patriotic duty in America.
• 1775: Prussia's Frederick The Great tried to block imports of green coffee.
• 1886: Former whole grocer Joel Cheek named his popular coffee blend "Maxwell House".
• Early 1900s: The derogatory term "KaffeeKlatsch" was coined to describe women gossip.
• 1901: The 1st soluble instant coffee was invented by Japanese-American chemist Satori Kato.
• 1903: German Coffee Importer Ludwig Roselius turned a batch of ruined coffee beans to a researcher, who perfected the process of removing the caffeine from the beans without destroying the flavor and marketed it under the brand name "sanka".
• 1906: George Constant Washington created the 1st mass-produced instant coffee and named his brand Red E Coffee.
• 1920: Prohibition had gone into effect in United States and so the coffee sales boomed.
• 1938: Nestle developed Nescafé and introduced it in Switzerland.
• 1940: The US imported 70% of the world coffee crop.
• 1942: During World War II,American soldiers were issued instant Maxwell House coffee in their ration kits.
• 1946: In Italy, Achilles Gaggia perfected his espresso machine.
• 1946: Cappuccino was named for the resemblance of its color to the robes of the monks of the Capuchin order.
• 1971: Starbucks opened its 1st store in Seattle's Pike Place public market creating a frenzy over whole bean coffee fresh-roasted.

Health Benefits of Coffee

• Coffee contains minerals such as Thiamin, Niacin, Folate, Phosphorus, Magnesium & Manganese
• Coffee is a good source of Potassium, Panthothenic, Acid and Riboflavin
• Drinking coffee may reduce risk of colon cancer and liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.
• Drinking coffee may reduce the risk of Parkinson Disease and onset Diabetes
• Brewed coffee has 3 to 4 times the amount of cancer-fighting antioxidants as green tea
• Coffee can prevent or reduce the like hood developing gallstone and prevent cavities
• Coffee contains caffeine, a mild stimulant to the nervous system
• Caffeine can decrease muscle pain, alleviate asthma symptoms, boost athletic endurance and performance, and heighten alertness.