Alright, so this may turn into a rant. Let me warn you in advance. I didn't get much sleep last night. I was angry, and frustrated, all in one. Couldn't stop thinking about it. ("Thinking about what already?" you ask. Well, Creative Loafing's Best of Charlotte came out this week, and it wasn't who won that surprised me, it was what the food editor wrote. The Reader's Pick went to a small indie shop in a real cool, vibrant hip part of Charlotte, and although it wasn't one of the shops that brew our coffee, I could understand the pick. It's a loyal crowd, that hip crowd. So, what got me so worked up?
The Critic's Pick for Best Coffee in Charlotte went to the 3rd Ward Starbucks. Well, there are alot of people that visit that place on a regular basis, and lots of editor-type people frequent it as a place to work on their articles and such. So, the Food Editor picked Starbucks. Well, it was the description of the shop that sent chills up my spine. And I quote, “Many of the skilled baristas are J&W students who take coffee seriously.” To which I said, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????" "Skilled Baristas"??????? It was obvious three things at that very moment. One, I was going to have to check that place out to see if they are doing anything different than any of the other gazillion Starbucks there are out there. So, I went there today, and you know what? Same store, different address. Workers still same "faux-friendly," emphasis still on smoothies, I mean, Vivannos.
The second thing was that I was going to have to let the food editor know she had made a mistake with her use of the words "skilled baristas." Which I did, respectfully, and with as much passion and gusto as I could muster at what a real barista does, and how it's different than what some call "button monkeys." I then gave her a personal invitation to visit one of our shops, and I would buy her a drink and let her be the judge of whether or not the drink a real barista makes tastes better. (And yes, I know that to most the drink one gets at Starbucks or McDonalds for that matter, are adequate drinks. My wife, unfortunately, agrees.) But there's so much to be said for the skill of becoming a real "barista." Of learning the craft of making proper espresso, and steaming milk the correct way. Of making drinks your customers crave.
The third thing it told me right then was, although I have done alot of work in this area to try and push a better barista culture, there is much work to be done. I will actually be laminating the article, and putting it at my desk as a motivator, a reminder of the work that needs to be done. Of the person who doesn't know or appreciate what a real barista does on a daily basis, one drink at a time. The barista that knows the right amount to dose, the right pressure to tamp, and when the shot is done. There are many people out there just like this Food Editor. Probably the majority, and although we won't get to all of them, we will get to some of them, and when we do, we must be prepared to make the better drink. The ball's in our court. Let's all work to be the best at what we do, and a long coffee life be ahead for us all.
BTW, J&W students are Johnson and Wales students, an award winning culinary school here in Charlotte.
http://charlottehappenings.creativeloafing.com/gbase/BestOf/BestOfAwards?Award=oid%3A153961