January 2009

Show Your Appreciation

Having recently become a barista, I have a newfound appreciation for tipping.  There are a few reasons why this is such an important part of working as a barista.  I will start with the obvious: it's extra money in our pockets.  Although the work is very busy and involves tons of memorization and multitasking, baristas barely get paid anything.  Like so many positions, it's an underpaid job and tipping is one way to help out the hardworking people who serve coffee. Second: It's quite calming and relieving to see change (and of course paper) go in the tip jar.  We work hard to serve customers and that extra change is a big token of appreciation.  Even if it's just 40 or 50 cents, the change adds up.  What else would someone do with that change anyways?  Sure, some people like to keep it for future purchases, but that little bit of money would considerably lighten a barista's heart.  It is all about the spirit of sharing and being thankful for one's coffee. Third: Tipping is a sign of respect towards the barista.  Many people who buy

Starbucks news and fair trade

Looking for a way to score some free Starbucks? According to the blog Wallet Pop, Starbucks is offering a free cup (size tall) to customers who fill out cards pledging to give five hours of their time as volunteers. This offer will be valid only for four days, January 21st-25th, and is inspired by the inauguration of our new president (who, we here at Latte.us believe, should get free Starbucks for LIFE for taking on our mess of a country). Although I do not see any mention of this offer on Starbucks official site, it was reported on Yahoo Finance and appears to be reputable! The pledge cards can be found at your local Starbucks.

Green Mountain Coffee: Update

Several weeks ago, I declared unofficial war against Green Mountain Coffee, the Vermont company that had recently purchased the wholesale division of my beloved Seattle-based Tully's coffee. Yet after checking out Green Mountain's official blog, I must admit that while I still believe their beverages are a weak excuse for java, they score major points in the environmentalism department. Recently, Green Mountain's founder Bob Stiller was awarded a Corporate Social Responsibility honor in Washington DC, to reward the company's work with the Jane Goodall Institute to develop a coffee that helps protect Chimpanzee habitats in Africa.

Latte Art

As barista-made coffee took over the United States, a new form of art developed along with thepopularity of lattes, espresso, and other coffee drinks. Latte art or coffee art refers to the designs created by baristas on the foam and cream tops of espresso based drinks. Most of the time, you'll see abstract designs, or, occasionally, flowers or butterflies, or bunnies or dogs . . . but some baristas are truly artists. You'll see images like the portrait of Bruce Lee above. Sometimes the art involves just coffee, with a layer of foam, but more often than not, the coffee has been sprinkled with cinnamon or chocolate, before the foam is poured, or after.

Coffee and . . . ?

On a whim recently I bought a 2 lb. can of ground coffee imported from Vietnam. Now, before you start snickering, Vietnam is one of the world's largest coffee producers. It's known for very high quality coffee, and, though I didn't know it when I bought the can of Vietnamese coffee, for extremely poor quality mass-produced, robusta beans grown for bulk export. I was curious, and, honestly, the coffee was bargain priced at a discount grocery store, so I didn't expect much. But I had heard about how fanatic people get about the Vietnamese coffee known as Cafe Sua Da, often sold at tiny street corner shops, or carts, and made from Vietnam-grown robusta beans.