"Bad Barista Index"
Meant to post on this earlier. Heard Mark Rovner's piece on NPR about what he calls the "Bad Barista Index". Rovner argues you can gauge the health of the economy by the quality of your coffee drinks.
When the economy is in the tank, coffee shops are ably staffed by highly talented baristas who are biding their time just waiting for a "real" day job to open. When the economic picture starts to brighten, they leave the coffee shops for jobs in teaching, accounting, the law, whatever. This leaves less-qualified folks to pour your drinks. Rovener argues that the economy must be looking up because the quality of his drinks is diminishing.
I agree, yesterday I got a very wet, heavy cappuccino. This is bad. Cappuccinos should be heavy at the bottom (the espresso) and lighter on top (the steamed and frothed milk). A heavy cappuccino means they just poured the hot, steamed milk into the espressso, with little or no froth/foam to top it off. This is bad. If I wanted an au-lait or whatever it's called, I would have ordered it. Good baristas know that it's the foamy part that makes the cappuccino.
Rovner makes a great generalization. But I've located one coffee shop where they pour good drinks regardless of the economy. You know you've discovered caffeine nirvana when the barista asks if you'd like your cappuccino "dry".
When the economy is in the tank, coffee shops are ably staffed by highly talented baristas who are biding their time just waiting for a "real" day job to open. When the economic picture starts to brighten, they leave the coffee shops for jobs in teaching, accounting, the law, whatever. This leaves less-qualified folks to pour your drinks. Rovener argues that the economy must be looking up because the quality of his drinks is diminishing.
I agree, yesterday I got a very wet, heavy cappuccino. This is bad. Cappuccinos should be heavy at the bottom (the espresso) and lighter on top (the steamed and frothed milk). A heavy cappuccino means they just poured the hot, steamed milk into the espressso, with little or no froth/foam to top it off. This is bad. If I wanted an au-lait or whatever it's called, I would have ordered it. Good baristas know that it's the foamy part that makes the cappuccino.
Rovner makes a great generalization. But I've located one coffee shop where they pour good drinks regardless of the economy. You know you've discovered caffeine nirvana when the barista asks if you'd like your cappuccino "dry".
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