Weekend Cooking: Barista (documentary)
Do you drink coffee? Do you have a favorite local coffee shop and a favorite barista? Did you know there was such a thing as a barista competition?
I love coffee, though I drink most of my coffee at home. I didn't know about the competitive world of baristas until I saw the 2015 documentary Barista, written and directed by Rock Baijnauth (Filmic Entertainment).
The film follows five people--four men and one woman--on their quest to win the International Barista Competition. To qualify for the main contest, each of the baristas had to first put in a good showing at his or her district competition.
Although 1,000 baristas enter the regionals, only about 40 move on to the finals. To compete, the contestants must make three rounds of drinks (espresso, cappuccino, and a signature drink) for four tasting judges, who evaluate taste, appearance, foam and foam art, aroma, and so on. In addition, during their 15 minutes of competition, each barista must also tell a compelling story about themselves and the coffee they're making and serving.
Until watching Barista, I had no idea that it was so difficult to be the best in the barista profession. I found it interesting, but perhaps not surprising, that all five baristas mentioned that they often have to defend their chosen career. I liked getting to know the competitors and seeing them prepare for and compete in the finals.
On the other hand, there was a lack of tension in the documentary. I didn't develop a deeper fondness for one barista over the others, so I wasn't heavily invested in the results. In addition, Baijnauth made an effort to include the wives of two of the baristas in the movie, but instead of giving us more insight of the men's competitive spirit, the women ended up seeming more like props, which was a little disturbing.
Regardless, if you like coffee and are curious about competitive baristas, you'll enjoy Rock Baijnauth's documentary Barista, which is available through streaming (currently via Amazon Prime).
BTW: I'm at a lace-making workshop most of today and tomorrow, so I'll be late visiting your links.
NOTE: Mr. Linky sometimes is mean and will give you an error message. He's usually wrong and your link went through just fine the first time. Grrrr.
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11 comments:
I had heard about Barista completions but didn’t know there is a documentary. Sometimes those films are entertaining.
The Food Network has provide me with a complete distaste for any competitions involving food preparation. So I don't think I'll watch ... but I enjoyed your review of this one!
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I'm not a coffee drinker but I'm not surprised there's a barista competition.
From all my failed efforts to make better coffee over the years, I understand it is difficult. I should watch this movie!
I'm not a huge coffee fan either. Other than my one in the morning I might have a Starbucks flat white once a month, maybe.
I think I've seen this documentary on the library movie app.
I think my granddaughter would enjoy this. She's doing a barista job while at college.
I'll have to check this one out. I like seeing the back stories of contestants in competitions like this and I spent lots of years in the coffee industry.
Enjoy your lace-making weekend! ;-)
This sounds interesting even though I am not a fan of coffee.
My niece used to do these competitions - I think she'll enjoy it a lot. Thanks for hosting.
Somebody really wants us to make Vampire Slayer Artichoke Bread, Bacon Cheddar Pancakes, and Saint Patrick's Day Leftover Corned Beef Hash -- they just posted these recipes for the second week in a row! Oh well...
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks for the review. We love docs like this and good to know it's on Prime. Thanks, Beth!
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