A barista is a professional that specializes in high quality coffee, who works creating new and different drinks based on coffee, using various types of milk, essences and liqueurs, among others. He is also responsible for preparing drinks complementing the work with the latte art.

The word \"barista\", whose origin can be found in the Italian language, is a person specialized in coffee. To be a good barista takes a lot of theoretical and practical experience. He should be able to distinguish the different types of coffee to obtain certain mixture or highlight the characteristics of a single source, for which he must know about the roasting process and the various degrees available. He must also know the quality of water hardness, pH, etc., as well as different types of brewing: coffee filter, Turkish style, Italian coffee, espresso machines, French presses, and others.

For a barista, milk is of great importance, since most consumers add it to their coffee and requires a careful preparation and handling in the bar.

The espresso machine can make some of the most popular and consumed coffee preparations in the world: cappuccino, latte and cream, the latter is achieved using a lancet or vaporizer. 

There are many associations dedicated to promoting and improving the quality of this product. One of these associations is the ABG (Galicia Association of Baristas –in Spanish-) that teaches through championships and courses related to this exciting world. There are different types of contests related to the coffee world: tasters, toasters, latte art, spirits, etc.