Barismo started as a personal blog.
A lazy and unorganized attempt at some kind of introspection while exploring coffee. The title itself barismo was a joke about being too barista oriented. In essence, barista + machismo = barismo. Ex: If you couldn't pull the shot, you lacked the barismo to do it. It was an adjective we were throwing around in a silly manner to express our coffee quotient as if it were some spiritual mana that was the base of our shot pulling abilities. The irony is that it came to mean a lot more to us in time.
Now we can easily say it is our word defining our expression that the end of the quality loop is the passionate barista. This is Barismo. The educated flavor focused barista. A bit sommolier, a bit techie, and a bit sales person. It applies to tea and coffee in the same manner. We approach the cafe as no longer a hangout or study hall but a place to have a culinary experience that is focused on the flavors in the cup.
Contributors
Jaime van Schyndel
Profession: Barista and manager formerly of Simon's in Cambridge, MA. Barismo editor and contributor. The coffee flavor guy. If it isn't worth arguing, I haven't talked about it!
Ben C.
Profession: Engineer. The techie and machine head. Barismo contributor. An avid home barista, part time home roaster. Obsessive compulsive cleaner who will spend the time and the dime if it tastes good enough!
Silas
Profession: Shift leader and head of the tea program at a local Peet's. The tea cupper. Barismo contributor. Part time cupper for Mark Moradian of MEM teas and former coffee/tea purchasor for Whole foods. George Howell loves his enthusiasm!
Ben Kaminsky
Profession: Lead Barista at Simon's in Cambridge, MA. Barismo Photo Contributor. The 'Ecco Apostle'. Ben is a Flickr junkie who joined us after stints at a local cafe and some sweet training in San Francisco.
Contributor Introductions
