There’s nothing quite like a cup of coffee in the morning. Just the smell alone can wake you up, and leave you feeling full of energy and ready to face the day. But with so many varieties available it can be hard to choose which ones to try. It may even take an entire lifetime to taste all the kinds of coffee available today.
But all this coffee raises an interesting question. Who produces the perfect cup of coffee: a coffee machine or a person?
Coffee drinkers use coffee makers for the convenience these machines offer. However some critics claim that the appliances sacrifice some of the taste. But recent innovations in coffee maker technology try to prove the critics wrong.
These days coffee machines can prepare each cup with an accuracy that was only dreamed of a few years ago. They get the water temperature right, the timing is down to a split-second and the ingredients are measured to near-perfection. Designed to make the best possible cup of coffee, these smart coffee makers like the Jura Impressa Z6 make each cup as delicious as possible.
But a coffee machine is still a machine. And machines can only accomplish so much.
Coffee makers are confined by their functions. Beyond their functions, they can do nothing else. They can’t customize each cup of coffee to fit your character; they make each cup the same way. Some people are comforted by the fact that each cup the coffee maker brews will turn out exactly the same. But not everyone.
For a lot of people, having each and every cup of coffee different is something they look forward to. The mystery of seeing what subtle differences will be in the next cup are part of the joy of coffee. And the differences in each cup can be what allow us to produce a cup of coffee that’s much more to our liking.
So instead of a machine, lets consider the humble barista. Just what is a barista?
A barista is a person dedicated to creating the perfect cup of coffee (at least, the good ones are). They blend, brew, taste, test and do everything they can do ensure that your coffee is just right. They innovate, always thinking of new ways to delight you with that ever-flavorful coffee bean.
Obviously a barista is human, and no human can repeat any task with 100% accuracy every time. This means every cup of coffee a barista makes is unique. However, their humanity is also a limitation. Unlike a coffee maker, baristas can’t just start making coffee whenever you want them to. You can’t just turn on a barista at any time of the day and tell the person to make you coffee.
Also, being human makes the barista imperfect. Unlike coffee makers, baristas cannot be pre-programmed to make the exact same cup of coffee every time.
Sometimes, the quirks of a barista make the coffee taste horrible. But sometimes, the barista includes just enough human quirks to make the cup just perfect. If you think about it, a modern barista can benefit hugely from the right coffee machine. They need all the help they can get, if they want to succeed.
Coffee makers and baristas work mutually. The barista chooses the coffee (varity and grind), and finds the right settings within the limits of the coffee maker. The coffee machine then uses those ingredients to create what the barista envisions – the perfect cup of coffee for the right person.
Take on the role of barista for yourself. Whether you use the latest automatic coffee machine or simple drip coffee makers, the combination of (wo)man and machine is the key to the perfect cup of coffee.
