Doubtful such licensing will ever come to the US... after all, what would the chains do?
Excerpts from the article:
Coffee aficionados know that it is not just the blend but the barista driving that hissing, grinding machine which guarantees a decent cup.
Now the industry, alarmed by the rising number of people who purport to know how to make a half drinkable latte, wants to license baristas so that the serious business of feeding the nation's caffeine habit comes with a guarantee of quality.
The AustralAsian Specialty Coffee Association says those who qualify for the barista licence will require plenty of specific knowledge, including how to treat customers, something lost on many of the nation's coffee makers.
Chairman Robert Forsyth, an international coffee judge, said Australia had evolved in 15 years into one of the most sophisticated coffee-drinking societies in the world and licensing baristas was the logical next step.
Scott Callaghan, 25, an employee at Morgan's Handcrafted Coffee who last month won the World Latte Art Championship in Switzerland, said licensing could add credibility to the industry.
"I certainly think there are too many people behind espresso machines with far too much arrogance," he said. "To make one good coffee is not hard, but for a cafe owner to work with a professional barista and build the cafe's business, this is rare and takes years. Licensing could give cafe owners the confidence to determine whether the person walking into their cafe is any good."
If licensing ever does come to the US, you can bet we'll be on board with it. But really, we don't see barista certification in the future. Good baristas know who they are and know who the others are in their areas. As do customers. And for now, that's good enough for us.
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