Soul of a barista – a story of aroma and passion

As successful stories go, a few key ingredients are mandatory: trust in oneself, passion, focus on the dream, follow your heart, and no small quantity of self-sacrifice. And of course, a few other things, amongst which luck is a must. Or so they say.

I have been a coffee drinker for all my adult life; usually the first cup in the morning makes or breaks my day. As I travel a lot, my accommodations vary, and so does the quality of coffee I get. I learned the hard way not to get my coffee from the breakfast pot, as it is something resembling to a dishwash thing. And so I always call on the barista of the place, and order (and buy) a hot expresso. I like my coffee to be a milky one usually, which is something that I developed a taste in later years.

However, I have never became a true coffee afficionado; never had the head for those complicated names and concoctions of various types of beans. Nor did I ever had the patience to learn anything of worth regarding the brands, places of origin, methods of brewing and so forth. This is why I always held the baristas in high regard; these are individuals who really put their brains into it, and made from brewing coffee a real art. Kudos, I say to these saviours of my mornings.

Anyways, my ramblings about coffee is not the reason why I am writing this. The reason, the real reason, concerns a certain barista, in my home town, Bacau. The main (and sole) character of this little story is Cristina, a young lady who is also the owner of a small coffee shop, nothing big or fancy. She is a petite, slim thing, with a bubbly personality, her eyes bigger than life, eyes in which one could lose oneself. To be honest, she is a very interesting human too.

I met her a couple of years ago, while roaming the town, looking for people, places, things to photograph for my portfolio. Her tiny shop caught my eye, and I went in for a coffee. I could see right away that she was very into doing the things right, in a professional manner and with a cheeky smile too. The shop itself was unusual: small but very well organized, professional but cozy and inviting, and above all, one could see a woman’s touch to it. Little things such as poetry books, vintage trinkets, colors of the coffee board (even the font the prices were written were lovely).

All of these made the space to appear welcoming someone like me, who cherish places where you feel at home, among friends, sharing a cup of coffee with good humor, casual conversation and smart jokes. So yes, I was pleased to find this little place and its owner.

Every time I visit this little haven, I always ask myself: why do I feel at home here? What makes this place so welcoming ? It’s not the coffee, or better said, not only the coffee. I feel this to be true, for I am no real connoisseur of this black beverage that makes us truly awake in the morning. The small, cubicle-style space? Probably; I never felt comfortable in large spaces indoors, too impersonal. The smile of her face? The welcoming, the greeting, not so much by words but by attitude, which is more to my liking to be honest ? Now we’re getting somewhere.

I guess all of the above are true; all of the above are valid reasons for me feeling at home in her shop.

One should see her face beaming with pride and pleasure, when she sees that the coffee you have ordered is on your liking, and you enjoy every drop of it. She obviously takes pride in what she is doing, she is really happy when she notices the liquid delight she just brewed for you is what you expected and indeed, needed. Now this is what I would call a step over and beyond, and I do so applaud and appreciate her efforts to go the extra mile.

What else there is to it? It is inherent in our nature to belong, to seek and appreciate such moments. We cherish those, alas, few “me” moments when we can relax, let go and talk friendship, enjoy a cup of coffee and take in the coziness of a place and appreciate the sincere smile of our fellow humans.

For all of the above and much more, thank you, C. !

Cristina was kind enough to let me ask her a few questions; her answers are (if you ask me) much more revealing about her dreams and passion. Here is what she told me:

Q – Cristina, can you tell me a few things about yourself, please? I mean, I feel like I know you, but I don’t, really. So, who are you?

A: The truth is, I don’t really let myself be known in the deepest sense of the word. On the surface, I’m a young woman with a looot of imagination, but a little less dexterity — I have two left hands, and I can prove it anytime.

What I do love, though, is creating beautiful things. And through this little place of mine, I like to think I’ve managed to spark a few emotions, create a few memories, and maybe even bring a few smiles. To me, that matters more than any fancy description ever could.

Q: Where did this passion for all things coffee stems from? Anything in your background made you start this thing, or…?

A: I can’t say coffee was my lifelong passion. Hah… I actually come from the fast-fashion retail world, which has absolutely nothing to do with hospitality.

Looking back, I didn’t just move from one field to another — I practically jumped from one extreme to the other.

Every chapter of my life has looked completely different from the previous one, and none of my passions ever seemed connected to what came next. Still, each transition helped shape the woman I am today.

I wanted a coffee shop. That was the dream.

What I never imagined was that coffee itself would become a passion that, honestly, I don’t think will leave me anytime soon.

Q: You are a consummated barista; it is obvious to me that you really know what you’re doing. How hard was to get the knowledge and how did all fit in with the local culture?

A: I wouldn’t call it hard. “Hard” feels like too big a word. It was more challenging, more time-consuming, and above all, it required patience with myself.

I had to understand that nobody is born knowing everything, and that behind every first-place trophy there’s a beginner who made a lot of mistakes.

I can say that now with a bit more peace of mind. If you had asked me one or two years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been happy with anything I was doing. I always wanted more, better, perfect. Today I still want to improve, but I’ve learned to be a little kinder to myself along the way.

Q: What is coffee for you? The real meaning of the word is what I am after here. Is coffee just a beverage we are used to have in the morning or it’s much more at play here?

A: The short answer? Coffee is connection.

First and foremost, it’s the connection between me and people. Beyond its obvious benefits, coffee is an incredibly powerful magnet for human relationships. Through coffee, I’ve met new people, discovered different perspectives, and, surprisingly, realized which people no longer belonged in my life.

If I may call it that, coffee is a tool for connection. And if we look at it from another angle, coffee is also a ritual. From cultivation and processing, to roasting, grinding, and finally the cup itself, there’s an enormous amount of work, care, and passion behind an espresso that many people finish in less than a minute.

Q: Do you find the way you do business one that takes you to a different level in the local market of such services? I mean, what are the differences between you and other similar businesses, if any?

A: Not necessarily.

I like to believe everyone does their work in their own way, and most people do it with genuine passion. I simply chose a slightly more niche direction because I love experimenting, testing things, and sharing my discoveries with others.

Perhaps the biggest difference comes from the type of coffee I promote: specialty coffee. It requires more attention, more precision, and more care when it comes to preparation, temperatures, ratios, and extraction.

Every single shot is weighed before and after extraction. These details may seem irrelevant to the average customer. But for someone who truly values quality, those small details often make the difference between “I’ll come back” and “I’m never coming here again.”

Q: It’s a lot of work, to keep the business afloat by yourself. How hard this is, really? Do you have a team of “Cristina’s little helpers”, as it were? Anyone in particular who gives from their own time to team up with you, when things go too busy?

A: Surprisingly, I spend only about 20% of my time dealing with administrative work. The rest goes into the day-to-day operation of the business.

And no, I don’t have an army of “Cristina’s little helpers” waiting backstage. When things get busy, it’s still just me. But I’ve learned to stay calm and trust the process. Anyone who walks into a specialty coffee shop knows this isn’t fast coffee. Things take the time they need, and I think that’s part of what makes them special.

That said, there is one person without whom many of my ideas would probably remain just ideas.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m a creative person, but unfortunately my hands don’t always cooperate with my imagination. So whenever I need to turn an idea into something tangible, I rely on my sister’s hands. On that front, we make the perfect duo.

Q: I know this town has a lot of coffee dispensers all around, every corner, at every store entrance. A lot of people seem not to mind too much getting their coffee from a impersonal, mechanical contraption. How did you managed to build your clientele, and how hard is to change people habits?

A: With difficulty. And honestly, it’s still difficult.

The biggest challenge isn’t a lack of interest; it’s a lack of exposure to this kind of product. Our city doesn’t yet have a large community of specialty coffee drinkers, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

To sell specialty coffee, you need curious people. People willing to taste something different. People open to the idea that coffee can taste like fruit, flowers, nuts, or even wine, rather than simply “coffee.” You also need people who understand why a high-quality coffee costs more than what they can get from a vending machine or a traditional café.

The good news is that those people do exist. Sometimes they just need a little invitation into this world.

Q: What are the main three differences between a good, real good coffee and the usual stuff, so to say? We do not talk brands here, we talk about what makes or not a good cup of coffee.

A: Rather than giving three differences, I’d rather give three things to look for when buying coffee for home.

First: the roast date. It’s incredibly important. Ideally, coffee should have had enough time to degas — somewhere around 10 to 15 days after roasting. For me, an old coffee is a coffee that has already lost much of its life.

Second: buy whole beans whenever possible. Ground coffee starts losing its aromas very quickly. I often joke that ground coffee only lives for about fifteen minutes. That might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

Third: origin.This is more of a personal preference than a universal rule, but I love single-origin coffees. I enjoy a coffee that tells one clear story, rather than a blend of several origins brought together simply because it looks good on the label.

Q: Any surprises that the coffee might bring your way in the foreseeable future? How does the future looks like, seen through the steam of a perfect expresso ?

A: Hah… my tarot cards never told me I would own a coffee shop, and they certainly never told me I would become this passionate about coffee.

I still have so much to learn, test, discover, and understand. I consider myself a beginner in many ways, and strangely enough, that’s one of the things that keeps me motivated. If I were to manifest something, I think the next step would be a larger space. A place where I could create opportunities for people to discover quality coffee through cuppings, brewing workshops, tastings, and shared experiences.

At this point, I honestly can’t see myself doing anything else. And if one day I ever reach the limits of what I can do with the business, my Plan B is quite simple: find a place where I can continue using my knowledge, skills, and passion for coffee.

Because wherever life takes me, I think coffee will always be part of the journey.