The Barista

An enticing smell of coffee floated in the air of the bar “La Belle Epoque”.    

John Zahno, the bartender, always bragged about being the best barista in the whole city. For years, he had meticulously studied the characteristics of all the different types of coffee. Just by smelling its aroma he could tell its country of origin, what variety it belonged to, which plantation it grew on, when it was picked, who the farmer was and what time of day it had been harvested. When he prepared coffee, he created wonders with the froth. He made incredible images; once he was even seen reproducing the Sistine Chapel itself.

Two customers entered the bar. John delighted in trying to guess what they would order: would it be a ristretto, an espresso, a macchiato, perhaps a cappuccino…? He was already planning to ramble on the history of Ethiopian Moka coffee, the kopi luwak of Indonesia, or perhaps Jamaican Blue Mountain … He was all fired up.

“Hello, what can I get you?” he asked expectantly.

“A Diet Coke for me and a grenadine for my friend”, replied one of the customers leisurely.