“Barista” Coffee Shops Provide Added Value

Café 1820 Downtown San José, Costa Rica

The barista, an expert in the preparation of beverages based on coffee, now guarantees the customer a wide variety of coffee options, which attracts more consumers. That added value means more and more businesses are interested in having an expert among their employees to please customers.

The courses for the training of baristas have been offered in Costa Rica since 2003. In general, it takes about 80 hours of training, but those who obtain a diploma certified by the Icafé complete 200 hours of training.

Currently, Costa Rica has about 250 certified Icafé baristas.

These experts not only know about the coffee-based drinks, but also are trained in all matters coffee: varieties, climate, coffee growing areas of the country, and types of roast. The idea is that they can provide explanations of the entire process to their customers.