Q&A: Barista Amber Sather Talks to the CoffeeMeister

Barista Amber Sather Photo: Erin Meister

Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. Check out her series of tips for the caffeine-addicted.

Everybody thinks their neighborhood barista is the best. The difference is that New York-based espresso doyenne Amber Sather really is one of the best, as her Barista Championship titles attest (Sather's taken home first place in two Northeast regional barista competitions and third in the national event, among others).

Though many folks don't know they exist, barista championships are no joke to coffee professionals: You must prepare four espressos, cappuccinos and signature drinks of your own design to a panel of judges under extreme pressure.

The sassy Montana native moved to New York City a year ago, leaving a barista-trainer position with Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea in Chicago for a spot on the team at Brooklyn favorite Café Grumpy, where she trains baristas and passes cup after caffeinated cup to sleepy locals.

After the jump, Sather chats with the CoffeeMeister about barista competitions, her idea of the perfect café and more.
How relevant do you think these competitions are?
Having competed has made me a better trainer and a better barista. You have to learn ways to be more efficient in competition, because you're timed: Every movement has to mean something. I instill some of those anal-retentive things I've learned about competing into baristas I've worked with. And anything that draws attention to specialty coffee is important.

What do you think separates good baristas from truly great ones, either in the competition situation or in a café setting?
I think it has everything to do with personality: You have to, let's face it, be at least somewhat likable. In a competition you're serving judges, they are judging you on your personality as much as your coffee. Some people have tons of training, but that doesn't make you the right type of person: Some people just get it. The things they do, the movements they make -- they're the right things, the right movements. And they can make something that tastes good.

What to your mind, is the perfect café?
The perfect café should smell like fresh baked goods and amazing coffee. It should be clean and very simple -- all the things you need and nothing more. In my head, it has a lot of warmth: It's not super modern, it's a little traditional. It should have a lot of simplicity but feel very welcoming and comfortable.

What has been your best coffee experience?
I've had a few "best" experiences. Coffee has allowed me to travel to places I would never have been able to travel: Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia. I traveled to Ethiopia to help put on the first-ever Ethiopian barista competition! But one of the best was the first time I was at [coffee] origin: I was in Guatemala with a couple of other coffee people and a coffee farmer on his farm. We were drinking his coffee in a French press in a room in his home. I don't even know if the coffee tasted good -- it was just such an amazing experience.

How about the worst?
The worst experiences I've ever had have been more about customer service than anything else. When there's an attitude, it's just awful.

What is one thing you've learned about coffee that you wish you could share with every coffee lover?
Don't put your coffee in the freezer! [Laughs] No, honestly? One thing is that there are people who don't believe baristas can be experts. I mean, some aren't! But the reason you go to the café you go to is probably because you expect a quality experience.

If I go to an electronics store, for instance, I'm going to ask the person who works there which is the best camera. And if I go to a restaurant, I'll trust the server to make a recommendation. I wish more people could understand that the barista making their coffee might have something great to share. There's much more than you think that's happened to that coffee before it gets to you.

A latte poured by Amber Sather. Photo: Erin Meister