A delicious looking flat white, crafted by Liam Hayman
Coffee first hit me whilst travelling in Italy a couple of years ago, where I quite literally thought ‘When in Rome’. Since then I’ve developed a passion not only for experiencing the different tastes of coffee, but for creating them as well through my profession as a barista.
I became a barista in 2012 after talking to a owner of a modest little cafe in Hornsby called Brewhaha. Whilst not particularly known for it’s espresso, the crew at Brewhaha taught me the basics of coffee; using the grinder, packing the grind, extracting the espresso and frothing milk. If not for Brewhaha, I could be picking up glasses at a pub or scanning items in retail.
After 2 years at Brewhaha I decided to look for another cafe to further myself as a barista. Whilst a great launch pad for my career, I needed some more regular work to help me through university. I was hired by Pattison’s Patisserie, a more frequented café who also sourced a better quality bean. They source from 4 different regions; two in Brazil, one in Colombia and one from Ethiopia.
Since working at Pattisons I’ve further developed my taste for a fine coffee. I’ve also been learning the delicate touch to Latte art, allowing me to express myself through a personal touch in my coffees. I truly believe this is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of being a barista. Every barista has their own unique style of composing a rosetta and when you give that coffee to the customer you can read their impressed thoughts on their face.
The other aspect of being a barista I love is the regular customer that comes in every morning to order their ‘usual’. This relationship is like no other in any other job as this person trusts you to start their day with a coffee each morning, and the satisfaction that you get from them is quite unexplainable. The 50 second catch ups that occur everyday about anything from the weather to my 3000 word university essay due by week’s end bring you a warm feeling. So there you have it folks, my insight into what my coffee experience has been like thus far. I have definitely enjoyed making coffee for the past three years. Who knows what the future holds for me? I do know though, that coffee will always hold a place in my heart and be a part of my life, as it always has since that first Cuppaccino in Italy.
– Liam Hayman
UNSW Against Crap Coffee 