The most authoritative and comprehensive barista guide for coffee preparation available.
We at Five Senses have seen barista guides come and go, and while some were better than others none have ever quite hit the mark. Until now. Never have we seen a barista guide to coffee preparation and barista techniques as authoritative and comprehensive as the Professional Barista's Handbook written by Scott Rao. He has distilled his years of experience into this extensive guide that is of pure benefit to the reader.
Traditionally these books have been compiled by a selection of industry professionals put together with little or no thought by a publisher, often with the aim of capitalising on the hole in the market and without a deep seated understanding of the industry. Scott, on the other hand, is a self-published industry professional. The Professional Barista's Handbook contains everything you need to know, from basic fundamentals through to more developed practices such as the Stockfleth technique.
When I began in the coffee business fourteen years ago, I read every book I could find about coffee. After reading all of those books, however, I felt as if I hadn't learned much about how to make great coffee. My coffee library was chock-full of colourful descriptions of brewing styles, growing regions, and recipes, with a few almost-unreadable scientific books mixed in. I would have traded in all of those books for one serious, practical book with relevant information about making great coffee in a cafe.Fourteen years later, I still haven't found that book. I know many other professionals as well as some obsessive nonprofessionals would like to find that same book I've been looking for. This book is my attempt to give it to them.
