Barista is an expert on coffee beverages. Barista can prepare coffee drinks with various methods. A good barista also shares information about coffees. Baristas have deep understanding over espresso-based drinks, but they also know the secret of filter coffees.
In Finland, barista is not an official professional title that could be studied for a whole curriculum. Waiters wanting to deepen their coffee knowledge can take various courses in order to specialize into barista skills. For example, Paulig Barista Institute organizes professional barista courses in Finland, Baltic countries and Russia.
There are both national and international barista championships for best barista. Representative for Finland is selected through the Finnish Barista Championships organized by Finnish Specialty Coffee Association.