THE WAVES OF BARISTAS: A JOURNEY THROUGH GENERATIONS
Coffee is not just a drink—it’s a cultural movement, shaped by generations of coffee lovers, innovators, and baristas. Just as coffee has gone through waves of evolution, so too have baristas, adapting their craft to the trends, technologies, and expectations of their time.
Let start with the definitions for the different generations:
Silent Gen: 1928 – 1945
Boomers : 1946 – 1964
Gen X: 1965 – 1980
Millenials: 1981 – 1996
Gen Z: 1997 – 2012
Gen Alpha: 2013 – 2025
How baristas evolved through these generations ? Let’s try to identify the differences across the generations:
First Wave Baristas (Silent Gen & Boomers) → The Classic Hospitality Baristas
Coffee as a daily necessity → Think diner coffee, percolators, and traditional Italian espresso bars.
Baristas in this era were service-driven professionals, focused on speed, efficiency, and a warm smile (which was sometimes lost in the following years…).
Second Wave Baristas (Gen X) → The Technical Baristas
The rise of espresso culture → The ‘90s and early 2000s saw Starbucks, latte art, and specialty coffee chains take over.
Baristas in this era became technicians, mastering espresso extraction, milk steaming, and consistency.
Third Wave Baristas (Millennials) → The Specialty & Educational Baristas (SCAA and SCAE were created during that period)
Coffee as an artisanal product → Single-origin, pour-overs, ethical sourcing, and precision brewing.
Baristas became educators, flavor scientists, and sensory experts, teaching customers about varietals, processing methods, and cupping.
Fourth Wave Baristas (Gen Z) → The Coffee Mixologists & Digital Creators
Coffee as an experience → Iced lattes, nitro cold brew, aesthetic-driven drinks, and social media coffee trends.
Baristas today are also content creators, coffee mixologists, and innovators, blending coffee with cocktail culture and AI technology.
Fifth Wave Baristas (Gen Alpha & Beyond) → The AO-Driven & AI-Powered Baristas
Coffee meets technology → AI-powered espresso machines, robotic baristas, and fully customized coffee experiences.
The future barista is a tech-enhanced coffee expert, blending AI efficiency with sensory mastery.
Where Do You Stand in the Waves?
As coffee continues to evolve, so does the role of the barista. Some of us started in one wave and are now adapting to new ones.
As different generations coexist, all these different types of baristas still exist today, but the challenge is to imagine the future skills of the baristas…
(This post was inspired by one of my friend: André Eiermann after a brilliant talk last week at the ZHAW coffee science and education summit)
@academie.du.cafe
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