Baristas strive to make the perfect espresso shot

Java jive: How to talk like a barista

Advertiser Staff and News Services

As a barista, Quenelle Nilo of Mocha Java in Ward Centre knows the intricacies of espresso, including frothed milk.
Photos by Gregory Yamamoto The Honolulu Advertiser

Creating the "God Shot" — the so-called Holy Grail of espresso pulls whispered about in certain obsessive coffee circles — can be a true barometer of a barista's abilities.
The dark, thick, aromatic shot of pure coffee essence topped with a moussey head of crema — espresso's khaki-colored layer of emulsified oils — is said to taste and smell so heavenly it's as if the Almighty had pulled it himself.

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