The bean scene

More small coffee vendors learning how to be baristas

By Anne Kim
Associated Press Writer

SEATTLE -- Melody Katz sprayed steamy, hot water over shot glasses and set them into an espresso machine, where they caught streams of creamy espresso.

She swirled a glass, smelled the espresso and took a sip.

"It's a little burnt," said the 25-year-old bakery manager, who traveled from California for a weekend barista training workshop at Seattle's Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company.

Zoka is one of several specialty coffee roasters in Seattle that hold regular training sessions for their wholesale customers -- including espresso bars, restaurants and bakeries -- on how to make high-end espresso drinks.

And participation in these workshops has grown, roasters say. During the training sessions, which range from onsite training to weekend-long workshops, customers learn everything from how to make rosettes, or leaf designs on top of drinks, to how to clean machines.

...Nationally, the number of coffee houses has nearly doubled in the past six years. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, there are almost 24,000 coffee houses in the United States, up from 13,800 in 2001.

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