Magical Barista
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Contents
Overview
Magical baristas are found working mostly in coffeehouses, but some cafés also tend to hire them. Their primary work consists of brewing hot drinks such as different kinds of coffee and teas. Although it is quite uncommon in most Unmagical coffeehouses, magical baristas started bringing snacks such as pastries on the menu for guests to enjoy alongside their drinks.
Besides making these drinks and snacks, depending on the coffeehouse, baristas are also in charge of serving the guests their orders.
What makes them different from Unmagical baristas, is that they use magic spells, potions, and magical plants to enhance their work. During their career, they keep experimenting with different ways of brewing coffee, improving their coffee art, and coming up with plenty of new recipes to treat the customers with.
History
The work of a barista first became popular in the Unmagical world, specifically in Italy. Although coffee and coffeehouses have been a part of both the magical and Unmagical world for over five hundred years, the word barista—an Italian word meaning bartender—only replaced the previous name for this career, barkeeper, in the early 1900s.
In 1956, Mason Brown, a wizard from the United Kingdom, visited a coffeehouse in Italy where he met Rafael Salieri. Rafael worked at a coffeehouse as a barista. Mason was so impressed by the work this barista was doing that he asked him for more information. Rafael kindly offered him guidance in this career, and he offered Mason all the knowledge he had. During his stay in Italy, Mason and Rafael grew to be close friends, and Mason extended his stay before leaving Italy to finally return home. The moment Mason returned to England, he started learning everything there was to know about coffee. After learning from books he practised the arts of coffee himself, which resulted in many coffees going to waste. Upon his return, he started the practice of coffee arts and countless practice coffees went to waste, many hours were spent reading through books, and he visited all kinds of places to learn about coffee.
Mason had improved greatly after a while and opened his coffeehouse, ‘Mason’s Jars of Coffee’, in the centre of London’s wizarding world.
Not long after opening his place, Mason started experimenting with using potions to add different effects to the coffee. This started bringing more ideas to the table that Mason wanted to try out.
Sometime after Mason had opened up his coffeehouse, more witches and wizards became interested in this position, and it started spreading throughout the world. It was not long until some baristas wanted to share their cuisine with the Unmagical world, and they started making businesses in places filled with Unmagicals. This made the work of a barista a bit more difficult, as they had to be cautious of their surroundings while they worked to keep their magic hidden from Unmagicals. While Unmagicals are oblivious to the magic used to create their drinks and food, they do notice the difference in taste and most would prefer it as well.
Ministry's Influence
It is not easy to open up a coffeehouse in the Unmagical world, as it has to be approved by the Ministry before one would be allowed to open a business. The Ministry would send out a scout who would test the wizard or witch trying to open a business. This test is to figure out the abilities and qualities of their magic. For example, they have to be capable of casting the spell known as Dimoveo Memoriam, so that, if there is ever a need, they can alter the memories of Unmagicals. Besides this test, the scout is sent to set up a barrier to lock the kitchen away from the rest of the building to allow for no noise to get through, and block Unmagicals from unwantedly entering the kitchen. Once the business is approved the owner is obligated to send a report to the Ministry every quarter. This allows the Ministry to have an overview of all businesses that mingle with Unmagicals. If, for some unfortunate reason, an incident happens that would make Unmagicals come in contact with magic, the owner has to send out a report of the situation to the Ministry as well, besides the standard quarterly report. Whether this incident is one the owner is able or unable to handle on their own, the report is crucial. If it seems to escalate, immediate help from the Ministry is required and they will take over the situation.
Requirements
The work of a barista is harder than it seems, and there are many skills involved. When looking for a job at a coffeehouse, most places require the employee to already have certain qualities and skills, especially the ones learnt at a young age, like Potions, Charms, Herbology, and Magical Cuisine. Those are subjects taught in most places, and it is very handy for a future barista to excel in these subjects, as they are continuously used in this career. Excelling in these subjects would allow employees to brew the required potion without spending unnecessary time on it, which will allow them more time for other necessities.
With the use of charms, the barista can use spells, such as Leviomora, to serve the guest by merely levitating their order. The knowledge learned in magical cuisine and herbology makes it easier to quickly learn and discover more delicious tastes.
Besides these magical qualities, a barista should know about coffee and how to brew coffee by hand, not just with a machine. Through all types of senses, such as sense, taste, and sight, a barista would be able to tell the differences between coffees. It is also easier when a barista is skilled in precise work, this allows them to do everything the right way, but besides this, being able to try new things out is another quality asked in this job.
Aside from those requirements, sometimes this job requires a barista to be able to handle the stress in rush hours and think ahead to avoid making mistakes under pressure.
Famous Baristas
Mason Brown
Mason was a tall man, usually recognised by his dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. As the first magical barista, he was a great inspiration to others. He was born in the United Kingdom in 1933, and as a true-blood wizard, he attended Hogsworth during his school years. Although he was never the best in charms, he always tried his hardest to make it work. He earned his fame by opening a coffeehouse in 1959 where he introduced the work of a magical barista to the magical world.
Madeleine Meyers
As an Unmagical-born witch, Madeline sure had a lot of work on her plate the moment she learned she was to attend Hogsworth. While struggling through the school years, she gained a passion for herbology and potions. After graduating, she would often spend her time in coffeehouses while she found herself busy writing potion books as she consumed many coffees.
After being offered a job in her favourite coffeehouse to further sustain herself, she started learning about coffee and escalated to the point where she one day opened her coffeehouse and started gaining fame amongst the wizarding and Unmagical world.
Thomas Bauer
Although Thomas only stayed as a barista at someone else's coffeehouse, he made himself famous through his amazing coffee art. Some would believe he could do anything when it came to making art with coffee and milk. Thomas was born in America, and he had been amazed by coffee art ever since he was a little boy. His passion grew to become his job.
Trivia
- You can learn about a Magical Barista and other careers in Magical Career Exploration classes taught by the Academics team.
