BARISTA INTERVIEW SERIES - #1 WITH OUR YUKO

Meet: Yuko

This is the first interview of our Barista series. We directed for questions to our baristas for you to get to know better who is preparing the coffees you are drinking.

Yuko comes from Japan and coffee is her passion. She won the New York Coffee Masters‘ Championship in 2016. Before joining THE BARN in July 2017, she worked in Canada and the United Kingdom. She is our lead barista at our newly opened café in Neukölln.

Tell us about your first Cup of Coffee.

My first cup of coffee was from Ethiopia. It was a natural processed coffee. It didn’t taste like regular coffee, and it changed my life. Ever since then, I have loved coffee. When coffee gives me distinct flavours, with fruity sweetness and juicy acidity, I enjoy it and love to share it with people.

Why did you start to work in the Specialty Coffee scene?

I started working in coffee because I wanted to learn what makes coffee taste so special after I had the unforgettable cup of Ethiopian coffee. I wanted to know everything about coffee from the seeds to a cup!

What skills did you perfect as a Barista?

To be honest, it’s hard to answer this question as I don’t feel like I perfected anything, and I don’t want to be satisfied with my skills. I always want to grow.

What is your favourite THE BARN coffee and what do you like about it?

My favourite coffee is Mahembe from Rwanda. I still remember the day 29/12/2017. I made a Chemex with Mahembe, and it blew me away with sweet ripped cherry, milk chocolate and a lingering aftertaste with notes of black tea. The flavours were changing in my mouth. When coffee blows me away like that, I get excited about serving and sharing with customers.

 

Thank you, Yuko for being with THE BARN.