Xiamen has more than 2000 coffee shops and less than 10 boutique coffee shops

The one-or two-square-meter bar in Chu Jiayuan Cafe in Gulangyu is the space where Wu Yalian has worked for four years. She works 10 hours a day, repeating the monotonous movements of grinding beans, pressing bean powder, extraction and milking. Many young people left the post before long, but Wu Yalian persisted. This insists on putting her on the podium for the overall champion of the Chinese division of the World baristas Competition, the equivalent of the coffee industry, held in Shanghai not long ago, and she will represent Chinese baristas in the world finals in Italy in April next year.

Gong Yongxiang, vice president of the Xiamen Bakery and Coffee Industry Association, said that baristas play a great role in making a cup of high-quality coffee. "like milk foam, many people can't play well, it's not dense at all, but a thick one." And coffee belongs to coffee and milk to milk, which is not mixed at all. "

Although there is a Wu Yalian, the overall situation of baristas in Xiamen is not optimistic. Industry insiders say that the salary of baristas in Xiamen is on the low side, and the current average income is 2,000 to 3,000 yuan a month. Most of the people in this industry are post-85 and post-90s young people, most of whom are more impetuous. After working for a year or two, if their salary does not rise, most of them will choose to change careers. "some baristas come out to open cafes after working for a year and a half. He hasn't figured out how to do this himself, so it must be difficult for him to guide the staff."

A good barista should have good understanding, in other words, a little "Reiki". Each kind of coffee beans, jam, fruit juice, and even chocolate, cream, etc., have their own characteristics. How to choose the right mix from hundreds of main ingredients and excipients to create an excellent flavor is not just a matter of experience and experience. It is difficult to do without a little "understanding". This is the difference between a good barista and an ordinary barista.

There are many ground stalls selling passion fruit in Gulangyu. The owner cuts off a corner of the shell of the passion fruit and puts it into a straw so that tourists can suck in the flesh through the straw. Wu Yalian, who won the barista contest, was attracted by the aroma of passion fruit and imagined what would happen if she combined it with coffee.

She bought passion fruit, learned from the vendor to dig out a hole, took out the flesh, and tried to pour different coffees into the shell in different proportions. Because the coffee beans were sour, she tried to add honey and orange juice. After repeated experiments, one day, a strange and harmonious taste came into being: passion fruit plus coffee, resulting in a third flavor: guava. It was this cup of coffee that won her the championship.