The Barista's Espresso Craft
Learn the essential skills of a café barista. Dial in espresso shots by taste, steam silky microfoam, and assemble classic drinks with confidence.
Like Duolingo, but for The Barista's Espresso Craft. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 10 levels across 2 sections, about 20 minutes end to end, roughly 4 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Pulling the Espresso Shot and Milk Craft and the Café Workflow. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Barista's Espresso Craft
- A standard espresso recipe uses a 1:2 ratio of dry grounds to liquid coffee by weight
- Liquid espresso is measured in grams, not volume, because crema throws off liquid eye tests
- Doubling an 18g dry dose yields roughly 36g of liquid espresso
- Fresh coffee produces varying amounts of thick crema that make volume deceiving
- A scale under the cup measures the exact mass of liquid extracted regardless of foam
- Small variations in ground coffee weight or liquid weight drastically alter the taste of espresso
- Water under pressure always seeks the path of least resistance through the coffee bed
- An uneven tamp makes one side of the puck thinner or looser, allowing water to rush through it (channeling)
- A level, flat surface ensures water saturates all grounds equally
- A standard espresso shot should hit its target yield within roughly 25 to 30 seconds
- Shots that finish well under 25 seconds flow too fast and usually taste sour and weak
- Water pulls out bright, sour acids almost immediately
- Sweet sugars take longer to dissolve and create body in the middle of the brew
- Harsh, drying bitters dissolve last after prolonged contact with water
- Water gushing through coffee too fast fails to dissolve sweet sugars
- A sharp, puckering sourness and hollow body signal under-extraction
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Barista's Espresso Craft the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Why do we weigh espresso in grams instead of measuring it by eye with lines on a glass?
Get it right to open this lesson and 9 more in the app.
How to learn The Barista's Espresso Craft, step by step
Go in order. 10 short levels across 2 sections, about 20 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Pulling the Espresso Shot
- Pulling Your First Balanced Shot
- Dialing In by Taste
- 2
Milk Craft and the Café Workflow
- Steaming Silky Microfoam
- Assembling Drinks and Station Hygiene
2 sections · 4 units · 10 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about The Barista's Espresso Craft
How do I learn The Barista's Espresso Craft?
Go in order: start with Pulling the Espresso Shot, then Milk Craft and the Café Workflow. On Tomo that's 10 short levels, about 20 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for The Barista's Espresso Craft?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The Barista's Espresso Craft is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is The Barista's Espresso Craft free?
Yes. The Barista's Espresso Craft is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn The Barista's Espresso Craft?
10 levels across 2 sections, about 20 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start The Barista's Espresso Craft?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The Barista's Espresso Craft is taught in the Explain Like I'm 5 style: no big words. promise.. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Barista's Espresso Craft today.
Download Tomo, search The Barista's Espresso Craft, and play your first lesson in under a minute.