Espresso Barista Techniques
Like Duolingo, but for Espresso Barista Techniques. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
24 levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Perfecting the Pull, The Art of Milk, The Professional Menu, and Workflow and Maintenance. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Espresso Barista Techniques
- Darker roasts are more soluble and extract faster than light roasts
- Fresh beans produce more CO2 gas, creating a thicker, deceptive crema layer
- A shorter ratio like 1:1.5 limits over-extraction in porous dark beans
- Crema adds volume without adding mass, making visual measurements inaccurate
- Lighter roasts require longer ratios to pull out sweetness from dense beans
- Scale-based yield ensures the same amount of dissolved solids in every cup
- Applying ratio adjustments based on roast profile
- Understanding why weight is superior to volume for consistency
- A larger dose creates a deeper puck that provides more physical resistance
- Increased resistance slows the flow rate and increases the body of the shot
- Dose adjustments allow for flow control when grind settings are locked
- Fast shots usually indicate under-extraction and a coarse grind
- Time is a result of grind and dose, not a variable you 'set' on its own
- The 25-30 second window is a benchmark for balanced flavor, not a rule
- Predicting the effect of dose changes on puck resistance
- Using shot timing as a diagnostic tool
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 Espresso Barista Techniques 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 does a shot from very fresh beans often look larger in a glass than a shot from older beans?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
Where Espresso Barista Techniques takes you
Move beyond basic brewing and master the precision required for professional-grade espresso. Learn to dial in complex roasts, steam perfect microfoam for every drink size, and manage a high-speed bar workflow.
- 1
Perfecting the Pull
- Dialing in by Ratio
- Puck Prep and Channeling
- 2
The Art of Milk
- Microfoam Texture Mastery
- Temperature and Pouring Mechanics
- 3
The Professional Menu
- Short and Intense Builds
- Standard and Long Drinks
- 4
Workflow and Maintenance
- Bar Efficiency and Consistency
- The Science of the Machine
4 sections · 8 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Espresso Barista Techniques is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. 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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Espresso Extraction and Service
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Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White
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Start Espresso Barista Techniques today.
Download Tomo, search Espresso Barista Techniques, and play your first lesson in under a minute.