My way to the Barista- ( Barista_ Karlo )

Posted by Simonou Mike on Dec 21, 2017

Hi, my name is Karlo Puric and I am from Zagreb and I would love to share a story about my way to barista.

Picture 1 - Zagreb

I was born on 3rd of June, 1993. in capital city of Croatia, Zagreb. Short after that my familly and I moved to small city in Germany called Utting on Ammersee lake. My parents were working in their own restaurant as chef cooks. When I turned 6, I was forced to go to school in Croatia and my mom and me moved back to Zagreb, father stayed in Germany to work.

Durring my elementary School, every summer break, easter break I was going to visit my father and I started to help him with small things, clean tables, clean glasses etc. When I turned 14 I started to work behind the bar and that was my first with that I worked with coffee and I really loved it.

Picture 2 - My parrents restaurant in Utting

But my parrents wanted me to finish the college, get a diploma, find a good job. And thats what happened, well, at least some of them. 2011. I started to study Civil engineering and I liked it. In the same year my parrents opened a small caffe in Zagreb and I worked 2 times a week to earn some money for college.

Durring all these years I was playing handball semi-professional and I was very competitive, I wanted to be the best player. The same was with coffee, I wanted to serve best coffee in the caffe for me and my customers. I switched my college books with books about espresso. I started getting bad grades, I spent alot of money to get back into the college but it was too late.

In 2016 I quit my college and I started working full time in caffe and coffee passion was groving every day. In next 6 months nothing happened, I was just working.

One day I saw a guy called Dritan Alses doing a skill called "Latte art" and I was just amazed! After that I took some barista and latte art courses in Zagreb because I wanted to serve even better coffee to my customers. Customers reactions were wonderfully and that gave me a solid boost to improve my skills. I met Dritan at World of coffee in Budapest and I cant describe you how excited I was when I saw him .

Picture 3 - Dritan Alsela and me at WOC Budapest

In March 2017, friend told me that there is going to be an latte art competition in Zagreb and that I should join for fun. I told to my self: "I got nothing to lose". I couldn't even imagine what will happen next. The experience I gained is priceless. I end up on 3rd place in Croatia and I met so many wonderfull people. That was one of the best moments in my barista career.

Picture 4 - Me at Zagreb Latte art championship

And now I am here. Currently taking SCA curses so I can become SCA barista trainer and I am looking foreward to open another coffee shop, small coffee roaster and barista training center.

How I got conected with BaristaSpace guys?

I decided to open my Instagram profile and I wanted to share my arts with other baristas all over the world and to learn smething new. I saw all kinds of milk jugs but I saw once ranbow pitchers and I really wanted them but they were so expensive.

Picture 5 - Baristaspace milk jugs

And then the mirracle happaned. I saw a post on Baristaspace instagram profile that they are giving away the rainbow jugs in exchange for 5 latte art videos. I got in touch with Ak to arrange the shipping. And as the time was passing, Ak and me became good friends. I ordered big amout of barista equipment from them.

coffee milk jug

Picture 6 -My Baristaspace army

I also met Mike from Baristaspace. Both Ak and Mike Simonou are just amazing guys, I love to work with them and I only have good words for them. Their gear is amazing and I really, really recomend them to everyone.

My way to the Barista- ( Barista_ Karlo )

How I got conected with BaristaSpace guys?

And All the customize barista tools can see here.

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