The espresso machine’s steam wand hisses loudly, shooting hot steam. The puffs spread out and quickly disappeared. Ubud female barista named Putri Wahyuni is on duty.
Putri Wahyuni, the most senior female barista at Jaya Coffee Roasters Ubud, swiftly inserted the steam wand into the milk jug. The hissing sound of fresh milk being stirred by hot steam, punctuated by the squeaking of air bubbles, ripped through the relaxed atmosphere of the shop that afternoon.
It only takes a few seconds before a layer of silky foam is created in the milk jug. With a swift movement, the steam wand was wiped clean with a cloth and once again snorted loudly like the nose of an angry bull, making sure there were no spots of milk left.
Putri is very skilled at pouring milk from her milk jug into an espresso cup and drawing latte art. Voila! A cup of coffee latte with a beautiful seahorse painting is ready to be enjoyed.
“At first, I liked doing my school assignments in coffee shops while enjoying coffee,” she said, telling how she started to like coffee.
Unlike most teenagers her age who prefer sweet drinks, Putri Wahyuni prefers drinks that taste bitter. That’s also what made her choose coffee.
After completing her diploma at the Bali Tourism Excellent Academy 2021, Putri is determined to deepen her profession in the world of coffee.
“The intention is to focus on coffee because I’m curious,” said this Ubud female barista, born July 24, 2001.
She admitted that the more she studied coffee, the more she felt that she didn’t know. Coincidentally, his brother-in-law owns the Jaya Coffee Roasters business. She found a place that suited his interests for work.
Initially, at Jaya Coffee Roasters, Putri Wahyuni learned to sort green beans. Separate which coffee beans are of good quality and which are defective. It is important to ensure that the quality of the coffee that will be roasted is uniform.
After that, she started learning about roasted bean profiles. She learned to recognize which coffee beans were roasted at light, medium, and dark levels.
And gradually start practicing roasting coffee beans according to the expected roasting profile. Putri is relatively fast at learning.
Her determination to learn more about coffee is in line with his high curiosity. The fourth child of five siblings does not like being stuck in a stagnant situation.
After mastering the skill of roasting coffee, Putri has started practicing her skills at the barista table.
She never hesitated to pursue what she was interested in. Independently able to make quick decisions, the important thing is according to what she wants. She don’t really care what other people think. Putri already feels very comfortable with the freedom to choose what she wants to do.
“That’s probably why I don’t have many close female friends. “Maybe because I want something practical,” she said with a big smile.
She feels okay watching a movie in the cinema alone without having to wait for someone to accompany her. The horror movie genre makes it impossible for her to postpone watching it just to wait for someone to willingly accompany her.
Being a practical person makes her steps easier. She admitted that she did not want to be burdened with excessive thoughts or ones that could confine her to a traumatic situation.
“I once broke my leg because I fell off a motorcycle. Must take a three-month break. But I don’t want to linger. “As soon as I have the opportunity, I’ll ride a motorcycle again,” she said, chuckling.
She doesn’t want to be afraid of riding a motorcycle again if she thinks about her injury for too long.
Why fixate on events that provide opportunities for deterrent or traumatic feelings? She quickly fought back before the feelings or thoughts emerged and became more ensnaring.
The decision to learn to become a barista challenged her to take part in a latte art competition. She realized that she did not have public speaking skills, one of the skills that was also assessed in the latte art competition.
For her, being on the competition stage to showcase her latte art drawing skills, as well as telling stories, is something dark and difficult to imagine. However, she was determined to fight against her reluctance.
The barista competition on Gianyar City’s 251st anniversary was the first time she participated. Putri Wahyuni was ranked 2nd runner-up. This is an achievement that adds to her motivation to further pursue her profession in the world of coffee. It was proven that she could penetrate situations that previously seemed dark.
After that, in almost every barista competition she took part in, Putri Wahyuni was always among the champions. She is a female barista in Ubud who has a collection of many competition-winning trophies.
“The plan for 2025 is to open my own coffee shop,” she said steadily.
Putri wants her future coffee shop to have an all-vintage concept that tends to be dark.
“Dark doesn’t always mean murky. But it can be a relaxing place,” she said.
Putri doesn’t seem to like anything murky. It’s no different from the contents of a complicated mind being busy with various things that are often trivial but disturbing. She prefers dark, firm, but simple and practical.
She plans that the coffee shop will also have coffee classes regularly. She hopes that her coffee shop can become a place of learning for those who want to know more about coffee.
In this coffee class, she wanted to share it with those who were starting to become baristas.
For Putri, being a barista requires not having doubts, having the courage to try new things, and training yourself to be ready for all the risks. Because in this profession, there is no stopping to continue learning.
Achievement
- 2nd Runner-Up Barista HUT Gianyar City, Bali (2022)
- 1st Place in the PDIP 49th Anniversary Barista Competition, Jembrana, Bali (2022)
- 2nd Place Barista HUT Gianyar City, Bali (2023)
- 2nd place in the PDIP 50th Anniversary Barista Competition Jembrana, Bali (2023)
Follow Putri Wahyuni’s Instagram @kputriwahyuni
