Oisin Tegeler moved to Wellington just over two years ago, after spending time living and working in Australia. The Irishman studied law back home, but after graduating got a job in hospitality and knew instantly where he wanted to be.
Tegeler is curious about all things food and wine, loving to cook and partial to a pint of Guinness.
“I was always into coffee but where I'm from nobody was doing anything interesting with coffee or even thought there was anything more to it, much less considered there was a career in it. When I got to Melbourne I saw that coffee was all that and more so I said let's give it a go.”
Now four years into “barista-ing”, Tegeler finds reward in his happy regular customers at Frank’s. Though he loves Kenyan coffee, as Café Manager Tegeler reps the Frank’s house blend.
“It's a great introduction to what we do and tastes great black or white.”
The industry trend toward automation is something the barista finds interesting to watch and be a part of. The role of automation in coffee brewing and roasting sees espresso bars with automatic tampers, automatic milk steaming and gravimetric espresso machines and grinders - even wifi compatible machines with digital feedback options for machine and barista performance. These automations make the barista's life easier and make the coffee more consistent as a result - but they are also things that change the nature of the role of the barista.
“We're not far off from fully automatic machines. Do people really want that? Would cafes have a different feel to them?”
Another trend Tegeler has witnessed is the rise in popularity of plant based milks.
“Oat milk has risen to become the new King/Queen of Mylks thanks to its crossover appeal.”
To Tegeler, a great coffee is something that is clean, has great flavour clarity and intensity, with a pleasant mouthfeel. Filter coffee is his go-to.
“If there's no filter available I'll most likely go for a Long Black.”
