Area Baristas Help Celebrate "National Coffee Break Day"

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If people seemed extra perky today, maybe it was because it was "National Coffee Break Day."

(The National Coffee Association, celebrating its centennial, is behind the designation.)

And without a doubt, coffee is becoming an art form of sorts.

Many specialty coffee shops in the area -- such as 12th Street Espresso, in center city -- offer several types of coffee  with various tasting notes and bodies, according to barista Faith Ortiz.

"We as baristas are placing more emphasis on the quality of coffee, how it's brewed, where it's coming from, and the tasting notes," she explained.

"Our coffees will usually have notes of chocolate , caramel, toasted nut, or perhaps, if it's an African coffee, it will be somewhat on the lighter side -- citrusy, a little bit bright, floral, honey."

And it's not just the taste -- Ortiz says the product has to look good, too.  She demonstrated her latte technique by creating a rosetta design in a cup.

"I wiggled my hand a little bit and made a heart and a nice little rosetta and -- tah dah! --  magic!"

Reported by John McDevitt, KYW Newsradio 1060.