For Sandy Hon, making coffee is more than a daily grind - it's an art, a skill, a craft.

"I have a passion for coffee," Hon said. She is supervisor, coffee bar operations, in the JavaJazz coffee bar on the first floor of the Commons as well as Encore Espresso, located in the Carlsen Center.

The coffee enthusiast has used her expertise to champion a new standard of training for barista across the country. Hon, who has competed and judged competitors in Specialty Coffee Association of America's (SCAA) Midwest and U.S. barista championships, is a former member of the executive council of the SCAA's Barista Guild of American and the SCAA's Training Committee. The 10-member committee of espresso brewers - the "hot shots" - have devised beginning and intermediate espresso modules and are working toward an advanced curriculum to further their mission of quality coffee preparation.

"We are raising the bar for baristas," Hon said.

In the past, baristas have had to rely on training from coffee machine manufacturers or on-the-job training. The coffee industry is riding the "third wave," Hon explains. The first wave came after World War II with the availability of canned coffee in grocery stores. The second wave was the rise of coffee houses, like the giant Starbucks, and the third wave is bringing coffee preparation to the level of a culinary art.

The art is reaching perfection. Five seconds can mean the difference between the consummate espresso and one that's under- or overextracted. Hon wants the consumer, as well as the barista, to know the difference.

"People expect to be served good food, and we want them to expect the same with coffee," Hon said.

Hon never tires of talking about coffee with customers, especially those who know want they want. She teaches continuing education courses at JCCC on coffee tasting and the history of coffee and when people get their own coffee machines at home, she talks them through the training.

"I love talking coffee with people," Hon said. "It's like a hobby - you find people of like mind and you enjoy sharing ideas and information."

So what is Hon's drink of choice? Single espresso pulled through a single portafilter or a double six-ounce Americano with a splash of half and half.

As she says with a grin, "Work supports my habit."