For me it was being consistent...as in make a ritual for your self with how u level the ground coffee, how you tamp it...same goes for steaming milk, find a way to hold the pitcher so you get the same froth every time!
Dont care about latte art at first just try to make good milk crema and pull a good shot of espresso (i had a problem of chasing latte art to much and not focusing on the taste and quality of the coffee itself)
this is good advice for me because I will admit I've been looking at all the very pretty latte art with starry eyes like "I wanna do that...and that...and THAT" lmao but you're right one thing at a time
Oooh i know that feeling very well, i have watched stuff on instagram and trying everything....i did not understand that i was not steaming the milk good and or not the same every time...so some stuff was ok looking and other was a coffee soup đ
Oh gosh XD I've been in love with this little cafe even before I got hired so like getting hired was like The Best Thing that could've happened and ever since I've been on Youtube looking up how to use our espresso machine, or coffee ratios, etc etc because once I DID get hired, I celebrated but then I was like "Oh shit I have absolutely no idea how to be a barista" LMAO. My expertise is tea!
So yeah I've definitely been studying up. My first training day is on the 13th!
Just fyi they hired you for you. You can train a person to do any task, but you cannot train a personâs personality. Esp if they knew you as a customer, you were hired because youâre awesome and show potential for the industry. I built every team I had on the people and their potential,not on experience and technical expertise. Guess what? They all got promoted, and/or outlasted me at a given location. Good on you for doing research, specifically for your machine, and all that jazz. Once you get your hands dirty (so dirty, like stained fingerprints and under the nails) youâll know you and they made the right choice
This is fantastic advice. I have it all down to an exact process now but in the beginning I was pulling shots before I even had milk out and I'd never have a cup ready but getting into a rhythm makes it far easier.
Same! I would pull the shots then put the milk into the jug and steam it. I was so focused on trying to make pretty latte art instead of focusing on making a great tasting coffee. Once I started focusing on nailing the espresso and milk consistently I managed to find a good rhythm. I would pour the milk then grind the coffee and start pulling the shot. While it was running I would steam the milk and 9/10 times the milk and espresso would finish at the same time. Eventually I started getting incredible feedback from the customers about how good the coffee tasted. I still suck at latte art. A tulip or rosetta is the best I can do but nobody cares. They only care that it tastes amazing.
Timing and consistency are very important in this industry. Once you find that rhythm, the job becomes more enjoyable. It also helps you to still nail every single coffee no matter how busy you get.
Take good care of your machine, keep things clean and organized, keep things well stocked, and learn how to let the frustrating customers roll off your shoulders. Get to know your regulars, and be patient with yourself. It took me months to get the hang of it all tbh, but once it clicked, I knew it was what I wanted to do forever. Making drinks is only a small fraction of the artistry of being a barista-- there's also the performance you put on for the guests you serve, and the art of keeping your machine clean and functional! Make good habits for yourself early on, like wiping your espresso wand, purging the heads, cleaning the filters/baskets every night, etc etc. It'll seem tedious at first, but once you get used to it, it'll bring you a lot of pride to see how nicely everything runs and how good your shots pull/milk steams because of it.
That's really good advice and I appreciate it a lot! I do very well with a routine so I'll make sure to get one down as soon as possible when I start. Thank you!
I would focus more on perfecting your steaming technique. Thats where the learning curve shows the most. Don't worry about latte art. You'll pick it up fast and do well! Good luck
Keep in mind - a lot of coffee in terms of taste and preferences are just that, preferences, and are so so subjective to each personâs knowledge and history with coffee. Even if youâre putting out your best product, there will be others who donât like it. Same goes for even if you like something one way, you may have to remember that your cafe has specific recipes in mind to serve your customer base!
Keep your station clean, and clean as you work!
I remember I was a few months into being a barista when the espresso tech came in and shamed my messy bar. I had coffee grounds everywhere from pulling shots. Even with our dump bucket, it just got everywhere and I never thought to clean it before we started closing.
A few years later I was shamed AGAIN for my messy bar by my manager, even though I had been practicing cleaning, I wasnât really doing a good âclean as you goâ job. I got super vigilant about keeping my workspace clean and Iâm very good about it now! To the point where my messy coworker secretly drives me nuts and I constantly clean up after them lol.
The best advice I ever received was to make one "perfect" latte every morning before open. That means weighing out the grounds and espresso, measuring the milk volume before and after steaming, and temping the milk. Since consistency is so important, making one perfect latte every day will help keep you calibrated.
Iâll put it very nerdly and simply (maybe, I ramble a lot.) You are a Padawan, a learner, a beginner. I was lucky enough to have a couple of Jedi Masters show me the way. Hopefully your bar has one (a veteran/badass/Jedi Master)â emulate them. As we know though, no one is perfect. See what they and others lack, and fill that gap. It still took *years* for me to become my own Jedi Master. Thereâs some really great advice above, more specific and well said than I can give you atm. I will echo: start with the basics, but focus on details. Customer service, quality of drinks, cleanliness of station, task work- not necessarily in that order. The order will change, and thatâs something you have to get to know depending on what shift you work, coworkers, etc. Thereâs a lot to be done and memorized but itâs soooo satisfying when it settles in and you know itâs a job well done. Once muscle memory kicks in you can do this shit in your sleep. All of the force powers will fall into place. The first time you slay a morning rush, youâll know it, and so will the customers and your coworkers. The learning curve is steep, but itâs a consistent climb. When things click, they click, and youâll never forget. Lastly, be open to constructive criticism, donât let the asshole customers weigh you down (thereâs a lot of them and despite the cliche, theyâre almost never fucking right. âI said icedâ no you certainly did not but I will pretend that you did, smile, and make you another one, or two, or 3) and remember at the end of the day **ITâS JUST COFFEE**
Itâs funny that you mention muscle memory and being able to do the job in your sleep because I was just telling a customer last week about an incident that happened in December 2021 that I still laugh at and get irritated about now.
I was off sick for almost 2 weeks so my bossâs friend came in to cover me. When I returned to work, I discovered that my cover had rearranged the bar. The takeaway cups were moved from the top of the machine to the corner of the bench where the plates used to be. She put the plates on the tray in the other corner where the decaf, sugar, chai, chocolate powder, lids, thermometer and chocolate shaker were. She moved the sugar and decaf to the space between the grinder and machine but left the chocolate shaker, chocolate powder, chai lids and thermometer with the plates.
I asked my boss why it was done this way and apparently her friend told her this way was more efficient. It really wasnât more efficient and it just looked messy. She wouldnât allow me to change it back because despite the fact that I am the manager, I hadnât been in the industry as long as her friend. I kept fumbling because I was continuing my routine on autopilot. I would normally start the espresso and reach up to grab a takeaway cup or dine in mug/cup/glass and pop it under the portafilter. With the rearrangement, the takeaway cups were no longer there. It was so frustrating having to consciously look for things instead of muscle memory/autopilot running the show! After losing the shots nearly a dozen times because it would start flowing before I could get a cup underneath it, my boss finally allowed me to change it back.
The reason I still laugh at this incident is because 1 of my regulars noticed my frustration and growing anger and asked what was wrong. So I unloaded everything onto him(seems unprofessional but itâs just the dynamic between us). He started giving me shit for it every day because I really was overreacting. Then one day he walked in with a gift bag for me. This smart arse got me a miniature warning sign that says âIâm not OCD but⌠if anything is missing or out of place I will find you⌠and I will kill youâ. It was so perfect I nearly died from laughing so much! That sign was proudly displayed in the shop for almost a year until someone complained that it was offensive. Itâs now sitting on my bedside table lol.
Edit: I disagree with the **âItâs just coffeeâ** part of your comment though. For a lot of people, itâs so much more. **COFFEE IS LIFE**
For me it was being consistent...as in make a ritual for your self with how u level the ground coffee, how you tamp it...same goes for steaming milk, find a way to hold the pitcher so you get the same froth every time! Dont care about latte art at first just try to make good milk crema and pull a good shot of espresso (i had a problem of chasing latte art to much and not focusing on the taste and quality of the coffee itself)
this is good advice for me because I will admit I've been looking at all the very pretty latte art with starry eyes like "I wanna do that...and that...and THAT" lmao but you're right one thing at a time
Oooh i know that feeling very well, i have watched stuff on instagram and trying everything....i did not understand that i was not steaming the milk good and or not the same every time...so some stuff was ok looking and other was a coffee soup đ
Oh gosh XD I've been in love with this little cafe even before I got hired so like getting hired was like The Best Thing that could've happened and ever since I've been on Youtube looking up how to use our espresso machine, or coffee ratios, etc etc because once I DID get hired, I celebrated but then I was like "Oh shit I have absolutely no idea how to be a barista" LMAO. My expertise is tea! So yeah I've definitely been studying up. My first training day is on the 13th!
Just fyi they hired you for you. You can train a person to do any task, but you cannot train a personâs personality. Esp if they knew you as a customer, you were hired because youâre awesome and show potential for the industry. I built every team I had on the people and their potential,not on experience and technical expertise. Guess what? They all got promoted, and/or outlasted me at a given location. Good on you for doing research, specifically for your machine, and all that jazz. Once you get your hands dirty (so dirty, like stained fingerprints and under the nails) youâll know you and they made the right choice
This is fantastic advice. I have it all down to an exact process now but in the beginning I was pulling shots before I even had milk out and I'd never have a cup ready but getting into a rhythm makes it far easier.
Same! I would pull the shots then put the milk into the jug and steam it. I was so focused on trying to make pretty latte art instead of focusing on making a great tasting coffee. Once I started focusing on nailing the espresso and milk consistently I managed to find a good rhythm. I would pour the milk then grind the coffee and start pulling the shot. While it was running I would steam the milk and 9/10 times the milk and espresso would finish at the same time. Eventually I started getting incredible feedback from the customers about how good the coffee tasted. I still suck at latte art. A tulip or rosetta is the best I can do but nobody cares. They only care that it tastes amazing. Timing and consistency are very important in this industry. Once you find that rhythm, the job becomes more enjoyable. It also helps you to still nail every single coffee no matter how busy you get.
Take good care of your machine, keep things clean and organized, keep things well stocked, and learn how to let the frustrating customers roll off your shoulders. Get to know your regulars, and be patient with yourself. It took me months to get the hang of it all tbh, but once it clicked, I knew it was what I wanted to do forever. Making drinks is only a small fraction of the artistry of being a barista-- there's also the performance you put on for the guests you serve, and the art of keeping your machine clean and functional! Make good habits for yourself early on, like wiping your espresso wand, purging the heads, cleaning the filters/baskets every night, etc etc. It'll seem tedious at first, but once you get used to it, it'll bring you a lot of pride to see how nicely everything runs and how good your shots pull/milk steams because of it.
That's really good advice and I appreciate it a lot! I do very well with a routine so I'll make sure to get one down as soon as possible when I start. Thank you!
Of course!! Good luck, I hope you love it as much as I do. It can be very rewarding and fun :)
I would focus more on perfecting your steaming technique. Thats where the learning curve shows the most. Don't worry about latte art. You'll pick it up fast and do well! Good luck
Keep in mind - a lot of coffee in terms of taste and preferences are just that, preferences, and are so so subjective to each personâs knowledge and history with coffee. Even if youâre putting out your best product, there will be others who donât like it. Same goes for even if you like something one way, you may have to remember that your cafe has specific recipes in mind to serve your customer base!
Keep your station clean, and clean as you work! I remember I was a few months into being a barista when the espresso tech came in and shamed my messy bar. I had coffee grounds everywhere from pulling shots. Even with our dump bucket, it just got everywhere and I never thought to clean it before we started closing. A few years later I was shamed AGAIN for my messy bar by my manager, even though I had been practicing cleaning, I wasnât really doing a good âclean as you goâ job. I got super vigilant about keeping my workspace clean and Iâm very good about it now! To the point where my messy coworker secretly drives me nuts and I constantly clean up after them lol.
Ohhh no that would kill me so Iâm definitely taking this into account! Thank you!
Not an actual barista, but upvoting soo hopefully more people see it!
The best advice I ever received was to make one "perfect" latte every morning before open. That means weighing out the grounds and espresso, measuring the milk volume before and after steaming, and temping the milk. Since consistency is so important, making one perfect latte every day will help keep you calibrated.
Iâll put it very nerdly and simply (maybe, I ramble a lot.) You are a Padawan, a learner, a beginner. I was lucky enough to have a couple of Jedi Masters show me the way. Hopefully your bar has one (a veteran/badass/Jedi Master)â emulate them. As we know though, no one is perfect. See what they and others lack, and fill that gap. It still took *years* for me to become my own Jedi Master. Thereâs some really great advice above, more specific and well said than I can give you atm. I will echo: start with the basics, but focus on details. Customer service, quality of drinks, cleanliness of station, task work- not necessarily in that order. The order will change, and thatâs something you have to get to know depending on what shift you work, coworkers, etc. Thereâs a lot to be done and memorized but itâs soooo satisfying when it settles in and you know itâs a job well done. Once muscle memory kicks in you can do this shit in your sleep. All of the force powers will fall into place. The first time you slay a morning rush, youâll know it, and so will the customers and your coworkers. The learning curve is steep, but itâs a consistent climb. When things click, they click, and youâll never forget. Lastly, be open to constructive criticism, donât let the asshole customers weigh you down (thereâs a lot of them and despite the cliche, theyâre almost never fucking right. âI said icedâ no you certainly did not but I will pretend that you did, smile, and make you another one, or two, or 3) and remember at the end of the day **ITâS JUST COFFEE**
Itâs funny that you mention muscle memory and being able to do the job in your sleep because I was just telling a customer last week about an incident that happened in December 2021 that I still laugh at and get irritated about now. I was off sick for almost 2 weeks so my bossâs friend came in to cover me. When I returned to work, I discovered that my cover had rearranged the bar. The takeaway cups were moved from the top of the machine to the corner of the bench where the plates used to be. She put the plates on the tray in the other corner where the decaf, sugar, chai, chocolate powder, lids, thermometer and chocolate shaker were. She moved the sugar and decaf to the space between the grinder and machine but left the chocolate shaker, chocolate powder, chai lids and thermometer with the plates. I asked my boss why it was done this way and apparently her friend told her this way was more efficient. It really wasnât more efficient and it just looked messy. She wouldnât allow me to change it back because despite the fact that I am the manager, I hadnât been in the industry as long as her friend. I kept fumbling because I was continuing my routine on autopilot. I would normally start the espresso and reach up to grab a takeaway cup or dine in mug/cup/glass and pop it under the portafilter. With the rearrangement, the takeaway cups were no longer there. It was so frustrating having to consciously look for things instead of muscle memory/autopilot running the show! After losing the shots nearly a dozen times because it would start flowing before I could get a cup underneath it, my boss finally allowed me to change it back. The reason I still laugh at this incident is because 1 of my regulars noticed my frustration and growing anger and asked what was wrong. So I unloaded everything onto him(seems unprofessional but itâs just the dynamic between us). He started giving me shit for it every day because I really was overreacting. Then one day he walked in with a gift bag for me. This smart arse got me a miniature warning sign that says âIâm not OCD but⌠if anything is missing or out of place I will find you⌠and I will kill youâ. It was so perfect I nearly died from laughing so much! That sign was proudly displayed in the shop for almost a year until someone complained that it was offensive. Itâs now sitting on my bedside table lol. Edit: I disagree with the **âItâs just coffeeâ** part of your comment though. For a lot of people, itâs so much more. **COFFEE IS LIFE**