What I Learned my First Week as a Barista

Technically, I’ve been a barista once before, but now that I work in a specialty coffee shop, I have come to realize everything I thought I knew was wrong. Before this shop, I worked in another local coffee shop, and the two could not be more different. You’re probably thinking, how different could they be? Coffee is coffee. But trust me, not all coffee is created equal. 

Now, as an experienced caffeine hound, I have done a fair amount of research, visiting over 70 different coffee shops in 8 states, and I can say with a fair amount of certainty that there is a LOT of bad coffee out there. Fortunately, my current shop is not among them, which has allowed me to learn from many great baristas. 

In the past, I’ve always viewed the role of a barista through this rose-colored lense. After all, baristas are the giver of caffeine and, therefore, life itself.  But now that I’m the one behind the counter, I’m a bit disenchanted. It turns out latte art is not as simple as I once thought, and since I’m still learning, I do more dishes than I ever hoped to in this lifetime. I’ve also discovered that I was never trained properly at the previous shop. Instead, I was trained by someone who was trained by someone who was never actually trained! The result of this trickle-down training is that quality and consistency were never a priority. 

Quality and Consistency ARE EVERYTHING. 

The number one thing I learned my first week as a REAL barista was that quality and consistency are not just a priority but the main priority. For every latte we serve, we probably practice and toss two more. At first, I felt guilty wasting milk and espresso on what I knew would almost certainly be a subpar pour. Still, upon asking, I was enthusiastically encouraged to do so anyway because how else was I supposed to get better? My trainer also urged me to take the time to start over if I felt I could serve the customer a better drink instead of just pushing out low-quality products for the sake of speed. Quality, it turns out, is worth the wait.  

Latte Art is Harddddddd

There are soooo many factors that go into making a great espresso drink. How the beans are roasted, the grind setting, the weight of the grinds, how it’s tamped, how long the shot pulls, etc. But that’s just the beginning because, after all that, you still have to steam the milk. There is a ton of technique behind it but in the end, what it comes down to is the amount of aeration, the milk texture, and the temperature of the milk itself. If you’ve frothed your milk correctly, you’ll get this nice silky smooth paint texture that is perfect for laying art down on your perfectly pulled shot of espresso. But don’t get too excited because the final challenge is pouring the milk. And it just so happens that laying latte art is just as complicated as explaining how to lay latte art. I’ve had a lot of practice over the last couple of weeks, and I am just now getting halfway decent at it. For comparison, here is a picture of my attempt next to the professionals: 

The Differences Between Drinks:

The only difference between espresso drinks is the amount of milk and how it’s steamed. Regardless of what Dunkin Donuts has tried to convince the public, iced cappuccinos don’t exist! The only distinguishing element of a cappuccino is that it has less milk which is steamed longer and aerated more, creating a lighter and foamier drink. Another sure sign that Starbucks has indoctrinated the world is the “caramel macchiato.” A traditional macchiato is two shots of espresso with a minimal amount of foamed milk. So, unfortunately, what Starbucks is serving you is just a glorified latte; sorry to disappoint. So if you are looking for an espresso drink that maybe has a bit less milk or are looking to branch out from your basic latte, here is a diagram to help you next time you’re in a coffee shop!

There is a Lot I Don’t Know 

Finally, I’ve learned that there is a ton I didn’t know despite my previous experience with coffee. So I am very grateful that this time around, I have the chance to learn from experienced baristas who know more about coffee than I could ever hope to know. And of course, I’ll soak up all I can and pass it along to you!