Transcripts
1. Intro: How to be a Barista: Heard these before? These are some sounds
you've probably come across as your
favorite cafe. Hi, I'm Jackie and I'm the head
barista here at Dear Jane Cafe. We're a little neighborhood cafe based in Auckland, New Zealand. If you're anything like
me, you might have enjoyed visiting cafes and wondered what it's like to be a barista. In this course, I
want to share with you what it's like
to be a barista. I'll take you
through things like how to set up the coffee
machine in the morning, how to clean the coffee machine
and the coffee grinder. And some important ins
and outs of hospitality. It's easy to think
that baristas are just chill people making coffee and chatting
with customers all day. But there's actually a lot
happening behind the scenes. A lot of the times baristas are the first ones to start
the day at the cafe. This means you're responsible for getting the coffee
machine ready for the day. And the overall cafe
for the day as well. This will include dialing
in the coffee grinder and according to the conditions
of the beans that day, pulling shots through
the coffee machine, steaming and pouring
milk for coffee. And we also don't want to forget any cleaning routines
throughout the day and different dietary allergens we might need to
cater for as well. There are a lot of little
and sometimes big things to be mindful of while
working at a cafe. But if you're still here, I'll take it as you're
keen to learn it all. First up, I'll take you through the opening routine. Let's go.
2. Opening Routine: Welcome. In this class I'll be taking you through
what's expected of the opening barista
while setting up the coffee machine and the
overall cafe for the day. First things first,
hygiene, Wash your hands, pop on your apron, warm
up your coffee machine. Turn on the grinders
and let's get started. We use a La Marzocco PB
and a couple of Mythos One grinders here at our cafe, one for the Supreme blend
and one for the decaf blend. Yes, we have a separate
grinder just for the decaf. We have a lot of mums
in this neighborhood. The first few shots will
come out inconsistent, even if the dose is
the same because of the temperature difference
from the day before. Don't worry about
these just yet. While you flush
out any chemicals left from the day before, you can dial in your grinder
to set up for the day. You'll always be tweaking your grinder throughout the day too. Depending on the
cleaning routine, you may need to run through coffees for each of the
group heads, once or twice. But once is a definite must
because you don't want any chemicals left behind for the coffees that you'll
be making for the day. Grab your dose,
level it and tamp, Lock it in the clean group head and press the button
to start your shot. You will repeat this process
with all the group heads and be sure not to drink this
chemical infused coffee. Keep an eye on anything
strange about the shot. If it's looking good, you can try to taste your test shot. Remember, this is after
you've done the run through with the
chemical infused coffee. Don't drink that. I'll take you through in a
bit more detail, how to dial in the coffee
grinder in the next section. When the coffee
machine is ready, I like to make coffee for
my lovely chef and baker. If you take care of the team,
they'll take care of you. Go ahead and set up the
rest of the coffee station. Like taking out the milks, top up cups and lids, wipe down any surfaces and make sure everything's
in place and ready to go. Since you're the
opening barista, you'll be setting up the tables for the outside seats
or indoor seats, filling up water bottles, and getting the
cabinet area ready. When it's open time, switch on the lights and you're
ready to begin your day.
3. How to Pull Shots: Every cafe and barista will have a different way of dialing
in the coffee grinders. Depending on different factors like the freshness
of the coffee beans, the weather that day, and sometimes even the batch of coffee beans you're
working with. At our cafe, We like to keep things
relatively simple and we keep the grind 17-18.5 grams, depending on the day and
depending on the coffee. Most of the time,
we only need to tweak a little bit
from the day before. Our recipe today is 17 grams. Aiming for 30 grams
of coffee out at around 30 to 32 seconds out. Reason why we weigh
every single shot is not only for consistency, but to see where we
might need to change, it's the fastest way to tell. Grab your coffee
dose of 17 grams, pour it into the coffee
basket before you tamp. Grounds should be leveled
for a balanced extraction. We like to use a distributor, but if you don't have one
tapping the top of the basket, will also do the trick
too. Tamp with a centered, firm pressure and wipe away any loose coffee grounds purge any residue from
the previous shot. And once the water is clear, pop the basket in and go. You may notice here that
I'm rinsing the cup with hot water before pulling each shot this serves to
clean and preheat the cup. For the coffee, we use the left button
for the large coffees, or black coffees, as it
extracts a little bit more than the middle button
for our regular coffees. You may want to check with how your head barista likes to
do things at your cafe. And always have an
open mind to learning coffee because every barista likes to do things differently. If you want every cup of coffee that you're
making to taste good, make sure you keep a
clean coffee machine. Taking apart the portafilter during the day and
giving it a scrub is so important because coffee oils tend to build up over time. The more coffee you're making, the more cleaning in
between is needed to make sure your
coffee stays tasty. Sometimes the crema might look visibly different to
what it's supposed to look. This could be because you tamped a little bit differently, maybe on a weird angle, or maybe not strong enough, or you could even have
had some faulty beans. Have a sniff, have a taste if your curious, most
times they're not. It will taste either extra
bitter or extra acidic. Don't worry, just
pull another shot. If you're only making
black coffees, you would be sorted. But we have customers
addicted to flat whites, lattes, cappuccinos,
and mochaccinos. In the next section,
I'll take you through steaming milk for white coffees.
4. How to Steam Milk: This is the steaming station. You've got the steam ward and some designated cloths
that live in this area. You may have seen your
baristas glued to this station while they
greet you into the cafe. And this is because
how you steam your milk can make or
break your cup of coffee. Depending on the
coffee you're making, you'll need to use a small
or a big jug for reference. This is a middle sized
milk jug - milk pitcher. It holds about 600ml
to the top, but you'll only be
using around 300ml, give or take, depending on
the coffee you're making. Usually, it can fit two
regular sized coffees in mugs. Before and
after steaming give your steam wand a purge. You'll notice the water flying out before it pumps
out the steam. And the same thing applies after you've
just steamed milk, it's to push out any leftover
milk in the steam wand. You don't want any build ups. These are a few things
to keep in mind to create the ideal
silky textured milk. Fill up the milk jug
with fresh milk. You might find that
plant based milks are slightly
different to stretch. Some need more time,
some need less. Position the tip of your wand
just below the surface of the milk at around
this 1/3 mark, create a vortex and
keep it steady. It's easier if you
rest the wand where the spout is. Stretching
as I like to call it, but more formally
known as air aerating, adding air to the milk. The literal sweet spot you're
aiming the milk to be, is around 55 to 65
degrees Celsius. If your customer wants
an extra hot coffee, you can go a little bit longer, but make sure to stop
before it explodes. Yes, it can explode. Once you feel like it's
just too hot to touch, turn off your steam on
by using the dial or lever all the way and take the steam on
out of the milk jug. One little thing to note here is if you
pull out too fast, you may add big bubbles right at the end
after you've steamed. So don't rush this part. But if you did rush,
don't panic just yet. You can tap the
milk jug firmly on the counter (covered)
and pop the bubbles. I'm sure you've heard
this sound before. Swirl your milk to keep it from separating just before you pour. If you think of stretched
a little too much, tip some foam out into a
spare junk or into the sink. Flat whites will have the
least amount of foam. And then a little
bit more lattes and a little bit extra
for cappuccinos. It will take a lot of
practice to get used to the amount of foam depending on the coffees you're making. So get ready to practice. Otherwise, swirl your
steamed milk and if your milk is looking nice and shiny, you're ready to pour.
5. How to Pour Milk: I'll come clean now and say that I'm not the
best at latte art. At all. But these are a few tips
that helped me improve my latte art for sure. Hold the milk jug with your thumb
and index finger. And you're going to
imagine holding a pen And you'll be drawing
with the pen This is to practice controlling your grip and your aiming. Think also about the distance between the cup and the jug. You'll notice we start high to break the surface
of the crema. By aiming into the
deepest part of the cup, you have a higher
chance of creating that nicely defined latte art. When
you want to create the Latte art, bring the jug down close to the surface,
close to the cup. Sometimes I even like to rest the jug on the edge of the cup. This gives you a
lot more control of the milk coming
out of your jug. Let's make a
heart, for example, start high to break
the crema, mix it in. And to start the heart, bring the jug down closer
to the surface. You can rest it here or wiggle. And when you're ready
to finish, again, lift up the jug and cut through. going forward. Pay attention to how much milk is actually
coming out of the milk jug. If you go too fast, it
will overfill your cup. Most of the time
you'll see baristas holding their mugs
like this for latte art. It gives you the
most control but I'm that weird person that
doesn't like to hold the customer's
cup too much, and also this neighborhood likes their coffees really hot. I preheat my cup like a volcano. Holding the handle works for me. Things to note, when
you're pouring, if you start high then go low, you're likely to have something that looks a lot more defined. But if you start
high and stay high, your latte art won't
look as defined. If you start too
low, the milk foam will come out too quickly and you might not blend very
well. If you go too high also, you could
create bubbles which could impact the
rest of your art. If you go too fast and
pour too much out, the shape will come
out wonky as you see. And you might not have
space for latte art. If you go too slow, your milk might have separated
a lot by this point, and you won't be able
to do any latte art. It may seem like a
lot to think about, but with plenty of practice it'll become second
nature to you. Just remember the
distance of the jug and the amount of milk
coming out of the jug. As long as the coffee
itself is good, it's okay to drink whether
it's pretty or ugly. But practice will pay off. Making your coffee pretty, it will make you and your
customers extra happy.
6. Cleaning the Coffee Grinder: Cleaning the coffee grinder. These are our Mythos
one coffee grinders. This one holds around 3kg of beans and this
one over a kilo. We like to give
them both a clean at least once a
week and sometimes more if we can see a visible
build up of coffee grounds. First, let's close the
hopper hatch and pull one or two doses out so we
can empty the burr attachment. Take off the hopper
slowly because you don't want the hopper to open and
the beans to go everywhere. Turn off the grinder, unscrew the four big screws on
the burr attachment, and then put it aside
somewhere safe. I find this cleaning routine very therapeutic. And
you'll see what I mean. This is the coffee
ground build up, so we want to dust this all off. You can notice that there's
one small bean stuck there. And this can get in the way and will get in the way of
consistent grind size. We definitely know that this
grind was due for a clean. Unscrew the part
covering the clump crushers, and you'll see
the most coffee build up. Grab a brush and a
sharp, skinny tool. I'm using our etching
tool here to get into the smaller crevices
and start cleaning. There's nothing
complicated here. We're just brushing down all the coffee grounds
that have built up and carefully scraping off any bit stuck
to the corners. Be careful not to scratch the burrs or get
scratched yourself. These blades are so sharp, this main burr attachment
does come off. But because this is just
a basic cleaning routine, I won't be taking
that off today. It is such a simple task, but it makes a huge
difference and regular customers
can actually tell. Once you've brushed
down everything, place the burr attachment
back onto the body and loosely screw in the bolts to make sure
everything is aligned. Once everything is aligned, screw it on tightly and screw on the smaller bolts one at a time and make sure you don't
lose the small screws. Fun fact: the burrs actually won't work unless
the hopper is back on. Pop the hopper back on,
turn on the switch, open up the hatch
and we're going to pull through the first two, maybe one or two doses
which we won't use. Pull the dose, throw
it in the knock box, and then weigh out how much
is coming out this time. In most cases, I like
to tighten the dial by at least half a notch as
you dose to make it finer. After a clean. I
recommend cleaning the grinder before or after your shift rather
than during your shift, because you need a good 5
to 10 minutes to clean it well and you want to dial it in afterwards so you know that
it tastes really good.
7. Cleaning Routine: I like to believe all
cafes try their best to keep their spaces clean
for hygiene reasons. But more importantly for the
customer's experience at the cafe. In terms of
cleaning throughout the day, always be on the lookout for
things to clear off tables, wipe down, sweep off the floor, and be ready for
the next customer. Baristas are
solely responsible for the tidiness of
the coffee station so don't be lazy when there's
no orders coming through. Keep your counter wiped down. Wipe down the drip trays, the steam wands which can
often get a lot of build up if you haven't rinsed your
cloth throughout the day, rinse out the jugs,
rinse out cloths, top up on cups and lids, and other things that live
around the coffee station, Get into the habit of returning things to
the right places. If you have multiple baristas working at a cafe
on different days, it's very easy to
misplace things, so help yourself and
help your team, and put things back
where you found them. There are a number of things in the cleaning routine
around the coffee machine. Sometimes you can
do things in parts, so it helps to close the
cafe more efficiently. I'll take you through our
cafe's cleaning schedule. First, I change out the group- head filters and replace them with ones that have been soaked overnight in a little chemical bath. Rinse them out first, and replace them with the ones
you've used that day. Grab your flat screw
driver and turn left (anti clockwise) to unscrew. Once it's slightly loose, I find using a cloth to unscrew it with your
hand a lot faster. Align the clean filter and turn right (clockwise) as much
as you can go by hand. And then with a cloth and then tight firmly with a screwdriver. You'll repeat this on all
the other group heads, "Righty-tighty, lefty- loosey" Load your blank portafilter
with cleaning chemicals. A teaspoon amount will do just fine and lock it into the group head. Push the left and right button until the back flush begins. It starts to count down
so you have time to do other tasks like emptying
out the knock box, brushing down and wiping down areas around the coffee
grinder and the machine. Wiping down any
shelves or washing milk jugs and other tools that might need washing
or brushing down. Put the milk back
into the fridge, topping up on things you might need first
thing in the morning. Like I mentioned before, we
do these in parts because we start the closing routine early to clean the
rest of the cafe, like taking out the bins. Make sure you let
other baristas know which group head is being closed so that they don't
make coffee with it. You want to back flush twice
with the chemical mix and then rinse out the corners by wiggling the portafilter. Empty that out, and
then back flush again. So a total of three back flushes. Make sure the steam
wand is clean too. Sometimes on a busy day, no matter how often you
wipe down that steam wand, you can get a coffee build
up and it's pretty gross. I like to use the screw driver
to etch off any residue because soaking the
steam wand overnight can actually cause damage
to the coffee machine. So we try to avoid that. Make sure everything
goes back in the fridge, if that's where they belong, or into the freezer
and containers closed so that it doesn't
attract any bugs. And once everything is
washed, emptied, topped up, and put away ready
for the next day, do once over and see if
you've missed anything. As a barista and just a member of the front of house staff, it's good to keep
an eye on things to preorder before
they run out. Spend a few minutes
each day to stock take, making sure that you're
ready for the next day. You'll find that utilizing a
cheat sheet very helpful. If you take that extra step to think for your team tomorrow, your team will appreciate you and tomorrow you will
thank you as well.
8. Communication: Whether it's among the
team or with customers, communicating clearly and
efficiently will go a long way. Most times than not,
the coffee machine is pretty close to the entrance So you'll be the first person that customers see when
they enter the cafe. When customers enter the cafe, whether you're able
to serve them or not, acknowledge them
with a greeting. Hello, how are you? Are you after a table or
something to take away? If they're after a table, how many people are
they expecting? This is so that you know how many menus they might need for the table and water glasses, etc. If they're taking away, guide them to the counter
so they can browse the cabinet and order their
coffee then and there. Now, in Auckland especially, or wherever you find a
group of coffee lovers, you want to make sure you get
their coffee order right. What coffee are they after? What size? Was it with
dairy or non dairy milk? What alternatives
would they like if your cafe offered
alternative milk options? Be sure to check the ingredients of the alternative milk and even items on the menu just
in case of any allergies. Once you've been on
the job for a while, you'll start to remember your
regular customers orders and the question will
become, "your usual?" I like to think that I know
my customers pretty well, but I do like to repeat their order back to them just in case they change
up their mind. Like, "Your usual large flat white?" or "Your usual? Large
triple oat flat white?" Sometimes they might
need more coffee, so they'll ask for
an extra shot. Or at least they
know that they can change up their mind
anytime they like. By getting into the
flow pattern of asking questions and
repeating their orders, It'll save you and the
customers time because you're reducing the chances of making a mistake. With new customers, repeat their order back to them. Sometimes to double check, even triple check. Even though it's a lot
of things to ask, you won't regret double checking because sometimes
customers don't even remember what they ordered
and they say something else that they were thinking of instead of what
they actually wanted. If they really messed up
their own coffee order, it's probably because they
really need their coffee. A team with clear communication will likely have a
great teamwork too. As obvious as it may sound, it's important to
update your team on the situations
around the cafe. For example, a group of
four customers have just entered the cafe and sat
themselves down without menus. Let your team know, "There's a group of four that
don't have menus." Ask your team to
help you with tasks you aren't able to
tend to yourself. Being a barista is more
than just making coffee, but keeping an eye on the flow of things around the cafe too. If ever you find yourself on the POS system taking orders, make sure you put
through orders in full and ask the customers for their name and label the order clearly so
your team can find them. There is nothing
worse than having to redo an order during
the middle of a rush. If there are things
that need attention, discreetly inform your team. These
can be minor or major things. But if you've spotted something first let your team know if
they're not already onto it. For example, you heard someone
drop a piece of cutlery. "Table three might need
a new set of cutlery." Or if you've noticed someone is about to walk out
without paying, or if you're not sure, "Could you check if that table has
cleared their bill?" It really doesn't
hurt to double check. It may be a lot at first, but if you have a team good at communicating the
needs around the cafe, you'll find that the teamwork
is much more efficient and most times enjoyable too. Get into the habit of
keeping your eyes and ears open and stay a few steps
ahead of the customers.
9. Final: Hospitality: No matter what the setting, people love to be acknowledged. And it's so natural
to want to spend time where you feel
good. For baristas, Making good coffee is a given. But if you can give
your customers a good hospitality experience, that's what makes it stand out. Greet your customers, saying
hi, give them a smile. If you're good with
names and faces, it's a massive bonus
because believe it or not, baristas find it much
easier to remember people's coffees before their
names, turn it into a game. You'll be surprised
at how many names and coffee orders you can
fit into your brain. I definitely enjoy remembering my regular customers names. It makes them feel good knowing that they're
your regulars. And the sense of connection is definitely something I
love about hospitality. I think it's incredible that something as simple as a cup of coffee can change your
mood and even your day. There's a quote from
the baristas handbook by Coffee Supreme that
really stuck with me. It mentions how
"without hospitality, a cup of coffee is
just a cup of coffee. So look up, be generous and
show hospitality always." I hope that you'll be
a friendly barista for your neighbors and I hope you have fun
making coffee as well.
Jackie Kim, Barista in NZ
