5 Tips to becoming a better barista
Kia Ora fellow baristas.
My coffee story started in a bakery on an island off Fremantle, Western Australia. Looking back, I was scared to be on the coffee machine, it stressed me out due to my lack of training. After getting over a few hurdles, I began to gain skills, build pace and flair on the machine. Confidence came when I met a silver haired wizard who showed me how to put out a consistent coffee at an absolute cracking pace. Organization came when I met a tall, strong woman who taught me the importance of upkeep and cleanliness whilst working. Then, I lost it. I lost the care, the passion, drive, whatever you want to call it. I wanted out so I got out, briefly…Since then, I’ve been fine-tuned by my friend and advisor, one of New Zealand’s best. She’s shown me all the in betweens, helping me reignite a level of care when making coffee. I value her and all she’s taught me very highly.
My coffee journey has been shaped by those around me. I owe it all to them. I hope you have some of these characters around you to help you on your way.
However, if you’ve ever struggled, felt stressed, frustrated, overwhelmed, uncertain or simply are searching for answers, this blog post is designed to help.
Below I’ve compiled a list of 5 tips to help you on your journey to becoming a better barista.
Keep a clean and organized work station.
A clean and tidy work station is crucial to a well balanced coffee as well a clear mind. A few years ago, my workstation was a shambles. Coffee grinds everywhere, filthy cloths, half empty hopper, stained hands and a whole lot less care. I always thought “why should I waste my time upkeeping my space when it’s only going to get dirty within 15 minutes?” Little did I know how much stress I was subjecting to myself. For someone who always believed that a tidy house is a tidy mind, this did not yet resonate in the workplace. After some molding from various respected baristas around me I transformed into an organized barista and damn, it’s made a huge difference!
Your day on the tools should involve constant workstation upkeep. You need to be wiping your work surfaces and in turn rinsing your cloths. One cloth for your steam wand and one cloth for all other surfaces. Barista’s who compete at the Championship use seven cloths, but we’ll stick to just two for now. Your milk jugs should be lined up in an orderly fashion as you see fit. After some getting used to, you’ll be able to grab the correct jug promptly helping with efficiency. Every hour, you should aim for a full reset: rinse jugs, wipe work station, top up hopper, top milk station, brush grinder, back flush machine. A few sets of long deep breaths help also. Remember your job is demanding physically and mentally. Take a second for you.
Be proud of your workstation. Treat it like every visitor to your workplace is walking into your home for the first time. First impressions count for so much!
2. Backflushing regularly and correctly.
A clean tasting coffee is a good tasting coffee.
Backflushing regularly is essential to a fine brew. When backflushing ensure you flush all the ground coffee from out of the shower screens and seals before you begin your auto flush or pulsing. To do this grab your blind portafilter, insert it into the group head, press the hot water on and wiggle it back and forth. This loosens the used coffee grinds from in and around your shower screen. If you fail to do this, you’ll only end up flushing used grounds back into your coffee machine.
Not sure when to backflush? I suggest before every black coffee you backflush quickly. This process should only take 10- 15 seconds per group head and it’s worth it. Test yourself, run an experiment and try to taste the difference between a flushed and not flushed espresso. You should also aim to backflush a little more carefully when you have a spare two minutes.
3. Stretch the milk to the correct temperature
Coffee should be served warm, not hot. As we all know, coffee is fickle. You don’t want your beautifully extracted espresso shot and all the diligent efforts that come with it subjected to piping hot steamed milk. Treat your milk stretching with the respect it deserves.
60 degrees is the winning temperature. Steaming milk above this denatures the proteins, scalds the milk and makes the milk taste, well, bad.
In my opinion, people tend to enjoy their coffee hotter than 60 degrees, as most like to enjoy their beverage for longer. Unfortunately, this doesn’t do much good for your tastebuds. Coffee is best served at drinking temperature
If the customer would like their coffee extra hot ensure the cup is hot, not warm before pouring. I suggest to not stretch beyond 70 degrees.
4. Use your senses.
Making coffee isn’t not just about following a predetermined recipe. You’ve got more senses than sight, so you may as well use them.
Using your other senses when making coffee is crucial. Sight, smell, auditory, feel and taste.
Can you see your shot struggling to extract? Go coarser. Can you smell that acrid smell? Go finer. Can you hear the subtle changes within your grinder? It might need a clean. Can you feel the air temperature change? Try to preempt this as the day progresses. Test yourself. Taste your coffee when you are unsure. Always aim high to produce what you believe is the golden shot.
5. Confidence is key
Hey! You got this!
You have the potential to possess the correct skills and knowledge to produce a great cup of coffee, consistently. Be curious, pat yourself on the back every once in a while. Be humble, be modest and honest with yourself and to others. Believe and trust in yourself. Taste is subjective but always go with your gut. If you mess up, try again. It’s no biggie. We’re all here for the same reason, a cup of delicious.
What stage of your coffee journey are you at? Daily, I find myself trying to consistently extract golden shot after golden shot. I know this is near impossible, but I’m striving for my best effort, every time. Making coffee well has so many variables. It’s important to be open minded and patient. Eventually things will flow, you’ll preempt the variables, and it will all become second nature.
Good luck out there.