A Barista is a professional who makes and serves beverages such as coffee, tea and specialty beverages. They are responsible for taking customer orders and payments. They also clean and sanitize their work areas, seating areas and equipments.
A successful Barista has good attention to detail with great communication skills. They should be able to handle food properly and memorize ingredients while also making changes when asked by customers.
Their memory skills should be sharp as this will add efficiency to a customer’s experience, enhancing a Barista’s customer service skills.
To land a job as a Barista you will need to show some previous experience in a retail or hospitality role .
Alongside some of these more general skill, good Baristas should possess:
· A happy, friendly personality
· Customer service skills and knowledge
· High level of attention-to-detail
· Good level of literacy and numeracy
· Enthusiasm to develop your skills and knowledge
· Adaptable to change and willing to embrace new ideas and processes
· Ability to work unsupervised and deliver quality work
· Positive and approachable manner
· Team player qualities
If you're a new barista, use these tips when you're making coffee to impress your customers.
1. Warm The Cups
Warming the cups before making a hot espresso drink helps make the coffee more appealing.
Not only does it keep the drink warmer longer, but it also makes the drinking coffee experience a more positive one. You can fill the cup with hot water before serving or use the steam wand to heat it.
Hot cups are particularly important when making espresso. This drink will cool quickly without a hot cup to start it off.
2. Learn To Make Microfoam
Microfoam is a special type of frothed milk foam made by frothing extremely cold milk with the tip of the steam wand placed close to the surface of the milk, but still beneath it.
After making the foam, the barista will then plunge the steam wand into the milk to heat it further. Microfoam not only has a smooth feel that the customer will enjoy, but it also makes better latte art.
To froth milk, you need to start with cold milk and a cold pitcher. Then, fill it no more than 1/3 of the way with the cold milk, because ht frothing process will increase the volume. Drain any water from the steam wand before you start.
3.Grind Properly
Professional grinder is required to grind coffee beans to create a tasty cup of coffee.
Grinding coffee beans into uniform, fine particles requires a professional grinder, but this is critical to creating a tasty cup of coffee and getting the most flavor from each cup.
To grind well, use a professional-grade grinder. Use a medium-to-high setting, and pulse the grinder for three to five seconds at a time. Continue pulsing until you have a fine ground.
Learning these tips can help you a lot.Besides,finding the right balance between your work and your lifestyle is really important. With a Barista job you will often find that your shifts include days and weekends and, on many occasions, include holidays.
Shift working can work extremely well for those who have home and family commitments providing a career that enables you to maintain a healthy work-life balance.