Before you enter the coffee trade, you’ll want to know as much as possible about it. So, what is it like to be a barista? Well, we can tell you this much, it’s hard work, but every day is different. While your focus is on coffee, there’s quite a bit more to this job, making it exciting and rewarding. You’ll need to learn various skills, make friends, and, most importantly, obsess over coffee. As you gain a certificate, grow your experience, and develop your skills, you can work your way up the coffee industry ladder and make friends along the way.
You Know Your Coffee
As a barista, you must know a lot about coffee. Understanding the origins and flavour profiles is an excellent place to start. You’ll assess the flavour profiles based on sweetness, acidity, body, and cleanliness. A coffee appreciation course is the best way to gain a deeper understanding of coffee. From there, you’ll start thinking about the type of bean, how it’s been roasted, how it’s been ground, and the best brewing methods. And there’s no shame in getting a little pretentious about it!
Your passion and expertise help you recommend the right coffee to the right customer and keep them coming back for more. Your customers will both expect and appreciate your knowledge of coffee; it’s the first step to getting to know your customers, connecting with them, and even making friends.
What’s the Work Environment Like?
Baristas typically work at coffee shops and cafés, but there are also opportunities at restaurants and hotels. With more experience under your belt, you can work your way up. You can manage a store, run your own coffee shop, or learn the art of roasting and sourcing. If your passion for coffee is infectious, you can also become a coffee consultant (selling coffee and various coffee-related products) or train baristas.
You can choose a working environment based on its vibe, pace, the other employees, and the clientele you’ll encounter. You’ll spend a lot of time with your co-workers, you’ll make friends, laugh, and help each other out when things get hectic – another wonderful part of the job.
What Are the Customers Like?
The hospitality industry tends to be bustling, fast-paced, lively, and vibrant. Whether you’re in a coffee shop, café, or restaurant, you’ll be interacting with a diverse range of people on a daily basis. Your customers are there to grab a coffee-based treat while they work or socialise, and it’s your job to serve them the highest quality coffee with a smile. Engaging with customers is easily one of the best parts of the job. You’ll get to know the regulars and encounter the odd grumpy soul now and then too. The good will definitely outweigh the bad, which is what makes it such a rewarding working environment.
Your path to becoming a barista begins with familiarising yourself with the wonderful world of coffee. You can learn on the job or get the edge over other candidates by earning a certificate in one or all of the various aspects of coffee creation. Learn to make the perfect brew, perfect your latte art, or study coffee appreciation. A good course offers hands-on instruction and a path to your career as a barista.
