After working at several cafes and a few restaurants here in Adelaide, I was able to understand the basics of how to become a barista.
And through this post I would like to share what I have seen, learnt, and experienced, so people that are thinking about becoming a Barista can know more about the job and the hospitality industry.
These are the topics that will be covered through this post:
– What a Barista is?
– Skills a Barista needs
– Coffee making related jobs
– Pathway to becoming a Barista
– Work experience
– Questions and answers
How to become a barista
What is a Barista?
A Barista is someone who knows how to make coffee.
It looks pretty simple but lets talk about the characteristics of a barista.
Ok, this person must know how to make coffee. However, you also need to love serving people, be able to guide customers so they can enjoy a cup of coffee.
Many customers know what coffee they want, still you will get people who ask for coffee but don’t know which coffee to order.
To overcome this challenge, you also need to be able to communicate well in order to explain the different types of coffees. Therefore, it will become like a sales job as you are trying to get customers to follow your advice (which I hope is a good advice). If done well they can become your customers and keep coming back to you for their favourite cup of coffee or maybe just to have chat with you.
The last and most critical point, a barista must have integrity. This is why I think many baristas fail and can’t deliver a great cup of coffee.
“Integrity is the quality of being honest”
What does integrity have to do with being a barista?
When the barista is making coffee it should be always thinking about delivering the best cup of coffee they can make for their customers (I didn’t say a perfect cup, I just said the best one you can make at that current time).
To deliver the best, you need to know how to make a great coffee shot, texture milk, mix both coffee and milk, if those steps are done well a barista can do latte art, and finally deliver what the customer requested.
Lets explain some of the steps a bit further so we can get the idea.
To make a great shot of coffee you need:
– Fresh coffee beans (store coffee beans properly)
– Grinder configuration (grinder set either fine or coarse depending on the coffee beans)
– Amount of coffee grounds (dosing)
– Tamping pressure (tamping varies depending on the blend and grinder setting)
To texture milk:
– Fresh milk
– Stretch the milk depending on the type of coffee
– Texture milk to give it a silky and smooth look
– Steam the milk to the right temperature
Whenever I’m teaching how to make coffee to my students I show them the difference between a coffee shot done properly against and bad coffee shot.
Once the process is completed both shots may look very similar to each other.
Therefore, the critical part is when the coffee extraction is happening.
A good coffee shot will take an average of 25 to 35 seconds in order to get an average of 30ml of coffee, and some of the things you will notice during the extraction are:
– It will take around 5 seconds for the extraction to start (to get the first drops of coffee)
– The first 5 to 10ml are dark
– Then a smooth golden brown stream of coffee will follow, it will be very appealing and eye-catching.
– And, finally to know the coffee shot is about to finish, you will notice that the flow of it will start to shake and look watery.
What is the reward for putting this much effort?
Skills
After talking about what a barista is, lets do some further talk about the skills required for the job:
- Communication skills
- Sales skills
- Customer service skills
- Good memory
- Extra skills
Communication skills
As a barista you will be in the front of house area, which means you will be talking and dealing with customers.
That being said, you have to be able to interact with confidence in front of customers and listen to what they want.
Sales skills
Interacting with customers is one thing, but selling is all about listening and understanding what people want. Customers want a coffee, they may choose to go to their favourite cafe or restaurant for it, and then order a coffee.
Once customers are ordering, you should be aware to offer them additional things to have with their coffee, maybe a slice of cake, or a dessert. Make sure you approach customers in the right way, offer but avoid being pushy. Nothing more annoying that being pushed to buy something.
Customer service skills
I would say that among all the skills a barista has, this one for me is CRITICAL. If you customer service is poor, don’t expect your customers to treat you like a friend. Therefore, I will recommend focus a lot on providing the best customer service.
How can I provide good customer service?
- Focus on the customer.
- Greet them as soon as you see them, or as soon as they walk into the venue.
- If you are busy, let them know you will be with them in a moment.
- While they are ordering, ask if they would like to have sugar in their coffee, or if they want a different type of milk.
- Deliver the coffee and be friendly by calling out the coffee they have ordered.
- Also, after delivering the coffee ask if they want water or if they need anything else.
- Ex: Do you ladies want some water? or Do you guys need anything else?
As you see is not difficult, but many people in the industry don’t do it. I encourage you to start using some of this tips to start delivering a better customer service.
Good memory
It is very important for this kind of job to have a good memory. There are so many things happening at the same time that is very easy to get distracted and forget details. Take note of important stuff if needed. Add extra notes to coffee orders too. I will say is a balance between having a good memory and taking notes for you to keep focused and on top of your game while working.
Extra skills
Yes, there is more, asides from learning and using all the things mentioned above, you will also benefit from learning a few other things, like, making other hot and cold beverages.
No one ordering coffee?
Then is time to clean, clean and clean, all your coffee making area should be clean or as clean as possible, customers are always checking.
Dishwashing and doing other relevant tasks to keep the venue neat and tidy.
Table service, learn how to carry dishes and deliver food to customers, some venues will need you to fulfil duties as a waiter/waitress.
Payment processing: Since you are at the front of house it is common that you will be processing payments either through a POS system, EFTPOS device or handling cash.
Coffee making related positions
The following list of jobs may not require you to make coffee. However, if you are in the learning stages of how to make coffee you can leverage these type of jobs to practice for brief moments.
These for job positions can allow you to get more familiar with an espresso coffee machine and making coffee:
- Team member
- All-rounder
- Cafe assistant
- Waiter/waitress
While working at any of these jobs you may be allowed to use the coffee machine in non-peak hours, you could also ask other staff to show you how to use the coffee equipment, or ask about the coffee policy for staff members (many places allow you to get a coffee during your shift).
Pathway to becoming a Barista
After being in the industry over 2 years now (I started in September 2015) this is what I experienced through my journey.
First, you need to learn how to use the espresso machine and the grinder.
Also learn the different coffee recipes (which can be done through basic coffee classes or volunteering). Or you can read our Coffee Recipe Guide post.
Then, is very likely that you will make coffee only for yourself (that is why I recommend getting jobs where making coffee is a plus and not a requirement).
Once you are more confident making coffee then colleagues may ask you to make coffee for them. Your colleagues and yourself will be your first customers.
For you to give or share an experience you need to experienced it first, that is when you will be ready to start making coffee for customers.
You can start making coffee for customers without training or without much experience. However, if you don’t know or haven’t experienced a coffee before I don’t recommend it. At the beginning you are in a learning stage, which you should take advantage of and avoid skipping it.
And, if you are ready to make coffee for customers, then make sure the first coffee you make is your coffee. It is important to know that the coffee is at a good standard to be served to others.
Work Experience
Zero to 2 months
Goal: gain new skills (customer service, dishwashing, coffee making, taking orders, cash handling, payments processing).
Work as a volunteer a few hours a week in cafes, bakeries or other venues where you could learn or practice making coffee.
While you are doing some work experience make sure you update your CV and start applying for entry positions (dishwasher, team member, waiter/waitress)
Attend a Barista class so you can learn some more and meet other people that are in the industry.
2 to 6 months
Goal: further develop your skills and become more confident.
You can attend an extra class or a more advanced coffee making courses.
Once you have reached at least 6 months of good work experience you can start applying to barista jobs in low volume cafes, restaurants or bars. And, if you still don’t feel that confident then, keep growing your skills in other related jobs as discussed before.
Questions and answers
What is the job of the Barista?
Make coffee, keep surrounding areas neat and tidy, help other staff members, deliver coffee to customers, process payments, make other cold and hot beverages. Those are some of the most common duties, but they will change depending on the venue.
What do I need to start?
You need to learn the basics. Look for work experience opportunities or volunteering jobs where you could learn and practice.
You could also take a Barista course.
What if I don’t have the work experience?
I will recommend you to start handling CVs and approaching cafes, restaurants or bars.
Also consider volunteering so you can learn the basics.
What if I don’t have the skills?
Take a course or get some work experience, you need to learn them or find someone who can teach you.
Do I need a certificate to be a Barista?
You don’t need a certificate to be a Barista. A certificate is only proof of completion of a barista course, it doesn’t mean you are a barista.
I already have a barista certificate but no one hires me or gives me an opportunity, what can I do?
Business owners look for real baristas (skills and experience) or people that have the willingness to learn and work hard.
Disclaimer
The information shared on this post is based on my personal experience, neither the author or Experience Coffee is responsible for the use of the information provided throughout this post. Use the information provided here as a guide and/or reference.
Most of the information shared on this post come from experiences of other international students and from my own experience here in Adelaide, South Australia. If you apply the tips and recommendations given here your chances of getting a job will be higher, as you will be able to focus on what is relevant. It will require lots of effort and practise, before getting any results. Most important is to learn, and be willing to keep going no matter how difficult it might get.
If you need more information send me an email to info@experiencecoffee.com.au or write a comment on the comment’s section below.
Thank you.