The word barista is an Italian word that means ‘bartender’ in English. A barista deals in both hot beverages and cold alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. Most commonly, they work with expresso and coffee drinks.
In This Article
What is a Barista?
Acting as a barista involves various kinds of espresso machines and automatic and semi-automatic machines which are not easy to master. There are also some manual machines in the shop which are controlled by employees that are hired by the barista team.
A barista has many types of espresso on their lists like cappuccino, mochaccino, and latte. To prepare these types one must know the latte art and various arts involved.
What Does a Barista Do?
Baristas operate various machinery including roasting, grinding, and brewing machines. They also have detailed knowledge of different coffee beans, their tasting profiles, and the plants and regions in which they are grown.
Besides understanding and operating roasting machines where coffee beans are crushed by pressing a lever, baristas have knowledge of various grinds and brew times. Grinds and brew times vary by drink and have to be set and monitored by trained baristas.
The various bartending skills are involved in the field which is to be acquired before you get to work as a barista. The latte art includes the various designs made on the espresso coffee to add to the presentation of the beverage.
The espresso machine handling has got many steps like the grinding of the beans, tamping, and leveling. Any errors in these steps may lead to the too bitter or too strong coffee, which affects the experience of the customer and the reputation of the brand.
Qualifications Required
To become a barista, there is no such specific type of qualifications but involves various skills, which are not easily approved by the barista team. A graduate in any stream or high school pass out can become an espresso handler.
Usually, people with unique interests seek a career as a barista and they have a special kind of passion to work as a barista. There are some skills which an individual should possess if seeking a career in barista which are mentioned below:
Skills Required
- Good handling- It is a kind of work which is directly related to the taste of people and for which they never compromise. So, the work must be done with good handling as any error can lead to distrust of customer.
- Better understanding- There are some complicated machines manual, semi automatic, automatic and super automatic which are to controlled efficiently by the employees
- Hard working– The person working at barista must be hard working and should be able to work under heavy work loads
- Good communication skills- The person working has to communicate with the esteemed customers which have a good image of barista in their minds. So, it would be very disappointing if the communication skills of the employee are not good.
- High tolerance power- To handle customers is not an easy task and needs much tolerance in case of any conflict or fight by the customer
- Good presence of mind- The person seeking to become an employee of barista must possess a good presence of mind and only with a sound mind he will be able to work accurately. Any mistake in beverage making or customer service can lead to distrust of customer which is not good for barista’s reputation
- Positive attitude- The person seeking a job in barista must have positive mind and reply positively to all the queries of customer. He must react positive in most negative situations at the store. This is good for barista’s image.
Career Growth
Those seeking a career as a barista can find a good career. It is one of the best roles in the world and working as one allows you to meet lots of different people.
How to Become a Barista
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