Barista Training Academy: Six Mistakes of an Aspiring Barista

Another post in our online barista training series:

Baristas are hard-working – but even the best of us can experience making mistakes during the busiest times. And let me first start by saying that mistakes and accidents happen frequently with new, as well as experienced baristas. But with barista training and hands-on experience, such incidents will lesson. 

When you get a barista job and start your first shift in a coffee shop, it’s easy to make mistakes. With online barista training, you can minimize the chance of possible mistakes or failures. We want to address the challenges of a barista job that you might not even think about.

This online barista training article will focus on the most common mistakes a newbie barista can make during their first barista job.

1. Over-extraction

One of the most common barista mistakes is not knowing how to precisely dial in your espresso. It often results in over-extraction or a very bitter and concentrated coffee shot. It means that the coffee grounds were exposed to hot water for too long. In other words, in an over-extracted shot, the water takes too long to run through a bed of espresso ground.

Over-extracted espresso will taste bitter or burnt. It has a dark brown, almost black in color. This might happen because you ground coffee too fine. So it takes 40 seconds to get an output of only 30 g. Such espresso will taste extremely sour and oily.

2. Overheating

You should set the right water temperature on your espresso machine. Remember, water temperature affects espresso extraction and flavor characteristics. To know the temperature of the water, look at the temperature indicator on the espresso machine.

The idea water temperature is 91-96 C (194-203 F) is ideal. Many experienced baristas and coffee experts agree that the water will extract the best flavor and taste out of the coffee grounds in this temperature range. If the temperature is higher, it will burn your coffee resulting in a sour and burnt shot.

Avoiding Barista Mistakes

3. Water and coffee ratio

To get the best results, calibrate your grinder to dose 18-20 g of coffee into a portafilter basket. The total time of coffee extraction should be 25-30 seconds, not more. If the coffee runs too fast, probably, your grounds are too coarse, and you will extract a bland, tasteless coffee. If the pour time is too slow, the grounds are too fine, and you should set the ground size to more coarse. Dial-in your coffee every time you start a shift and also during the day.

If you are brewing your coffee manually, remember that the best coffee to water ratio is 60 g of coffee per 1 liter of water. Try to stick to the optimal ratio unless your customer wants his/her coffee stronger or weaker.

4. Using pre-ground coffee

You might think that your barista workflow will be faster if you grind your coffee in advance. Unfortunately, that's a bad idea. Don’t grind too much coffee even if you have a grinder with a doser – don’t let the grounds gas off. As soon as the grounds come in touch with the oxygen, the chemistry is merciless, and coffee starts to oxidize. It’ll most probably result in a bad tasting drink. Grind as much coffee as you need for one or two drinks.

Avoiding Barista Mistakes

5. Wrong coffee storage

If you want to keep your roasted coffee beans fresh, keep them in a hermetic container in a cool dark place, but not in the fridge or freezer. Keep it further away from heat sources like ovens, microwave ovens, and radiators.

6. Using old coffee

Fresh coffee beans change every day, it ages and releases gasses. Always keep in mind how old is your coffee. The age will determine the dose, the timing, the output. Old coffee tends to lack body. It also lacks acidity and results in a dull drink. When you dose older coffee, it’s a good idea to updose a little (up to 21 grams) to compensate for the gas loss.

Brought to you by Barista Training Academy, “The Beginning Barista,” Your Ultimate Prep Guide to Getting Your First Job as a Barista” is an ultimate resource that is available online and is affordable for anybody who is looking to start a career in the coffee industry. For more information, visit our blog.