Barista Tips For Beginners

Starting a barista career is an excellent idea in today's world. In the post-Covid economy, when the cafes and coffee shops are opening up again, there's a huge demand for great baristas and café workers.

Coffee remains one of the most popular drinks globally, and this means that someone has to brew it well to deliver the best experience for coffee lovers.

The growing coffee industry attracts all kinds of coffee specialists: coffee growers, buyers, roasters, and marketers, as well as coffee equipment makers and mechanics. Good baristas are among them.

As coffee became a part of our daily routine, it's typical for us to grab a coffee on the way to work or go out for a good cup of joe at least once a day.

So the first person you see at the coffee shop won't be a coffee buyer or a repairman, but a barista who represents the whole chain of coffee specialists working hard for you to have the best coffee available. That's why the role of a barista is so essential. This can be a gratifying job if you really love what you are doing and put your effort and heart into it.

Despite intense competition in the coffee world, good baristas are often as rare as gold!

I understand that you can feel a little intimidated if you are starting. However, the following ten tips for beginners will help you master your barista skills and pave your way to a successful barista career.

 

Barista Tips for Beginners:

What Does It Mean To Be a Barista?

Being a barista is a mix of culinary skills with people skills. This means that you won't merely prepare espresso drinks, make food, and clean up, but you will have to effectively communicate with your customers, provide excellent service, promote, and sell food and other items.

Of course, your primary focus will be on coffee (and you have to learn everything about it), but a barista job extends far beyond just coffee.

As a customer yourself, you know how you want to be served at a coffee shop or a café: you want to get a good cup of coffee of your choice with excellent ingredients all balanced together. And at the same time, you want to be treated in a friendly manner feeling like you are welcomed and long-waited here.

So, if you choose a path to become a barista, you know approximately what this job entails.

However, if you don't have any barista experience now, you have to know about other hidden barista duties like:

• Opening and closing duties
• Operating a POS system
• Preparing simple food items like sandwiches, granola, etc.
• Inventory management
• Coffee roasting
• Mentoring other baristas
• Shift management

If you’re feeling pretty interested in being a barista, then read our ten ultimate barista tips for beginners and start writing your barista resume and cover letter.

 

 10 Barista Tips For Beginners

 

1. Listen To Your Customers

Being a good listener is the key to your professional barista success. This includes listening to their orders carefully and often repeating the orders to make sure you got them right.

Yes, being a barista requires good memory (you have to memorize coffee recipes and offered products), but if you are starting, don't be intimidated to repeat the order and ask if you got it correctly.

You can even ask the customers to repeat the order – it'll save you confusion and some wasted coffee and milk. Hopefully, your modern coffee shop POS system allows you to take down the order right away. First, however, do your best to memorize your regulars' names and favorite drinks. It'll pay off with good tips and referrals.

Another side of the coin is listening to your customers' insight and their complaints, if they happen to be. Your customers might ask for the drinks that you currently don't serve.

It signalizes the demand that is existing in the market, and you might try to fulfill it. I came into a café once and wanted some matcha latte. They didn't have it and apologized for it. The next time I went to the same coffee shop, they offered this type of drink on their menu.

Customers' complaints reveal some vital information about your coffee shop too. Of course, half of it is just grumpy customers who had a bad day. But if customers complain about slow service, it's something to look into: how can you make your service more efficient during peak times?

How do you organize operations among several baristas? Suppose customers are repeatedly complaining about the product quality. In that case, it's worth looking into your inventory management: what products you order and whether you order too much or too little of them.

2. Learn as Much as You can About Coffee

Your coffee expertise is the reason why your customers are coming to you personally. People often rely on your knowledge and expertise when choosing coffee drinks, desserts, or whole beans to drink at home. If you haven't tried your products, how can you sell them and talk about their qualities?

This is the first step – to learn everything about your product offering – whether it's coffee, food, or merchandise.

Your second step – is to learn as much as you can about coffee. It's tough to understand everything because coffee is science. But you need to know the differences in coffee origins, flavors, and processing. If you love coffee, it won't be a problem for you. And your passion will translate into grateful customers.

So, as a barista, you will be a conduit between coffee farmers, roasters, and coffee lovers every day. Keep in mind that coffee origins can impact the taste and flavor of the coffee. There will be customers who will ask you plenty of questions about coffee. And if you can't answer them, be sure that these customers will never come back. Learn about coffee processing and appreciate the chain of coffee production. Make it your advantage.

You might want to take barista classes online or check Barista Training Academy resources for more helpful information on beginners' coffee history and barista tips for beginners.

3. Good Coffee Matters

Modern customers are spoilt to have access to great-tasting specialty coffee, at least in the United States.

However, unfortunately, I'm sure you know a terrible cup of coffee as soon as you take your first sip. Even milk can't cover old, over-roasted bean taste. And even a great barista will have a hard time brewing a good cup of coffee with mediocre beans and sour milk.

Using premium ingredients – coffee, milk, syrups, etc. – is the key to your success as a barista. Your specialty coffee has to be freshly roasted and delivered on time from the local roaster.

Remember that the best coffee is generally two weeks old after the roasting. Before this date – it's too bubbly and unpredictable (off-gassing), and after it becomes stale and impacts the taste. Don't be afraid to consult your roaster if you have any questions regarding the qualities of your coffee and different blends.

Also, choose the quality milk – whether it's cow milk or vegan options – and always keep it in the fridge. If you opt to work with syrups, make sure they have less sure and are organic. If your coffee shop, for some reason, chooses cheaper products, you might want to politely approach your management with your ideas on what products are better to use. Finally, make sure you know what ingredients to suggest if you criticize the current state of things.

High-quality products enrich the taste of your coffees and allow to maintain the consistency of the drinks. This is precisely what your customers are looking for – they don't want any surprises if they are used to a certain coffee quality as a part of their daily routine.

 

4. Be Friendly

As mentioned above, a barista's job requires such people skills as building sincerity and trust, understanding and empathizing with your customers, interacting respectfully with coworkers and patrons to minimize the chance of conflict.

So, on the one hand, you need to learn to increase your expertise continuously, and on the other hand, stay humble and friendly to everyone around you. Unfortunately, it's so easy for baristas as they get more experienced to show the signs of arrogance and egotism. However, this never helps neither with your fellow baristas nor with your patrons.

Your customers expect you to be an authentic human, showing a positive attitude and good nature without forcing it. This means greeting your customers, remember their names and facts about their lives, smiling at them, and saying nice things when they leave. You want to interact with them in a friendly but not annoying manner. Avoid being too pushy or officious, and keep your ego aside, as well as your problems. Your daily interactions should be easy, effortless, and welcoming without being too obnoxious.

Every customer allows only a certain level of being open to answering your personal questions. If you do it too much, a customer might think you are too forward. If you do it too little, a customer might think you are too cold. So, as a customer service worker, you need to feel the types and moods of your patrons.

Barista Tips for Beginners

5. Sell More With Positive Marketing

 

Again, in many coffee shops, baristas get extra salary bonuses for selling more coffee or other items. And your managers will frequently expect you to promote current seasonal drinks or bundle offers. If you have a new product or a deal, you need to enable it by telling your customers about it and advertising it non-aggressive way.

Make sure you try it first and share your ideas with other baristas – this will allow you to articulate why this product is worth trying. Then you will know how to advertise it to your customers not to sound like you are trying to push a product. Share your impressions on how a new coffee or new eclair tastes, and people will listen to you because you are honest.

After you get to know a few regulars, you can make personalized offers based on their preferences. For example, one customer always orders a large latte and a muffin, and here you have a bundle deal for a seasonal pumpkin latte and a piece of the pie. Offer them to try something new and get a great deal on it.

6. Stay Cool

Suppose you don't have any barista experience. You have to be ready for mistakes. They are unavoidable even for great baristas who have been in the industry for years. Whether you work at a busy chain coffee shop or an independent drive-thru coffee stand, you'll likely face busy times.

Errors are more prone to happen during rush hours when everyone is nervous and works fast. New baristas will often be assigned to take orders because they don't work so fat yet. That's alright because you have to learn how to use your POS system, accept payment and move orders for baristas to make.

Mistakes like wrong orders spilled milk, and accidental burns are a part of the barista job. Working under pressure and multitasking is something to look forward to. However, the stress you may feel in coffee may not be like pressure when working as a sales manager with an angry boss waiting for the reports to be submitted by the deadline. The coffee industry generally has a more laid-back atmosphere, and people working there are more relaxed and easy-going. However, customers and customer rushes can be stressful.

7. Train Continuously

Referring to the previous tip, it's fair to say that barista training will reduce the number of possible mistakes you make during your barista shift. Training builds confidence and security. In addition, it increases the consistency of your drinks and thus customers' satisfaction.

Keep a positive attitude towards learning. Set yourself a goal, such as creating exquisite latte art, attending the championship, providing excellent customer service, or spreading knowledge about specialty coffee.

This will be your drive, your motivation. Focus on your goal and work towards it. Stay open and positive, surround yourself with good baristas whose attitude is similar to yours, and learn one new thing every day. Barista training is an ongoing process. Never stop learning and being your best!

 

Barista Tips for Beginners

8. Be Unique

You are unique in the way you are both as a barista and as a human being. Don't try to be someone else when you work as a barista. Your value is your uniqueness – the way you brew coffee, dress, talk to customers or make latte art. Stay true to your ultimate goal – deliver the best product to your patrons along with a welcoming chat.

It's good to know precisely what your superpower is. If it's your latter art – then master your latte art skills to impress customers. Make beautiful drinks so that your customers take pictures of them and post them online – this will also play into your coffee shop marketing and more sales.

If your strength is your coffee knowledge – take every chance to subtly teach your customers about coffee if, of course, they are open to learning more. If you figure out that your strength is your memory – impress your customers with how you remember their names, drinks, and life. Maybe your superpower is pouring over drinks! Then ask to work at a brew bar section of your coffee shop – if you have such.

Whatever your superpower is – know for sure what you are good at and focus on it.

9. Clean Your Workplace

The cleaning routine sounds boring, but your drinks' quality pretty much depends on the clean equipment. For example, try a coffee from a clean espresso machine and a coffee from a dirty one – and you will immediately taste the difference.

The same goes for cleaning the milk steaming wand of your espresso machine. A dirty steaming wand doesn't only make your milk taste sour. It's also dangerous for the health of you and your customers since the harmful milk bacteria can cause stomachache and other problems.

It's critical to backflush your espresso machine twice a day – in the middle of your shift and after closing your coffee shop. You want to clean your group heads, portafilters, and milk pitchers too. Don't forget about your coffee grinders too! Coffee leaves a lot of grease and tiny coffee particles inside the grinder hopper and burrs that can lead to odd and unwanted flavors of your espresso.

Clean and well-maintained coffee equipment reduces breakages and repairs. It allows consistent coffee drinks, minimizes health and other risks, and makes your job more efficient. In addition, a clean espresso machine and barista workstation simply look neat and attractive to your customers.

10. Practice Makes Perfect

No one comes to a new job with a lot of experience. As a barista, you have to start somewhere. Maybe you can start small – working back-of-house, but never stop learning. Don't let possible challenges demotivate you. Sometimes you need to make 1000 espresso and waste 50 gallons of milk to learn how to brew a perfect cup of coffee. But the time will come when you'll be teaching new baristas how to pull a perfect espresso shot.

Make it a habit to brew good coffee. Practice after hours to calibrate your espresso, tamp coffee grinds, or steam milk. Insist on additional barista training if you have any questions about coffee brewing or feel like you need to brush up on your skills.

Your coffee practice also means tasting new coffee blends, visiting coffee expos, or barista championships. Use every opportunity to broaden your knowledge and practice, practice, practice. The more time you spend at your espresso machine, the better coffee you will eventually make. The more time you spend with coffee experts, the more you will understand how coffee is being made and why it tastes exactly the way it tastes.

 

 Why Invest Into Barista Training?

You might be wondering: Are barista classes worth it?

Yes! We strongly believe so.

Mastering your barista skills can be very rewarding not only with your salary and good tips. In addition, delivering excellent customer service offers a feeling of fulfillment and self-realization. Even though it might sometimes be challenging, you know what you get when you see that your hard work is appreciated both with money and your happy customers' faces.

Being a barista doesn't only mean preparing coffee drinks and serve customers. It gives you an entrance to the industry that offers a lot of ways to be successful. Great baristas participate in coffee competitions, create unique drinks, and tour the world showing their skills and talking about coffee. Others choose the way to be coffee roasters and visit Coffee growing countries. It's worth investing in barista training for a more remarkable career in coffee.

More Barista Tips For Beginners

Experience The Taste of Coffee: Skip the Flavorings, Syrups

Besides developing good customer service skills, you need to master your coffee palate. Every time you start your shift, you’ll have to check the taste of your espresso and dial it in if necessary. If you want to taste coffee as a coffee connoisseur, don’t use any sugar, syrups, and flavors in your coffee. Be willing to share your love for coffee with others – and you will be a great barista.

Learn About Coffee Origins and Their Flavor Tendencies

Your willingness to learn about coffee is important. As a barista, you will be a conduit between coffee farmers, roasters, and coffee lovers every day. Keep in mind that coffee origins can impact the taste and flavor of the coffee. There will definitely be customers who will ask you plenty of questions about coffee. And if you can’t answer them, be sure that these customers will never come back. Learn about coffee processing and appreciate the chain of coffee production. Make it your advantage.

You might want to take barista classes online or check Barista Training Academy resources for more useful information on beginners' coffee history and barista tips.

Learn a Variety of Brewing Methods

There are plenty of brewing methods and even more drink recipes. Besides operating an espresso machine, you’ll be asked to make pour-over coffee or prepare frappes, cold coffee, hot chocolates, and milkshakes. Master every drink single recipe. Learn how to use Chemex, AeroPress, Hario, and siphon.

Maintain the Espresso Machines and Coffee Equipment You Work On

Make sure that your espresso machine becomes your best friend. Modern espresso machines are quite easy to operate. Still, there are plenty of other things you’ll have to keep in mind: regular backflushing, espresso ground dosage, extraction time, and dialing-in. Ask your new team for any barista tips for beginners regarding your espresso machine.

Take your time keeping your espresso machine and other coffee shop equipment clean, well-maintained, and shiny.

Focus On The Customer

The competition among coffee shops is very high. If a customer doesn’t like your service, he or she will move to another café, and you’ll lose a regular. Keep it in mind as you look for your barista job. Excellent customer service is your key to success. Learn how to deal with angry or irritated customers. And be sure you’ll have this question during your barista interview.

Walk around and try what your competitors offer. Note down their special promotions and discounts. Maybe you can improve their drinks or offer a wider drink selection to your manager. This will help to attract even more loyal customers to your coffee shop.

Have a Positive Attitude of Learning

Set yourself a goal, such as creating exquisite latte art, attending the championship, providing great customer service, or spreading knowledge about specialty coffee. This will be your drive, your motivation. Focus on your goal and work towards it. Stay open and positive, surround yourself with good baristas whose attitude is similar to yours, and learn one new thing every day. Barista training is an ongoing process. Never stop learning and being your best!

Build Your Coffee Future With Us

Barista training and a career in coffee can lead to an enormous amount of opportunities. From being a coffee roaster or a coffee shop owner. Taking steps to open a coffee shop is an excellent way to maintain an upward career in coffee.

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. It is affordable for anybody who is looking to start a career in the coffee industry. For more information, visit our blog.