Online Barista School – The Role of a Barista
Every day many young people decide to become a barista. People often become baristas because they want to develop a new skill, earn money, have flexibility, and be successful.
Becoming a barista is a great idea, but I won’t be wrong if I say that many of us look at this job through rose-colored glasses. I’ve asked so many aspiring baristas about what they expect from the job, and the most common reply was “fantastic coffee, chatting all day, and cool gigs.” While this is all true, there’s much more to the barista job. So, let’s take a reality check and see what a barista job is really about.
What is the Role of a Barista
So, what exactly is the role of a barista in a coffee shop? Knowing the answer will make you an empowered barista, not just a faceless employee who comes and goes with the constant turnover.
The question itself entails other, more specific questions. So if you want to get the whole picture of your future barista job and barista responsibilities, we suggest considering different aspects of a barista job.
Who is your customer?
A good barista has great communication skills. As we mentioned above, working in a coffee shop often means chatting and communicating all day long. And this is something that no online barista school can teach you.
Being attentive to details, including customers’ appearance, voices, gestures, and expressions, will make you a good psychologist. Understanding who your customer is might change your style of communication. It also gives you a hint of what other products to suggest, along with coffee.
Why your coffee shop?
People can easily brew coffee at home – it’s not a big problem today. Instead, they choose to spend time in a particular coffee shop probably, because your coffee shop serves great specialty coffee and is full of good vibes.
Whatever your coffee shop's unique feature is, you should have a solid understanding of your coffee shop identity: what makes it stand out among other coffee shops? What products do you offer that no one else does? What is special about your coffee beans or the roasting type/process? Do you source your coffee yourself? The more you know, the better.
Your regulars are looking for the particular ambiance your coffee shop has. So with regular customers, you should maintain the consistency of coffee drinks and the atmosphere they expect. If a customer came in by chance just because he was walking by, try to create an unforgettable experience.
What is a good cup of coffee?
We are sure that a good cup of coffee consists of three main ingredients (besides coffee, water, and milk, of course):
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Every real and online barista school focuses on teaching the basic coffee brewing variables: coffee dose, grind size, extraction time, yield mass. We’ve talked extensively about each of them in our blog before. But we can’t stress it enough: variables may change depending on your coffee shop recipe or the type or age of coffee you use. It’s a great idea to always have a notebook in your barista apron so that you can look up coffee recipes or other useful life hacks.
Practice makes perfect, and experience means perfection. Mastering your espresso extraction and coffee drinks building will take time. So don’t be too hard on yourself when you overheat the milk or spill espresso at the beginning of your career. The longer you work, the more confidence you will gain.
Consistency starts with how you look and talk and ends with what coffee you use and how you make it. As a barista, you can’t influence every factor. For example, sometimes, coffee or bakery purchases are out of your control. Start with yourself: maintain a clean and neat look, follow the dress code, memorize drink recipes, and cultivate a friendly, positive atmosphere. Soon as you gain more confidence, you may approach your manager with any suggestions you might have.
Barista Personality is The Key
Customers may come for inspiration, consolation, nice conversation, or simply good products. Everyone who opens the door of your coffee shop comes for something that’s beyond a coffee drink. People come to celebrate life or deal with problems.
A good barista creates a perfect drink – and something greater than that – because he or she believes that every customer and their coffee are important. A good barista listens to customers’ needs and puts them as the highest priority.
As a barista, knowing exactly what your strengths are, what you can and can’t yet offer, and what your role is – will play into the authentic experience you provide to your customers.
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.
