What Qualifications Does It Take to Become a Barista? What Do Baristas Do Besides Making Coffee?

The Reality of Being a Barista

Scrolling through social media late at night, you'll always encounter heartfelt "soul-searching questions" from those lovely coffee people around you:

"What mysterious force is controlling me to keep washing cups forever??"

"The point is, even though they never end, I still feel happy!"

I guess everyone has beautiful expectations for their future career.

And becoming a cool barista should be a profession many people have fantasized about (raise your hand if you've thought about this).

— Imagining yourself wearing a slim apron, immersed in music, smelling coffee aroma, listening to jazz, shining brightly while making coffee and latte art under the gaze of onlookers, your silhouette handsome and charming.

— Usually having opportunities to deeply study in coffee growing regions, and being able to rest whenever you're not feeling well.

OK, STOP.

Wake up, friend~

In reality, one of the first things a qualified barista must face is washing endless cups.

Yes, they never end.

As the saying goes: When you gaze at the cups, the cups gaze back at you.

After the hustle and bustle, the barista stares blankly at the cups in the sink:

Cups for lattes, cups for cappuccinos, cups for single-origin coffee, cups for sparkling water,

Plates for cake, plates for sandwiches, plates for light meals.

After washing, they need to be sorted and stored separately.

After all are disinfected,

they need to be taken out one by one and neatly arranged on the coffee machine to ensure the cups are warm.

What Do Baristas Do When They're Not Washing Cups?

It's 2091 now (you read that right, 2091), so I'm not afraid to tell you the truth.

When baristas aren't washing cups, they still need to do a hundred other things.

For example:

— Cleaning toilets, wiping windows, sweeping floors, knowing which broom to use where, taking care of the area in front of the shop, cleaning the coffee shop entrance and other areas;

— Using different cloths for different areas, and knowing how to disinfect each cloth after use;

— Continuously conducting cupping sessions, recording and summarizing each test to improve understanding of coffee flavors;

— Taking care of plants and animals inside and outside the shop;

— Using "practice milk" to practice latte art, watching more videos, using more brainpower to improve artistic creation and innovation in milk coffee;

— Enhancing the ability to distinguish coffee through smell, taste, and sight;

— Understanding the performance of coffee machines and grinders in use, knowing some basic maintenance knowledge;

— Occasionally acting as the "poster/menu design负责人" (person in charge).

The True Rewards of Being a Barista

In summary, as a qualified barista, every day you need to face many complex and different-looking customers.

Besides needing to produce accurate drinks, you also need to learn emotional management, patiently welcoming and answering every customer's questions.

Let me tell you secretly, when the coffee shop gets busy, many times there's not even time to drink water or go to the bathroom.

However, even so, it can't extinguish our passion for this career as baristas! Yes!

Coffee tortures me a thousand times, I treat coffee like my first love!

And just now, I saw another social media post from the barista who asked those soul-searching questions. He said:

"Although I can't escape that mysterious force, I still maintain a positive attitude every day, making coffee with my colleagues, happily washing cups! I can feel that everyone shares the same coffee dream, genuinely enjoying this wonderful profession of being a barista."

Image source: Internet

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