Barista: "My monthly salary is just over 30,000... yet I still face difficulties!"

"Use a spoon for Dirty... add sugar and milk to pour-over coffee... rush the barista to make coffee faster... I earn just over 30,000 a month and face difficulties and disrespect every day. Why not learn a bit before coming to drink coffee?"

- Excerpt from a barista's post

With the popularization of specialty coffee culture, more and more consumers have developed a strong interest in coffee. During the process of learning about coffee, confusion between information and knowledge is inevitable. Therefore, when ordering or tasting coffee, there might be unintentional requests that could make baristas want to cry～

Although some requests can truly make baristas "lose their composure," it's important to understand that everyone who is new to coffee has moments of not understanding.

The Barista's Role

Beyond making coffee, the most important part of a barista's job is to help people who don't know coffee experience the fun and charm of the coffee world. As baristas, when guests don't understand or want to learn, we should provide simple and clear guidance.

How should baristas handle requests for hot Dirty coffee or requests for spoons?

When a hot Dirty is requested, you can first explain to the guest why Dirty can only be made cold. If the guest still wants a hot version, you can recommend a Flat White, as both milk-based coffees are known for their gradual flavor transition from rich coffee to milk.

If guests are interested in learning more, you can further explain the differences between these two milk coffees and latte～Giving professional explanations all at once might burden guests who don't understand and could discourage them.

When a spoon is requested for Dirty, you can first encourage guests to try tasting it directly to experience the charm of the coffee gradient. Guide them to understand that Dirty's gradient isn't just for appearance—it allows them to experience the flavor expression of espresso throughout the tasting process: the taste of espresso mixed with a small amount of milk, the taste of espresso mixed with a large amount of milk, and the taste of a small amount of espresso mixed into milk.

How should baristas handle requests to add milk and sugar to pour-over coffee?

Again, first encourage guests to experience the original flavor of pour-over coffee. Use simple, universally understandable flavor descriptions to guide them to appreciate the charm of pour-over coffee. Whatever type of pour-over coffee it is, if guests ultimately cannot accept the original taste, just provide milk and sugar as requested.

Just because baristas understand the charm of pour-over coffee doesn't mean every person who drinks it must understand its charm, nor can everyone taste its flavors. Whether one knows how to drink pour-over or can taste the flavors is not important! What matters is that the person drinking this coffee can enjoy it in a comfortable state～

How should baristas handle guests who rush for their coffee immediately after ordering?

When seeing this question, I believe many colleagues will become restless! Stay calm, be zen! The first thing we need to do is explain the current order situation to guests/explain the approximate preparation time for the coffee, then provide a glass of water and ask guests to wait patiently.

In coffee preparation, baristas cannot compromise product quality due to haste or irritation. We must adhere to the principle of "Whatever happens, wait until I finish making/brewing this cup of coffee" and handle each order calmly and composedly～A barista's emotions directly affect coffee quality. If you want every consumer to feel your professionalism, you must be sufficiently zen.

The Importance of Communication

Today, many coffee consumers in China are still in the enlightenment stage, and not everyone who comes to a coffee shop understands or knows coffee. As practitioners in the service industry, baristas need to understand that communication skills are more important than professional knowledge.

Without good communication, there are fewer opportunities to showcase your professionalism. What baristas should do is encourage guests to try, guide them to understand coffee, not force them to know everything before coming to drink coffee.

As a professional barista, what you should do is not discuss very professional terminology with those who don't understand, but combine your expertise and transform it into simple expressions, giving perhaps better suggestions that make those who don't understand praise you. Isn't this also an achievement?

If guests don't accept suggestions, just provide according to their requirements～Guests have paid, and how they drink their beverage is their choice. There's no need to feel that guests are disrespecting the barista or coffee. It's precisely because guests don't know or understand coffee that the barista profession exists, giving meaning to the existence of coffee shops.

If all guests understood coffee, what reason would they have to come to coffee shops～

Image source: Internet

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