What are the interview questions for barista positions at specialty coffee shops? What should be noted when making a latte?

Specialty coffee shops always conduct corresponding assessments when interviewing baristas. The assessment includes both "theoretical" and "practical" components—the "theory" tests the barista's fundamental theoretical knowledge, while the "practice" tests their practical skills.

Although the specific content may vary from coffee shop to coffee shop, regardless of which establishment, "making a hot latte" is an essential assessment item (for most places).

Then yesterday, a friend who visited the shop expressed confusion, wondering why making a hot latte has become a universal essential assessment item, when clearly the quality of the latte art pattern doesn't directly affect the coffee's taste.

Indeed, the quality of latte art patterns doesn't affect the coffee's taste, but having baristas make a hot latte isn't just to test their latte art skills—there are other considerations. So today, FrontStreet Coffee will briefly share why a small hot latte has become an essential assessment item for every coffee shop!

1. Operational Workflow

First, during the assessment process, what needs to be tested is whether the operational workflow follows proper standards. Although latte making seems simple, if we break down its steps, there are multiple stages: grinding beans, weighing grounds, distributing coffee, tamping, extracting espresso, frothing milk, combining, pouring latte art, and cleanup.

From whether the entire operational process is smooth and standardized, we can see whether a barista possesses fundamental skills and attention to detail. The more skilled baristas handle operations with ease—even when faced with unfamiliar equipment, they can produce passable latte art. This is the first element that can be tested when making hot lattes.

2. Latte Art Pattern

Although the beauty of latte art patterns doesn't affect the coffee's taste, from the intricacy and complexity of the latte art pattern, we can gauge whether a barista's fundamental skills are solid.

Because a beautiful latte art pattern requires baristas to undergo countless repetitive and tedious practice behind the scenes. Only through continuous practice that develops muscle memory can the最终 produced latte art patterns achieve high precision. Therefore, from the precision and complexity of the latte art pattern, we can determine whether the barista's fundamental skills are solid.

3. Milk Foam Thickness

Besides the pattern, whether the milk foam thickness meets standards is another major element to be tested. Why? Because from milk foam thickness, we can see whether a barista has a thorough understanding of basic theory.

As everyone knows, the biggest difference between different Italian milk coffees lies in their milk foam thickness. For example, flat whites have the thinnest foam, lattes have medium thickness, and cappuccinos have the thickest foam. Different foam thicknesses directly affect the coffee's taste and texture. Therefore, after examining the latte art pattern, coffee shop interviewers usually use a small spoon to part the foam and check if its thickness meets latte standards.

4. Milk Temperature

After completing the visual inspections, the next step requires tasting to test two other latte standards, one of which is the milk temperature!

This is because milk has an optimal temperature range for sweetness, which is 55°C~65°C±3°C. Within this range, the lactose in milk is activated, resulting in a heightened sweetness experience; but when the temperature falls below this range, not only is the milk less sweet, but the foam also dissipates very quickly; when the milk temperature exceeds this range, the milk will denature due to overheating, lactose will begin to break down, and sweetness will decrease. Additionally, because other substances are destroyed by high temperatures, the texture will be much inferior.

Therefore, it's necessary to taste and verify whether the milk temperature meets standards. Although this can be tested with a thermometer, as FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, there's another standard that requires tasting—namely, "the degree of integration."

5. Integration Degree

The final element to test is the integration degree of coffee and milk! In the article "These Steps Aren't Done Well, Even the Sweetest Latte Will Be Bitter!" FrontStreet Coffee mentioned that the quality of integration is crucial to a latte's overall quality.

This is because the quality of integration is closely related to whether the latte art surface is clean and whether the milk foam on the coffee surface has balanced flavors. If not properly integrated, the coffee's latte art will have a messy "background," and the foam will taste predominantly of bitter notes from coffee oils; but if integrated well, not only will the latte art pattern be clean and tidy, but the foam's taste will become gentle due to the balance between bitterness and sweetness. Therefore, the quality of integration is also a standard that needs to be tested.

In summary, the reason hot lattes have become an essential assessment item for every specialty coffee shop is mainly because they can comprehensively test whether a barista's techniques and fundamental skills are solid. Through hot latte assessments, coffee shops can quickly screen for baristas who possess solid fundamental skills and attention to detail, thereby reducing the difficulty of selection~

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473