I'm sure you must have heard the word, barista.
Today, I'm going to let you know more about baristas,
how to become a barista and what baristas do.
To begin with, the word Barista is Italian, meaning someone who works behind a counter, serving both hot drinks and cold drinks. And the cold drinks include not only coffee, but also alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Nevertheless, nowadays, we are more familiar with baristas, meaning coffee makers at cafe. :-)
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| A barista at work in a North American coffeehouse |
Actually. there is no straight-forward way to be a barista.
Generally, most people start with part-time jobs because you can learn many of the skills on the job.
If you already have a part-time job at a cafe, try visiting your workplace a little before your shift.
Then, watch other partners do their job, getting orders, making coffees, treating customers, and even washing the dishes!
That is a great way to get familiar with your job very fast.
Looking others work on their job, you will be able to learn which routes are best suited in what circumstances. That means, you can be more effective at your workplace without making mistakes. :)
Tests are given by Specialty Coffee Association and many countries have their own.
I've seen some recruits require this certificate when hiring employees at a cafe.
And I had a friend who wanted to become a barista, but failed his first test.
He said he knew what to do, but there wasn't enough time.
So, let's find out more about barista certificates!
And I will limit my explanation on Korean one.
There are two kinds of coffee certificates tests depending on their levels: 1 and 2.
Level 1 being more qualified, it is compulsory for you to take Level 2 before Level 1.
Also, there are a written test and a performance test.
You must take the written test first in order to take the performance test.
And REMEMBER.
You can only take the performance test within 2 years you passed the written test.
Level 2 test is relatively easy.
I have another friend who got the Level 2 certificate only after attending an academy for a month.
You can consider the level of difficulty as that of getting a driver's license. :)
The level of difficulty of written tests is about the same.
However, for Level 1 test, you must put more efforts on the performance test.
While you are tested on your preparing posture, espresso, cappuccino, and service techniques on Level 2 test, there are much more steps to do in Level 1 test.
-First, during the preparing time, you need to pick among 2 different types of beans and 2 different types of grinders.
-Then, choose the proper degree of grinding depending on your chosen beans, check the flavors.
-You will have to make 4 cups of espresso with your chosen beans and give precise explanation on the flavors of your espresso in time.
-You have to make 4 cups of cappuccino with 2 different kinds of latte art.
*The preparation time is limited to 10 minutes.
*The performance time is limited to 10 minutes, too.
2. What baristas do
Most of the time, other than making coffee, they talk to customers, treat customers, and communicate with customers.
As a worker in the service industry, a barista has to be a people person.
They have to know how to handle complaints and wrong orders.
It is especially important if you are going to work at a cafe, (and that's where most baristas work!)
because many people get grumpy without caffeine, particularly in the early morning or busy lunch time.
Thus, it is very important for you to adapt to the fast paced environment, with appropriate recipes.
And when things go wrong, you will have to have the ability to calm your customers down and make them happy again.
There's no need to say you have to talk politely with a friendly attitude.
Furthermore, it is also baristas' job to make sure their customers return.
To make people come back, not only the taste of coffee, but also the service customers receive affect drastically.
So, we've looked at some information about baristas.
Although I've never dreamed of becoming a barista, this information helped me understand the difficulty baristas might have.
And I've decided not to become a grumpy customer.
Baristas alreay have enough works to do at a cafe.
I don't have to give more stress to them. Lol.
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