What do you think of when you hear the word barista? Fancy coffee drinks, latte art, or someone to have a nice chat with. Or maybe it’s a mystery to you. We joined Alex Pickering at his coffee shop to see how a typical day for a barista goes.
For most baristas, the day starts early. Alex is no different - he arrives at his coffee shop around 7 am every morning to prep before they open. Everything, especially the equipment, needs to run perfectly before the first customer arrives.
At 7.30 they open, and the chaos begins.
The first two hours of the day are the busiest. In that time, Alex could be making a couple hundred coffees. On top of that, Alex also runs the coffee shop.
“I have always liked coffee. I started Throat Punch as a website and an e-commerce project that was quite successful during lockdown, which led to us opening our first shop. So I’ve actually had quite a steep learning curve, about how to be a barista in that time.”
Being a barista is more than just pushing buttons on a machine. On top of brewing a great cup of coffee, baristas must be passionate about customer service. A coffee shop is where coffee lovers can come together and obsess over their favourite drink. Where else could you do that?
The coffee shop world is fast-paced, and baristas always need to be in the best shape. What’s the secret? Let’s call it testing your own product.
“I think everyone who works here is a bit addicted. We have to keep ourselves caffeinated to keep going.”
Fair enough. If you’re a barista and you’re not addicted to your own product, then you’re probably not in the right place.
Alex’s usual go-to is a filter coffee. His coffee shop's house beans are a mix of Asian blends called No.30.
However, his favourite drink to make for customers is slightly different.
“For customers, it’s probably the iced drinks that I like to make just because we don't have them ordered as much. So it's kind of a bit out of the ordinary. And they're a bit more fun to play around.”
From iced lattes to mochas, to americanos, frappe drinks, and even affogatos - the menu just keeps getting longer. The people ask for it.
“I worked on bars for five years, so I had some limited barista knowledge. Only really since I've started working here have I become really interested in coffee.”
It’s crazy to think that Alex owns his own coffee company, but has only been a barista for less than a year. And all the things he has seen during that time.
“The website's been running for four or five years, I've been kind of heavily involved in coffee but more the sales, the roasting side, and the home brewing methods.”
“But really when we opened the shop here 10 months ago that was kind of my first real barista job.”
There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of pouring the best espresso for your regulars. Or making the perfect latte art. Alex’s go-to is a fern, but, as he says, “it actually looks more like a feather”.
But what is the secret to making a pretty heart, or a swan? Being a barista is both an art and a science.
“It’s all really in the consistency of the milk. You have to steam the milk right to get the right kind of thickness on top to be able to pull the art. I think a lot of people probably aren't steaming the milk right if they're not managing at least a heart shape or a basic fruit. It's kind of on the speed - slow, but fast as daft as that sounds.”
Probably the one thing most people fear entering a specialty coffee shop is getting judged for their order. I asked Alex the same question.
“We don’t really judge unless they ask for 10 sugars. Then they should probably just go to Starbucks, to be honest.”
Agreed.
Throat Punch closes at 4 pm. For some, the day has only started. If you want to be a barista, not only do you have to become an early bird, but most importantly - be keen to constantly learn.
“Just be really interested in the specialty coffee world, and want to learn all the time. There's so much involved in it, and quite often people come through the door, who started as a customer and then ended up kind of showing you a different way to do something - I'll teach you about something that you didn't know.”
You never know who might come through that door. Or how your life could change if you wake up early enough and go to a coffee shop for a chat.
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