10 Rules for a Newbie Barista

Cup warmer

Serving drinks in warm cups will not only maintain the temperature, but will also make the coffee taste better, especially espresso. Instant temperature loss is fatal for it! Espresso quickly cools down in cold cups and dies in it even before drinking. If you do not have time to warm up the cup on a coffee machine, then fill it with hot water or warm it up with a steam wand before brewing.

Perfect milk foam

Here is the formula for the perfect milk with the perfect microfoam - a dry, clean and cold pitcher + cold milk with the right composition (3 g of protein and 3.2% fat). If you are a beginner, this will greatly help you achieve a glossy foam and elastic structure. And do not forget to drain the condensate from the steam outlet before cooking! Even a small amount of water in milk can harm its structure.

Correct grinding

Grinding coffee beans into uniform coffee particles requires a professional coffee grinder. And this is extremely important to get the maximum taste and aroma. Don't forget to devote time to grinding and monitor it during your work shift.

Maybe it's not the grind

If you feel like something is wrong with the grind, wait until you've made a cup or two before changing it! This will give you a lot more information. Maybe you've got the wrong tablet, or maybe the grinder hasn't delivered the full amount, or maybe you've made your espresso into a cold cup? It's best to be sure, so you don't go astray.

Correct tempering

It takes time to pound the perfect tablet. The more perfect, smooth and dense the tablet is, the more complex and interesting the taste of your cup. Do not rush with tamping. Understand, feel and start with light pressure. Make a preliminary mark and press smoothly. Be sure to polish the tablet, there should be no extra particles on it. And the main thing is practice, practice, practice.

Take your time with latte art

Latte Art is a skill that also takes time. To start, you need to choose a specific design and work on improving it every day. The most popular choice is a heart. This is a basic, simple design, but even it requires attention and diligence. But the main thing to remember: perfectly prepared milk itself lies on the surface of the cream.

Ergonomics

Keep your tools close to your work area. Tamper, cups, scales, coffee grinder, pitcher, milk cooler, napkins, towels, etc. should always be within reach. Keeping them close to your work area will make you more efficient and your drinks will not lose their taste.

Purity

Comments are unnecessary. Cleanliness is the key to delicious coffee (and health, right?). Daily cleaning of equipment is a given. This allows the equipment to serve longer and better. And this applies not only to the coffee grinder and coffee machine, but also to the floors and shelves! Every free second of the barista should be spent on the cleanliness of the workplace!

Towels and rags

And for each specific task they should be different. For example, for the nozzle you need wet cloths, and for the holder - dry wipes. Wipe the display case with a certain material, and polish the tables with a completely different one. And in no case should you change or mix them up, otherwise you risk wiping a clean car with a dirty towel, and to avoid this - choose rags and towels of different colors! And then even in a rush you will quickly be able to navigate among them.

Keep the bunker full

The coffee grinder hopper should remain full. Many beginners are surprised when the grinding starts jumping if the hopper runs out of coffee. This happens due to different pressure on the millstones. Therefore, a full hopper with the same pressure of the beans on the millstones gives a stable (read - better) result, respectively, threatens the perfect cup of coffee

Of course, there are many more rules and nuances. But if you are a beginner, then this is the bare minimum you need to know. And believe me, this minimum will improve your work. Good luck!