I recently got a job as a barista, I’m really enjoying it but I’ll be honest, I have not really been trained. I have no idea what espresso should look, or taste like because I’m not a crazy coffee drinker 😭 I’ve been working alone because it’s been slow and it’s been up to me to set the grind and such. I’ve only got about 3 weeks experience. Advice wanted! I have no idea what I’m doing! I’ve asked for help at work and nobody has given me any explanation or shown me examples.
Here are two double shots from this morning, bare with me lol
by YourLocalFisherGurl
13 Comments
Those look good! Tap the shot glass on the butt gently to get the air bubbles out. Give it a lil swirl to even crema. Looks tasty
Hey! It’s unfair they’re not training you, but if you care at all and are looking for direction, you’re already doing great. If they have a gram scale, use that to weigh how much coffee goes into the portafilter (dose) and then weigh how much coffee comes out (yield), and how long the extraction takes. Depending on their recipe, you adjust the grinder. Good luck!
Why is your espresso in the milk jug
Looks ok. But why is the espresso in a metal pitcher?
How’d you get the gig? Nepo-Barista?
This is actually crazy they arent training you on espresso preparation… just seeing crema on your shot does not determine that its properly dialed in.
I would definitely approach your manager and ask them to assist you with more training. I’m not sure what kind of shop you’re at, but if its a specialty place where they expect more precision- I would 100% let them know their lack of training you is not going to be good for you or the business 😅
Youtube has quite a few places you can start to at least to understand the basics & try to apply it to your bar shifts.
Can you tell us a bit about your setup? Are you using a fairly automated process? Is the grind already set for you? Are you being asked to weigh (and given the amount) how much coffee you use for each shot? Do you have to manually tamp? Is the machine setup to pull a shot for a specific amount of time?
You said you’re setting the grind and such… so does that mean it’s up to you to determine the grind setting on your grinder?
YouTube is your friend. Look at some videos from James Hoffman or Lance Hedrick.
You’re on the right track to becoming an excellent barista. (The fact that you made this post is an example of that) I have 15 years experience, own my cafe and have training dozens or more over the years. Some never get it. Others pick it up quickly. Most notable are those who really have an interest in becoming better and not just receiving a check.
Your grind should not need adjusting very often unless your grinder is cheap or has badly worn burrs. (When fresh roast batch of beans are introduced or a major humidity change inside the building may change things) Frankly it shocking to me that an owner would even allow someone who is not trained to adjust the grind. The management must not care about Cost, Quality or consistency.
Best advice I could give you is watch as many instructional videos on YouTube, Instagram and Reddit or others as you can find.
Then apply what you learn.
Most newbies struggle with frothing, temp and the various espresso drink recipes that are required.
A lesson I stress to everyone I train is, whenever possible you should always pull your shot directly into the cup you will serve to customer. Crema will be lost (clinging to the walls) when pouring from one vessel to another.
Learn from this thread, mess up at this job, once you get good, quit and go work at a place that isnt shite
Here’s some barista crash course videos:
https://youtu.be/LUVwR2hd8Ks?si=4YttxqzfwmZC5a6r
https://youtu.be/gEJeqFJm-wo?si=YWz3J1Xhu-3OqXY9
This looks good enough, id search (visually) for multiple “tiger like” strips, meaning different colors, it usually indicates different soluble solids that you got to extract, that’s a comment for this specific photo reference.
Overall, I’d reduce espresso calibration or dialing into 3 specific objectives:
1 is maximum yield it’s using the least coffee in for an “ok” espresso.
2 is maximum performance which requires wasting a ton of coffee finding it’s tasting notes and refining them and also repeating every step and extraction with surgery-like precision (I’m exaggerating but you get the point).
3 is the balance between the two, meaning being mindful about your coffee grind and if it’s giving you the same with a range of + or – 0.5g, doing the same with your extraction times and visually behaving the same as the extraction (this is the interesting part) you liked it the most.
It’s some kind of spoiler but coffee is as ambiguous as wine. People like it expensive and exclusive and special, people like it cheap if it gives them the caffeine effect or one that has pretty latte art, except this time people can do or modify it’s experience by asking you to do anything they usually like or trying to get something that maybe you don’t have on the menu (you’ll get used to this) but ultimately people will enjoy what you enjoy and get interested in.
So it comes the “training” part and another spoiler: people will teach you what it worked for THEM, not usually what it works in a general manner, so if you get frustrated with something remember that and try again whenever you come to the internet, and look for what it works for you, don’t get stuck trying to replicate someone’s understanding if it didn’t fit you or didn’t teach you better, you’ll do fine. Also get to know friends that get excited about coffee and it’s surroundings it’ll help you to get to know the many aspects of this subject.
Short answer: espresso dialing depends but you can get good at it if you look for balance between if you like it in terms of, generally aroma, sweetness, body and bitterness and if it’s getting close to the coffee cupping or tasting notes and about your training, you’ll get solid knowledge with SCA documents and references about everything but look for the understanding that fits you (videos, texts, chemistry pov, etc)
This is a great moment for you to take the bull by the horns. No one else obviously knows so you can make as many mistakes as you like.
Look up cleaning machine, milk steaming and dialling in Espresso on YouTube.
You’ll be the talk of the town in one month
How did you get the job? Any interest in learning? I’ve recently got a decent ish espresso machine and grinder at home and have loved learning how to make really good coffee at home and play with latte art.
I’ve lost count how many YouTube videos I’ve watched about latte art, dialling in, differences in coffee types and have throughly enjoyed practicing.
I guess what I’m trying to g to say is don’t rely on others to learn. Do your own research and practice as much as you can.