Being such a new barista, I am so thankful that I have had the chance to learn all I have in the small amount of time I have been working in this field. Not everyone who starts this journey has the fortune of working with coffee greats such as Equator Coffees and Bunn.
My start in coffee was rocky and not something I ever expected. I have always adored coffee and the many methods of brewing it, however, I never imagined myself working in the industry.
Many of my friends were expert baristas and, despite what they think, I paid the utmost attention to all they had to say and admired their passion and love for it. That passion that they had soon rubbed off on me and I started learning more and more about coffee.
European coffee was what I started out with, having a true love for a authentic cappuccino or a shot of smooth espresso. Starbucks, and most new wave coffee, I found to be lacking in what I truly loved about coffee. Frappes and caramel macchiatos, burnt tasting espresso and overly sweetened, flavored drip coffees. It seemed like no one could make a real cup of coffee, espresso, or tea.
What happened to french press, pour over, or, my personal favorite, siphon? Yes there were places that did that, but they were far and few between, and most of the time their brews were extremely off. Water to grounds ratios were never consistent and almost always to weak or strong.
Then, I moved to Virginia Beach, VA. Where I found a whole new batch of coffee shops to try out and found myself at home rather quickly.
I first got a job at a very small coffee shop that was located inside a hospital. At first it seemed like it would be a nice, promising, place to work. But, that soon changed.
Training was the first sign that this shop did not have the best knowledge of coffee. There was one other barista who did have a passion for the perfect cup, but, she was a new wave coffee barista. All about crazy frappe contraptions and syrups in everything. At the time I was still questioning if this was even a job I wanted and if coffee was the field I wanted to be working in.
After a few months I started to ignore what the shop had "taught" me and did what I knew was right for making a great drink. This was hard, however, due to the fact I was working in very poor conditions.
The espresso machine had been neglected to the point of breaking down all the time and pulling some of the most fowl tasting espresso I have ever had in my life. Their coffee wasn't bad, however, the baristas would let pre-ground coffee sit, out in the open, all day long, before brewing it. The espresso machine was never rinsed, screen were never dropped unless I dropped them, and no one knew how to dial in the grinder at all, time a shot, or make any authentic drink.
Even though it was a horrible place to start off officially as a barista, it fueled my passions and I loved every drink I made. I came to realize that making coffee, talking coffee, and learning coffee was something I had to do and that I needed to expand my knowledge.
My time with them came to an end when I found a soon to open coffee shop in the Hilltop area of Virginia Beach.
The owner had passion and love for coffee. Not just coffee...REAL coffee! Espresso macchiatos, cappuccinos, new and amazing brewing methods. He was a man who had a true coffee connoisseurs dream and I knew his shop was going to be something new and unheard of in the area.
The time I spent waiting to hear back from him, to know I got the job, was quite nerve racking. But, it was well worth the wait. When I got the call and date for my first day I was more excited than you can imagine.
Since I started here I have learned more about the coffee industry then I could have learned on my own in such a short amount of time. I was lucky enough to land a dream job and plan on growing with this shop for a very long time.
In the past three months I have trained with Equator Coffee and Bunn, learning so much that I have been able to improve my drinks greatly. Working on the perfect foam, latte art, learning the different roasts, how to blend coffees, education coffee drinkers. Its what I do every single day, and its the most rewarding job I have had
This blog will be all the info I have learned and a map of my barista career, from start to finish. I want to share all my experiences learning and perfecting brewing methods and my barista skills. From one barista to another (or any coffee enthusiast).
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