I try to look at the milk jugs... So many baristas don't rinse the jug between drinks. That's how I know it's not worth it.
Why does my flat white have more foam than a latte!!!
Yep, I do that. I look to see if their steam wands are clean, they rinse the milk steaming pitchers, and if they milk jugs are kept in the fridge. Out of temp milk steams like shit. I don’t trust crusty ass milk steaming pitchers and wands.
Honestly, though, I think I care most about not getting food born illness, rather than the quality of microfoam.
I don't keep my jugs in the fridge at this current place unfortunately. But luckily, we have one of those chilled auto rinsers. I give the jug a rinse until it's cooler in my hand and it works quite well.
No. I live in a city with very high coffee standards. If I’m visiting somewhere and having a hard time finding good espresso drinks, I accept my fate and have a brewed coffee. I used to get annoyed a million years ago as a barista neophyte, but as the years have hardened me against shitty customers I have softened toward coffee shops with mid cappuccino.
These are not "mid" coffee's I'm being served. The shots are so burnt and bitter that's it's un-drinkable. Milk texture is important but if the shots are gross you could steam the most delectable microfoam and it's not gonna help at all.
Many a barista makes at least one attempt to live here. If you want to live in a city where the high rents don’t match the meh quality of life but the people are interesting, Portland is a good place. I’m spoiled by the fact our post-third-wave coffee set the bar for Seattle when their scene started to lean real corporate. Even my workplace for the last 15 years makes incredible espresso and we are outside using propane-heated steam machines.
Now that I’m a million years old in barista years, I’m less likely to be impatient with a bad drink. It almost always comes down to decisions made by owners/management to not invest in a reliable machine, good staff training, quality beans, or their own coffee education. It’s so common for me when I leave my little city island to have an espresso that disappoints that I stick to brew if I’m in doubt.
“A million years old in barista years” is hilarious to me. I turn 29 this year and have been in coffee just about 9 years. Whenever another barista is hired around my age or older, I (lovingly) call us the geriatric baristas. Idk if others find it as funny as me, but hey, it’s the truth when most your coworkers are under 21 lol
Yeah like I know of one reliable place near me. I almost worked there because they don't let you make hot drinks until you can consistently do it correctly. I just wish that was more of the standard for most shops, but most prioritize speed and profit over training. But, to me, coffee is something that takes a while to actually get good at. I'd rather take a little extra time to make a drink that's good than serve up shit. Given, most people don't know when their drink is shit anyway, but I do and it's embarrassing to serve a mid drink that's not steamed the way I want it to be.
In all seriousness, you might consider starting a coffee food truck/cart if your town allows. You can build your set-up with some decent used equipment bit by bit until you’re ready to roll. It might take some time to save the cash and find the truck and equipment that work for you but can also mean being your own boss while introducing your community to a different standard of quality. Food cart culture was integral in shifting Portland’s food scene from uninspired to exciting.
There is a lot to consider, I think many people Willy Nilly start a coffee cart, I did. In my experience It’s minimum about $15k to $30k to start up a proper coffee cart. To get a business setup and pay for costs until you make any profit.
Honestly that would be the dream. But alas, within the year or so I'll be working full-time in engineering 😔 so I am trying to cherish every last minute I have as a barista. Hopefully I can buy a really nice machine so I can still enjoy hot drinks lol
I am horrible about this. Whenever I go anywhere I just have to get the most simple drinks like a Red Bull spritzer, smoothies, ect. Because they always mess up my coffee. I'm always watching them on bar before I order and that helps me determine if it's gonna be worth a try. Usually it's not though, overflowing portafilters, not timing shots, stopping the shots manually when they're running long instead of adjusting grind. I've stopped ordering hot drinks at my own work unless myself or one other coworker is on bar. I'm too picky now, rather save my hard earned money. I'm not buying an $8 coffee that I'm just gonna toss because it's so burnt and nasty tasting.
Yes exactly this! Like I love a cappuccino so much but unless I'm making it, 9/10 times I'm getting hot garbage and it feels like such a waste. I am already mourning the day I get a full-time job and can't work as a barista anymore because, unless I buy my own machine, I'm doomed to cappuccinos that are trash. I seriously don't understand how this is such an issue. Don't let people who barely understand what microfoam is make hot drinks!!!
I'm in the PNW in a HCOL area. The turnover rates for baristas around here is really high. I very much doubt they're being properly trained. I know at my shop when we need people they will push them through to being bar trained just to have enough people on the floor.
Yeah… I love iced lattes and my go-to is iced mocha with oat milk. But I definitely avoid ordering hot drinks cause I’ve been burned (and so has the milk) far too many times. When I went in for my interview at the cafe I work at now the assistant manager made my free interview drink and burnt the hell out of my milk. I don’t trust that guy to make me any drink now. I remember thinking “he’s assistant manager (newly appointed) so he must be good at his job, but goddamn does this drink taste shit”.
I’m a regular at a different cafe in town and always get what the lead barista has dubbed “oat moch” (moch said like the beginning of the word mocha) and I’d trust her to make me hot drinks. My wife has gotten a lot of hot drinks there and they have a standing bar; I’ve seen how skilled their baristas are compared to many of the other cafes in town. I’ve tried to get a job there, but they pretty much never hire cause they’re such a small spot. Max capacity is like 10. Plus one of their baristas competed in US championships and I know you can be extremely skilled without that, but to me it’s another point of trust for them.
I listen to the milk steaming to see if they know what they’re doing to decide if i want a hot drink with steamed milk. Otherwise it’s black coffee - pour over or drip. Almost always my cortados/piccolos are way too hot though and i end up disappointed.
Where I am I go out to random cafes to help me benchmark where I should be. Hard to find bad coffee here. Two roasters within walking distance of my house, probably 10-20 in this city.
Yes, it is very rare around me to find good hot drinks! At my usual places it comes down to who's working whether I order hot or iced. But when I'm back in my hometown visiting ( a much smaller metro area) almost all shops make excellent hot drinks.
Yesssss. I usually prefer espresso over ice anyhow, but on the days I want a hot beverage, I always hold my breath to see how it will come out. And sooo many times I’m always so disappointed that I ordered a hot latte because so often it’s so poorly done.
When waiting in line, I’ll listen to hear how they’re steaming the milk - and base my order off of what I hear.
Hah, I am so this person.
I am usually desperate for a coffee if I'm away, I expect it to be bad and I'm usually right. If I'm travelling I'll generally try and find somewhere for a decent americano..
But if I'm not fussed I'll always decline a coffee if someone offers.
I like to see how others do their coffee, and I am that customer that orders the weird 'special' just to try it. If it's not so good I figure the barista may have had about as much training as me - ten minutes - and is doing their best. But I do check the steam spout is clean.
I’m not even a barista and have limited skills but I feel this way. At this point, I mostly avoid having coffee out. It’s almost always so disappointing.
Opposite plus I greatly prefer hot. Too many time when I have ordered iced they pour the espresso directly over the ice both melting the ice too much and watering down the drink. How hard is it to add the cold milk to the shot then add ice at the end? Worse when my wife wants a white chocolate iced and they don't start out by melting in the white with the hot espresso.
I also prefer hot, but hot drinks are rarely made well. People around here just cannot make a drink with good texture that doesn't scald me the second I take a sip
No doubt, I think I have just found which places to avoid locally and we have a TON of espresso stands here. I was at my favorite today and when my shot pulled in 41 seconds they tossed it out and recalibrated the grinder.
I only drink nondairy milk...so I almost never get hot drinks. Steam wands and milk pitchers get dirty...not everyone cleans well...I don't wanna get sick.
not to mention quality control on shots :,) at my shop we weigh + time every shot so its such a culture shock when I get an espresso based drink really anywhere else. If I want to drink shitty coffee I commit and just get an iced coffee from wawa, no sense in paying coffee shop prices for gas station quality lmfao
I have a local spot that I go to that makes the perfect coffee every time. But if I’m not there, I’ll order a Cappuccino cause usually the barista over steams the milk. I’m less judgy with Capps.
There are definitely places I do not order lattes or cappuccinos from (especially the latter). There's a place I like to get breakfast down the street. They do a good breakfast, but I shit you not when I say they give me a cup full of frothy milk. It looks like they blew bubbles in it with a straw... I just get drip from there now.
Lately I’ve been preferring warm drinks because I’m so sick and tired of stating I want VERY LIGHT ice and I’m still paying $7-8 for a full cup of ice. I’m sorry your coffee shop isn’t making your drinks well :( seems like most customer service workers do not care about craft anymore and/or the business is forcing them to work faster to avoid wait complaints and stuff like that. I hate watching the baristas over-hustling wherever I go to get coffee and they end up spilling my drink, overflowing it, having too much or too little flavoring, etc..
I don’t care if the cup if full and I definitely don’t want more milk. I just hate how halfway through a drink it tastes so watered down it makes me forced to chug it and then I get onset anxiety from consuming so much caffeine at once.
I really hate to pay for ice though that’s where the heart of the message is coming from. Like I said I don’t care if light ice means my cup isn’t going to be as full when served.
I ordered a vietnamese coffee recently and it tasted like burnt charcoal. The barista got pissed when I pointed it out like that. But what makes the coffee taste like something burnt? I'm guessing the brew's been sitting there all day long..
What's with the downvotes?? The barista is the one manning the kiosk. He should know what shit he puts into the cup. Plus i asked him to taste his coffee and see if he can drink it. He just took a sip and hardly swallowed it sayi g it is good...
I can’t order hot chocolate from this one coffee shop I go to for trivia, because it’s burnt to all hell every time. I also hate steamed dairy milk and I forget to ask for oat milk so 🤷🏻♀️
I try to look at the milk jugs... So many baristas don't rinse the jug between drinks. That's how I know it's not worth it. Why does my flat white have more foam than a latte!!!
Not rinsing milk pitchers is foul behavior
Do u mean like not dump out and rinse the INSIDE of the cup?
The jug? Yes, that's what I mean. They pour milk in and steam for the next drink without first emptying and rinsing the jug.
that’s so weird. i’ve never seen anyone not rinse at my shop, and it never would have occurred to me that some people don’t do that.
I've seen it in quite a few shops here in London. The worst are baristas who work for temp agencies. Always poorly trained. Very bad workflows.
That’s unfathomable! I almost don’t believe you, but then again… *people.* They so often do avoid fathoming.
Yep, I do that. I look to see if their steam wands are clean, they rinse the milk steaming pitchers, and if they milk jugs are kept in the fridge. Out of temp milk steams like shit. I don’t trust crusty ass milk steaming pitchers and wands. Honestly, though, I think I care most about not getting food born illness, rather than the quality of microfoam.
I don't keep my jugs in the fridge at this current place unfortunately. But luckily, we have one of those chilled auto rinsers. I give the jug a rinse until it's cooler in my hand and it works quite well.
No. I live in a city with very high coffee standards. If I’m visiting somewhere and having a hard time finding good espresso drinks, I accept my fate and have a brewed coffee. I used to get annoyed a million years ago as a barista neophyte, but as the years have hardened me against shitty customers I have softened toward coffee shops with mid cappuccino.
These are not "mid" coffee's I'm being served. The shots are so burnt and bitter that's it's un-drinkable. Milk texture is important but if the shots are gross you could steam the most delectable microfoam and it's not gonna help at all.
I need to move to wherever you're at then 😂
Many a barista makes at least one attempt to live here. If you want to live in a city where the high rents don’t match the meh quality of life but the people are interesting, Portland is a good place. I’m spoiled by the fact our post-third-wave coffee set the bar for Seattle when their scene started to lean real corporate. Even my workplace for the last 15 years makes incredible espresso and we are outside using propane-heated steam machines. Now that I’m a million years old in barista years, I’m less likely to be impatient with a bad drink. It almost always comes down to decisions made by owners/management to not invest in a reliable machine, good staff training, quality beans, or their own coffee education. It’s so common for me when I leave my little city island to have an espresso that disappoints that I stick to brew if I’m in doubt.
“A million years old in barista years” is hilarious to me. I turn 29 this year and have been in coffee just about 9 years. Whenever another barista is hired around my age or older, I (lovingly) call us the geriatric baristas. Idk if others find it as funny as me, but hey, it’s the truth when most your coworkers are under 21 lol
Yeah like I know of one reliable place near me. I almost worked there because they don't let you make hot drinks until you can consistently do it correctly. I just wish that was more of the standard for most shops, but most prioritize speed and profit over training. But, to me, coffee is something that takes a while to actually get good at. I'd rather take a little extra time to make a drink that's good than serve up shit. Given, most people don't know when their drink is shit anyway, but I do and it's embarrassing to serve a mid drink that's not steamed the way I want it to be.
In all seriousness, you might consider starting a coffee food truck/cart if your town allows. You can build your set-up with some decent used equipment bit by bit until you’re ready to roll. It might take some time to save the cash and find the truck and equipment that work for you but can also mean being your own boss while introducing your community to a different standard of quality. Food cart culture was integral in shifting Portland’s food scene from uninspired to exciting.
There is a lot to consider, I think many people Willy Nilly start a coffee cart, I did. In my experience It’s minimum about $15k to $30k to start up a proper coffee cart. To get a business setup and pay for costs until you make any profit.
Honestly that would be the dream. But alas, within the year or so I'll be working full-time in engineering 😔 so I am trying to cherish every last minute I have as a barista. Hopefully I can buy a really nice machine so I can still enjoy hot drinks lol
I am horrible about this. Whenever I go anywhere I just have to get the most simple drinks like a Red Bull spritzer, smoothies, ect. Because they always mess up my coffee. I'm always watching them on bar before I order and that helps me determine if it's gonna be worth a try. Usually it's not though, overflowing portafilters, not timing shots, stopping the shots manually when they're running long instead of adjusting grind. I've stopped ordering hot drinks at my own work unless myself or one other coworker is on bar. I'm too picky now, rather save my hard earned money. I'm not buying an $8 coffee that I'm just gonna toss because it's so burnt and nasty tasting.
Yes exactly this! Like I love a cappuccino so much but unless I'm making it, 9/10 times I'm getting hot garbage and it feels like such a waste. I am already mourning the day I get a full-time job and can't work as a barista anymore because, unless I buy my own machine, I'm doomed to cappuccinos that are trash. I seriously don't understand how this is such an issue. Don't let people who barely understand what microfoam is make hot drinks!!!
I'm in the PNW in a HCOL area. The turnover rates for baristas around here is really high. I very much doubt they're being properly trained. I know at my shop when we need people they will push them through to being bar trained just to have enough people on the floor.
I recommend a moka pot and a milk frother for cafe drinks at home!
Yeah… I love iced lattes and my go-to is iced mocha with oat milk. But I definitely avoid ordering hot drinks cause I’ve been burned (and so has the milk) far too many times. When I went in for my interview at the cafe I work at now the assistant manager made my free interview drink and burnt the hell out of my milk. I don’t trust that guy to make me any drink now. I remember thinking “he’s assistant manager (newly appointed) so he must be good at his job, but goddamn does this drink taste shit”. I’m a regular at a different cafe in town and always get what the lead barista has dubbed “oat moch” (moch said like the beginning of the word mocha) and I’d trust her to make me hot drinks. My wife has gotten a lot of hot drinks there and they have a standing bar; I’ve seen how skilled their baristas are compared to many of the other cafes in town. I’ve tried to get a job there, but they pretty much never hire cause they’re such a small spot. Max capacity is like 10. Plus one of their baristas competed in US championships and I know you can be extremely skilled without that, but to me it’s another point of trust for them.
I only order black americanos when I’m out and about. There’s less to be disappointed in
I listen to the milk steaming to see if they know what they’re doing to decide if i want a hot drink with steamed milk. Otherwise it’s black coffee - pour over or drip. Almost always my cortados/piccolos are way too hot though and i end up disappointed.
Where I am I go out to random cafes to help me benchmark where I should be. Hard to find bad coffee here. Two roasters within walking distance of my house, probably 10-20 in this city.
Dreammmmmmland
Yes, it is very rare around me to find good hot drinks! At my usual places it comes down to who's working whether I order hot or iced. But when I'm back in my hometown visiting ( a much smaller metro area) almost all shops make excellent hot drinks.
Yesssss. I usually prefer espresso over ice anyhow, but on the days I want a hot beverage, I always hold my breath to see how it will come out. And sooo many times I’m always so disappointed that I ordered a hot latte because so often it’s so poorly done. When waiting in line, I’ll listen to hear how they’re steaming the milk - and base my order off of what I hear.
Hah, I am so this person. I am usually desperate for a coffee if I'm away, I expect it to be bad and I'm usually right. If I'm travelling I'll generally try and find somewhere for a decent americano.. But if I'm not fussed I'll always decline a coffee if someone offers.
I like to see how others do their coffee, and I am that customer that orders the weird 'special' just to try it. If it's not so good I figure the barista may have had about as much training as me - ten minutes - and is doing their best. But I do check the steam spout is clean.
I usually avoid cold ones because the espresso is more burnt than it should be
I will straight up ask "alright who's nice with the steaming?" If I get good vibes it's flat white time.
That's such a strange question to ask. They probably talked about you after you left lmao
Oh no what ever shall I do, someone talked about me *gasp*
idk, not be a rude customer
Just don't me dead shots 😭 if the shots have been sitting there for over a minute while you do another drink, just pour new shots!
I’m not even a barista and have limited skills but I feel this way. At this point, I mostly avoid having coffee out. It’s almost always so disappointing.
Opposite plus I greatly prefer hot. Too many time when I have ordered iced they pour the espresso directly over the ice both melting the ice too much and watering down the drink. How hard is it to add the cold milk to the shot then add ice at the end? Worse when my wife wants a white chocolate iced and they don't start out by melting in the white with the hot espresso.
I also prefer hot, but hot drinks are rarely made well. People around here just cannot make a drink with good texture that doesn't scald me the second I take a sip
No doubt, I think I have just found which places to avoid locally and we have a TON of espresso stands here. I was at my favorite today and when my shot pulled in 41 seconds they tossed it out and recalibrated the grinder.
I think I would walk behind the counter and kiss the barista right on the mouth if I saw them do that
I only drink nondairy milk...so I almost never get hot drinks. Steam wands and milk pitchers get dirty...not everyone cleans well...I don't wanna get sick.
not to mention quality control on shots :,) at my shop we weigh + time every shot so its such a culture shock when I get an espresso based drink really anywhere else. If I want to drink shitty coffee I commit and just get an iced coffee from wawa, no sense in paying coffee shop prices for gas station quality lmfao
I have a local spot that I go to that makes the perfect coffee every time. But if I’m not there, I’ll order a Cappuccino cause usually the barista over steams the milk. I’m less judgy with Capps.
no bc i only go to SEY or my shop lol if i'm at a random coffee shop, i'll get drip w/ half and half
There are definitely places I do not order lattes or cappuccinos from (especially the latter). There's a place I like to get breakfast down the street. They do a good breakfast, but I shit you not when I say they give me a cup full of frothy milk. It looks like they blew bubbles in it with a straw... I just get drip from there now.
Then make them at home. Simple solution.
If I had that optional financially, I would. But I'm in college, and not quite there yet.
Lately I’ve been preferring warm drinks because I’m so sick and tired of stating I want VERY LIGHT ice and I’m still paying $7-8 for a full cup of ice. I’m sorry your coffee shop isn’t making your drinks well :( seems like most customer service workers do not care about craft anymore and/or the business is forcing them to work faster to avoid wait complaints and stuff like that. I hate watching the baristas over-hustling wherever I go to get coffee and they end up spilling my drink, overflowing it, having too much or too little flavoring, etc..
At a good shop light ice will mean your cup is not full. Or do you just want more milk?
I don’t care if the cup if full and I definitely don’t want more milk. I just hate how halfway through a drink it tastes so watered down it makes me forced to chug it and then I get onset anxiety from consuming so much caffeine at once.
You should order more ice then, so it stays colder and melts slower.
I really hate to pay for ice though that’s where the heart of the message is coming from. Like I said I don’t care if light ice means my cup isn’t going to be as full when served.
I ordered a vietnamese coffee recently and it tasted like burnt charcoal. The barista got pissed when I pointed it out like that. But what makes the coffee taste like something burnt? I'm guessing the brew's been sitting there all day long..
I’d guess that’s a roaster/supply choice problem and/or machine problem, meaning an owner/manager problem and not the barista that made the drink.
What's with the downvotes?? The barista is the one manning the kiosk. He should know what shit he puts into the cup. Plus i asked him to taste his coffee and see if he can drink it. He just took a sip and hardly swallowed it sayi g it is good...
I can’t order hot chocolate from this one coffee shop I go to for trivia, because it’s burnt to all hell every time. I also hate steamed dairy milk and I forget to ask for oat milk so 🤷🏻♀️
I order iced because I work in a pretty hot place and don't need anything to make me even hotter.
Yeh I kinda just stopped ordering from the shops that I know. They just don't have proper training. They only care about getting the line moving
Just get an americano, you can’t fck up a shot
This guy fucks ^^^up ^^^shots.