Almost every morning, your last stop before work is to your local coffee shop for your morning coffee. Therefore, you see your barista at least most days of the week. However, do you know what they are thinking? What do they wish coffee lovers knew? Baristas have a lot of things they want people visiting their shops to know. Also, you can ask them questions to learn more about coffee etiquette, monk fruit sweeteners, and general coffee knowledge. Below are some of the things baristas wish you knew.
You don’t need all that milk and sugar
Most people order their milk with a dash of coffee. But baristas wish you would leave your coffee alone to taste the quality of the beans. If you love espresso and buy one with top-quality beans, you will want to taste it. Also, you can order an espresso and after you taste it, add milk or cream after. As for the sugar, you can opt for different things like spices, oils, to find a healthier alternative.
Latte art takes time to master
Today’s world of social media loves taking snaps to share with friends. But as a latte nerd, you may be loving it every time you get a heart or flower art. However, the art may be cool, but it takes time for the baristas to master the art. Therefore, just like painting, coffee art designs from steam milk take time and hours of practice. The skill needs you to master getting the perfect milk, and after, you can learn the pour-over and create a design. So, you cannot have one without the other. If your barista cannot nail creating a one yet, they may be working on it.
Coffee has different languages
Every coffee shop you are visiting has a language they use to describe their coffee. If this is the case, and you need to order your coffee, your barista will ask you various questions to verify if they got your order right. In the coffee world, every shop, brand, or café has its twist on how its coffee is sized or prepared. Standards may be certified, but all of this has a different interpretation to it. If a barista is asking you a lot of questions. It is to analyze from the thousands of coffee languages to get your beverage served right.
Sometimes the best coffee is a no to your request
For the not-so-savvy coffee drinkers, you may think it is okay to pour a drink over ice or reheat it in the microwave. But baristas know better, and that can mean they might say no to you in such a case. Remember, baristas sleep, breathe and drink coffee and avoid taking shortcuts. For this reason, they want to ensure the integrity of coffee rings in every cup, even with your personal preference. Thus, they will not reheat hot beverages but remake them. Making it right preserves the taste of coffee.
The perfect espresso is not easy
If you go to the same barista for years. It may seem easy to get a perfect espresso shot. But it is not as easy as it may seem. The reason it is not as easy is that many outside factors can influence pulling the perfect shot. For instance, the grind of coffee cannot be too coarse or too fine, for it can affect how the water flows through the coffee as you pull the shot. A grind that is too fine, the water flows slowly, creating a bitter flavor. If it is too coarse, the water flows too quickly, watering down the espresso. Other factors that affect the grind include dry air, heat, and humidity. The barista, thus, ensures your grind adjustments are made throughout the day to ensure it stays right.
Politeness is vital
Be polite and friendly to your barista for politeness is appreciated, and avoid being impatient. Remember, coffee shops are busy places, and people come in per day to order and pick their coffee. Thus, it is nice to smile and greet your barista once in a while. Avoid using your phone when ordering, and eye contact goes a long way, but most people have lost personal engagement these days.
