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On Professionalism and the Necessity of Tasting
Last week, I walked into a coffee retailer for the sole purpose of socializing over a cup of coffee. I walked up to the counter, and asked which coffee was freshest (obviously, it is not a cup-at-a-time establishment, as most aren’t). Then I asked what it tasted like. The barista couldn’t tell me.
I see this as a big problem. Dan mentioned a situation that can touch on this a bit in the forums (though not about tasting).
When you go to a restaurant, and you see a particular dish that strikes your fancy, you may ask your waiter to describe it for you. You may also ask his opinion and if he would recommend it. Nine times out of ten, the waiter will do a sufficient job of describing the dish, as well as his personal evaluation.
So when I see a barista who is not only serving the product, but actually MAKING the product as well, who cannot even describe to me what sort of a flavor experience to expect, I consider there to be something very wrong. There exist some baristas who will say, “Oh, I don’t drink coffee.” And others who will say, “I don’t know, I don’t like coffee.” And there are those who do the minimum and just repeat the flavor descriptor off of the packaging from the roaster, their boss, or something other than drawing from their own experiences.
Are we to just accept that the person serving our beloved cup of coffee actually cares less about this product being served than the consumer who, by comparison, is supposed to know very little by comparison?
For the life of me, I cannot understand why someone who does not drink coffee would ever want to work in a position serving coffee to others. And what’s more, I have an even more difficult time understanding why a business owner or manager would ever consider hiring someone who will not be able to describe what they are serving, much less ever care for its quality.
So, maybe this is a little bit of a rant. Either way, we are professionals. A professional does not do only the minimum. A professional does not stop at “good enough”. A professional knows their craft inside and out, and has an enormous respect for the materials they work with, and the work that went into them. It is for this reason that I believe that a coffee professional must taste everything they serve. They must do cuppings on a regular basis. They should take notes (mental or tangible), and experiment with variables until perfection is attained(an impossible feat, which ought to tell you something about the nature of a professional).
When a customer comes up to you and says, “Tell me about this coffee,” you should be able to draw upon a wealth of stored information. Flavor descriptors, brewing parameters, where it came from, how it was processed, its varietal/cultivar, the roast level, who the roaster is (if applicable), and any and every other detail you can retain that the customer may be interested in hearing.
I recently lead a cupping with a shop here in Lubbock. They had never done one before, but I am told it was a very enlightening experience, and these baristas gained a new respect for their craft. This lasted for less than an hour, and it had a huge impact, and I’m sure that this enthusiasm will be perceived by their customers. People like buying from businesses who know their products better, can communicate better, and who have a love and passion for what they do.
I would consider it a good idea to hold a weekly staff tasting lead by an experienced barista, manager, owner, or whoever can help further the education and spark a little excitement into those present.
Quality is not a goal. It is a methodology of striving towards an unreachable end.
Now Hiring: Coffee Slingers in Oklahoma City, OK
I know this is a Texas industry site, but our neighbors to the north don’t seem to get enough love. We don’t mind sharing occasionally.
Found on their Myspace page,
Also taken straight from the Texas Coffee People forums,
What is a coffee slinger?
A craftsperson, Barista, the unsung hero.
You want to sling coffee? you must love all things coffee. You drink more double espressos each day than most people drink in a month. You believe that the pursuit of coffee perfection is your goal and just may be attainable.
You want to work full or nearly full time. You want to change the world one mind.-blowing cup of coffee at a time. You want learn to make exceptional espresso and silky steamed micro bubble milk and watch customers faces as they light up with extreme excitement at your handcrafted creation. Its an art! You want to tell everyone to try a truly well crafted espresso and then they will know why it is so good.
We want you! Join the crew and train to become a Coffee Slinging Barista. We train hard 4-6 weeks before you are certified as a Barista and we demand perfection in every drink every time, every day. We pay good with a few little extras, treat you like a future coffee rock star, give you good hours, free coffee, respect accountability and ongoing coffee training to empower your soul and your mind.
If you are all of these things and more then we need to make beautiful coffee together. We don’t take any applications.Here is what to do: Write a 300-400 word essay/diatribe/dialogue about why you are the future coffee slinging Barista we are looking for and why coffee is important to you.
With a Resume
E mail to CoffeeSlingers@hotmail.com
And we will call you in for an interview
Coffee Slingers Coming soon
Sounds promising! Best of luck to Coffee Slingers. Check out their Myspace page.
Now Hiring: Tangerines Smoothies and Coffee, Houston TX
I received an email this morning that said simply,
part-time barista position available. 7am-1pm. Beltway 8 & Richmond. (713)785-1553.
Included was a link to a website:
http://www.tangerines-smoothies.com
It appears to be just a smoothie place that just happens to serve coffee as well, and you would be right about that, but gather this. There is a REAL macchiato on the menu. (there is also a caramel macchiato, but it’s not often you see the real deal offered).
Tangerines Smoothies & Coffee
10440 Richmond Ave.
Houston, Texas 77042
(713)782-8818
click here for map.
Cups & Cones : Austin, TX (Now Hiring)
I received an email this morning from Cups & Cones in Austin to let everyone know that they are now hiring.
Cups & Cones, a newly opened coffee and ice cream cafe in Austin, TX, is hiring baristas. The store is located across from the entrance to the UT Golf Club in the Shops at Steiner Ranch.
They are using Blue Bell ice-cream and coffee from Texas Coffee Traders (home of 2007 SCRBC finalist Ron deYoung).
They opened in September of this year, according to their website.
Located at:
Cups & Cones
2900 N. Quinlan Park Rd.
Suite 290
Austin, TX - 78730
www.cups-and-cones.com
Phone: 512-289-7880
E-mail: KLeeNordin@Cups-and-Cones.com
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TX-Coffee Partners
EspressoTrainer.com