Barista Magazine is your home for the worldwide community of coffee and the people who make it.
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We live in the Age of Information, where baristas know enough about brewing science to fill a small book, and can rattle off not just the roaster and region, but also the process, variety, and farmer of their coffee. Coffee professionals have access to the most advanced coffee technology ever created, like smartphone apps that can sync up to scales to help users better understand the temperamental brewing patterns of their favorite micro- lot beans. Gone are the days of scaleless, timerless, mindless brewing. Coffee shops have become a veritable science lab. In a world of high-tech coffee geekery, industry professionals must ask themselves, how do we bridge the ever-widening gap from our side of the counter to theirs? How do we continue to hone our craft and stay true to our passions while remaining accessible to those new to our world? Anyone who has ever cracked an inappropriate joke at a family function knows that there is a time and a place for everything, and this rings true in our quest for accessibility: Discernment plays a vital role in the creation of teachable moments from behind the counter. If it's a customer's first visit to the shop, they might be feeling overwhelmed: A new menu, new faces, and a new space can catch anyone off their guard. This may not be the time to give them the side-eye for expecting the "macchia- to" they ordered to be a 20-ounce vanilla latte when your shop serves it as a 3-ounce beverage. Instead, take the opportunity to help them navigate your menu, gain their bearings, and find their new favorite drink. "We're used to seeing what we do through our lens," says Dave Jernigan of Counter Culture Coffee. "It's easy to neglect attempting to see it through someone else's." Try to pause from the pace of your daily workflow, appreciate the novelty that is craft coffee, and meet your customer at their level. A little bit of empathy goes a long way. Employing Enlightened Empathy Consistent service and an uncompromising quest for quality is what can help set you apart from the rest, but that sometimes means you've got to say "no." How do you do that without turn- ing someone off from your shop altogether? "If your shop does not serve extra-dry cappuccinos or dirty chai lattes, then do not make them," says longtime Not Just Coffee barista Kelsey Viscount. While Kelsey doesn't recom- mend "compromising the shop ethos to move a difficult customer through the line," she does note that, "there is a right way and wrong way to refuse a customer's request. Instead of, 'No, we don't make dry cappuccinos, they're burnt and gross,' try, 'We serve a silkier cappuccino to better complement our choice of espresso. Would you like to try one our way? Or perhaps you'd like to try something else?'" It isn't a new customer's fault that they don't yet know about the nuances of your shop (or your craft), and all it takes is patience and empathy to help them understand. A positive first experience ensures repeat business, future relationship building, and, in the long run, a more educat- ed consumer base. Coffee shops have traditionally served as meeting places for their communities. They function excellently as a respite from the hectic day-to-day scramble, and many people have come to view their local coffee shop as a second home. Folks stop by the café for their daily pick-me-up on their way to work, for a post-lunch meet-up with an old friend, or to simply spend a lazy afternoon sipping on a cappuccino while reading a book. Visits to the coffee shop become part of a person's routine, and it is within that routine that customers are able to become familiar with their baristas, establishing a base of trust and respect for one another. This recurring patronage is important not only for the con- tinued vitality of your shop, but also to create a repertoire with your regulars. Nobody wants to be made to feel inferior or unre- fined because of their coffee preferences, especially by a barista who is a stranger to him. However, a regular customer might be more receptive to trying a few sips of black coffee (maybe for the first time ever!) if they're being encouraged to do so by a famil- iar, friendly face. As the saying goes: "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Incorporating empathy into your coffee education and ser- vice is the wing-tulip triple-inset heart on top of the cappuc- cino. A regular of mine at The Daily Press in Charlotte, N.C., Corri Smith, says, " When you become an expert in something, you can get engrossed in it and separate yourself from regular people and sometimes that can widen the knowledge gap… You [baristas] at The Daily Press are experts, but you share your knowledge instead of putting yourselves on islands and keeping it to yourselves… I feel welcome and I learn some- thing every time I visit the shop, and that just adds value to my experience." Simply sharing basic information, like your favorite tasting notes in the coffee or an interesting tidbit about the roaster who developed the espresso you're serving, gives a personal touch to each interaction. This opens the door for questions, answers, and, most importantly, pressure-free discussion. "Share" is the operative word here: Every interaction is an opportunity to cre- ate a dialogue with, rather than a monologue at, your customer. When baristas share what they know, they help others feel con- Let's be real: Nobody wants a TED Talk at 6 a.m. about the history and taxonomy of Coffea arabica . 80 barista magazine