Working as a barista?

Question

Is it easy to remember all the drinks and combos? even if you don't ever drink coffee and don't know all the coffee "terms"?

about how long does it take to get it all memorized?

and for those who've working at starbucks and another coffee stand, would you recommend someone to start at a smaller coffee stand before working at starbucks? or are they both basically the same when it comes to difficulty?

thank you(:

Answer 1

I'm a barista at starbucks. i started off there with no experience. took me about a month or so to learn all the drinks. like the person said below me. you just have to learn to make the basics first so your drinks wont taste crappy. like at starbucks.... for a simple latte.. we steam the milk to 160. poor the shots. (they only last 10 seconds, then they go bad and wont taste good) then put shots into cup.. add milk and a little foam. and how many pumps of flavor go in each cup size.  it seriously becomes like second nature. but they go over it in training. its very very easy. and i absolutely LOVE it!

Answer 2

i work at Au Bon Pain as a barista and cashier and I absolutely love it! No matter where you work, or what size the place is, if you never get the basics down, all the drinks will taste bad. First you could go about memorizing the quantities for the drinks and if you get really good, you can revise and shake things up. I do like to try the drinks I make before sending them out, to make sure they taste good. For coffee drinks, it's all about foamed milk. If you can make good foamed milk, you've got half of the job under control.

The thing you need to worry about with a bigger place is crowds of people. At times I would have 10 drinks in a row to make. Make sure you don't mess up by organizing well, having a system to see how to make them faster but still taste just as good. Don't worry about the line behind you, just concentrate on getting the task done and you'll be a great barista.