A superb barista is a professional technician who knows how to make the best use of numerous brewing devices and machines and can use their coffee knowledge to offer solid recommendations to consumers.
While working as a professional barista in a cafe may appear to be an entirely different experience than working in the relative peace of your kitchen, there are plenty of ideas to be given and things that any home barista can learn from their local café and barista.
Working a line, learning different efficiencies, and even incorporating troubleshooting experiences into everyday movements are all things that a working barista must do to improve. We often see efficiencies develop in these high-volume circumstances that are wonderful to incorporate into a home routine.
Here are the barista skills you should know and how to use them.
Purchase the Essential Tools and Machines
Of course, to brew your coffee like a barista, you’ll need high-quality equipment like espresso machines, coffee makers, and a few more items like a grinder, pitcher, portafilter, milk frother, portafilter, carafe, and even coffee maker cleaning brushes. You can find this coffee equipment on http://brewedcoffeeguide.com.
You may not know how to buy an excellent coffee machine that meets your taste, flavor, and needs as a home barista rookie. As a result, let’s glance at each important machine and its functions.
Coffee Brewer
There are many different types of coffee makers available on the market. Consumers’ top choices, according to reliable data, are K-cup or capsule coffee makers and espresso machines.
Grinder
If you want to make your ground coffee, you’ll need a reliable coffee bean grinder.
Depending on your coffee machine, a grinder for your home cafe can differ because it distinguishes the flavor of coffee while producing espresso or other drip-style drinks.
Portafilter
A portafilter is essential for home baristas who enjoy espresso and consume it frequently. In terms of appearance, it resembles a spoon, but its primary function is to hold ground coffee. The portafilter may be connected to the espresso machine, and hot water will flow through it to obtain a perfect cup of espresso.
Pitcher for Frothing Milk
If you enjoy the milky flavor and gorgeous decoration for your coffee mugs, you should try latte art. You’ll need a milk frothing pitcher for this.
There are two pitchers: one with a traditional design and one with a thoughtful design. We strongly advise getting a classic style pitcher, especially for home barista rookies, because it makes pouring milk easier and more consistent.
Wand of Steam
You’ll also need a steam wand if you want to prepare a cup of latte coffee. It’s a widget that improves the quality of your milk so you can make better and more flawless latte art.
Look For Good Coffee Beans
Choose a roast that you enjoy that is compatible with the brewing method you intend to use. You can use any of these methods to make drip coffee; it depends on your personal preferences.
Pour-over brewing is great for light roast coffee blends since the slower brewing procedure enables more time for the fruity and flowery flavors to emerge. Brewing processes are more adaptable with medium, medium-dark, and dark roasts.
They are commonly used for espresso, French press, Moka pot, Aeropress, and other applications since they require less time for flavor extraction. Single-origin roasts are grown in the same place and have a more distinct or refined flavor.
A “blend” is made up of several ingredients and usually has a more mellow flavor that appeals to a wider audience. As a bonus, your used coffee grounds can be used in your garden afterwards.
Learn Microfoaming
Microfoam is a sort of frothed milk foam created by frothing extremely cold milk with the tip of the steam wand close to but still beneath the surface of the milk. Next, the barista will push the steam wand into the milk to further heat it after generating the foam. Microfoam gives the client a smoother experience, but it also improves latte art.
You’ll need cold milk and a cold pitcher to begin to froth milk. Then, fill it up to 1/3 full with cold milk, as the frothing process will increase the volume. Before you begin, drain any water from the steam wand.
Slow Down When It Comes to Latte Art
Latte art is a time-consuming skill to master. Find a latte art design that works for you and polish it when you start working as a barista, then expand your talent. Consider starting with a heart, a common choice for a first latte painting creation.
Although latte art is impressive, no one expects perfection the first time. Allow yourself to learn since practice makes perfect.
A Barista’s Mantra To Live By….Rise and Grind!
Learning about coffee is the best way to improve your barista skills at home. More knowledge makes you realize how much more you still need to learn; therefore, learning is a never-ending process. If you’ve got five minutes to kill, why not watch a YouTube video, learn how to brew a new drink, or study how other regions’ coffees differ.