High-Frequency Baristas: Have you ever walked into a café in the morning and dreaded the long line? You often have to imagine what it’s like to be a barista serving drinks to all those people.On a bad day, it’s a real challenge. It’s almost as fun as playing in a language park.Surprised? Here are some other surprising facts you may not know about high-frequency baristas.
High Frequency Baristas Are Masters of Mental Math
If you ever felt like you weren’t good at math in school, working as a barista at a high frequency cafe will quickly change that perception.
Working as a high frequency barista is much more than just making coffee. Busy cafes require multiple baristas to work in shifts to give everyone a day off or a chance to rest their hands (we’ll talk about hand fatigue later). Plus, there’s limited space for the machines, so you’re often standing at the cash register when you’re not pulling shots or steaming milk.
You’ll be handling hundreds of transactions every hour. These transactions change with every change. You’ll either learn fast or you’ll be back washing dishes.
High-frequency baristas are constantly usi ng their hands
Caffeine can have a strange effect on people. Too much can make you shaky, irritable, and go to the bathroom more often. But high-frequency baristas don’t just drink coffee, they make hundreds of cups of coffee a day, which can cause other problems. Caffeine is dehydrating, and prolonged contact can cause your hands to crack, dry, and keratinize, and in high-frequency situations, they can even bleed.
Baristas also drink a lot of coffee. They may forget to drink the coffee they made when adjusting, and may drink one to ten cups of espresso before opening. And it’s essential to taste the filter to make sure it’s properly extracted.
Multitasking means something very different to a high-frequency barista
To many people, it may seem like a barista is doing a specific task behind the machine. And yes, sometimes that’s true.
But for a high-frequency barista, the 30 seconds between when the brew starts and when it finishes is used as an opportunity to multitask. In that time, they can serve a customer, fill a milk jug, prepare milk for steaming, refill an empty hopper, turn on the kettle and measure out the amount. Then they go back to the milk jug, close the steam valve and pour the espresso, all before repeating the cycle.
Do this nonstop for an hour and you’ll get a sense of the skills required to be a high-frequency barista.
High-Frequency Baristas Gain a New Appreciation for “Waking Up”
Although mornings at cafes are not exactly “Walking Dead” style, it is true that many people have morning times that don’t suit them. This is especially true if they haven’t had their morning coffee yet. Of course, it’s not meant to be rude, they just haven’t fully woken up yet.
There’s a common meme on the internet that says “I hope you don’t see me before I drink my coffee,” and this is especially accurate for high-frequency baristas. However, we always end up seeing you before you drink your coffee.
Sometimes we get weird requests, but it’s the reactions that impress us the most. For example, this morning:
Me: “Good morning, what would you like me to make you?”
Customer: “Yes.”
Me: “Um… Shall I make you a coffee?”
Customer: “…Yes.”
Me: “So, which coffee would you like?”
Customer: “Just a plain coffee please.”
Me: “Right… Sorry, but could I have a flat white, latte, or black coffee?”
Customer: “Oh… Sorry… Um… Haha… I’d like a latte, with two sugars please. Sorry! I’m not awake yet!”
Me: “Haha, it’s okay, I haven’t had my coffee yet, so I’ll give you a free pass!”
Working as a high-frequency barista is more fun than you’d expect
Working in a busy cafe is hard work—even without the cracked hands and math. It can be exhausting every day, but it’s also fun in a way that not many jobs offer.
As a high-frequency barista, you’ll see the best and worst of your fellow baristas. You’ll dance with each other in a caffeine-fueled ballet among the beans, milk, and espresso, striving to make everyone’s mornings better. The friends you’ve made while working in a cafe have taught you a lot about coffee and life.
Your passion for coffee, in particular, will grow as you connect with roasters and farmers. Talking to roasters and visiting roasteries will deepen your understanding of coffee. Research the newly brewed coffee and find the Facebook page or Instagram of the place where it’s produced. They might be waiting for a message from you. Maybe you’ll even get an invitation to stay.
Some people consider baristas a step above McDonald’s servers, while others see baristas as coffee gods. We may prefer the latter depiction, but the experience of being a high-frequency barista is unique. It’s painful, stressful, and extremely enjoyable—and an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.