The Daily Grind

Musings from the mind of a barista

[oneshot2day]

5 Times to Drink Cold Coffee

Hey again!

So I was cruising the google (^_^) for anything coffee related.  I haven’t been able to drink it for a few days.  I got that new unicorn Frappuccino thingie, but that doesn't have coffee in it, so as tasty as it was, it did not satisfy my cravings.  Tomorrow I must get coffee.  I must.  I will do it!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, I've thought since I can’t drink coffee, then I might as well at least read about it, right?  (It hasn’t helped.)

Still, I came across this fun list that cheered me up slightly.

http://gotcoffeclub.blogspot.com/2016/11/five-situations-where-cold-coffee-would.html

I love iced coffee!  I could drink it aaaaaaaaaall the time!

My list is going be different from that person's, so go ahead and check theirs out, too!  Without further ado, 5 times when you might want a cold coffee!

 1.)  When you wake up

I recently found out that it isn't good to drink caffeine within the first couple hours after waking up, because your body is sending out stuff to wake you up on its own.                                But who cares about that?  COFFEE!!!

 2.)  When you're driving

Iced coffee is good to drink when you're on the road because it has a straw.  So you can keep your eyes on the road.  (Unless it's bottled or something...but oh well!)

 3.)  When you’re pulling an all-nighter

Okay, this one is on the list I found, but I have to include it here, too.  I am well acquainted with staying up all night to finish something.  Warm drinks make me sleepy, so a cold coffee drink helps give me that jolt of wakefulness.

 4.)  When it's hot outside

If you've been reading my blog, then you know I'm a barista.  When it starts getting warm, we start running through the cold brew like crazy.  There's good reason for that.  When you're hot, cold coffee drags you from "I'm on fire, help, stop drop and roll isn't working" to "I'm sitting in front of a fire and it is very pleasant, maybe I will roast marshmallows."

 5.)  Literally every other moment ever

Is there a time when you wouldn't want iced---or otherwise cold coffee...?  (If you're cold, then get a sweatshirt.)

[oneshot2day]

Can my coffee tell my personality?!  O_O

Weeeeeeeeeeeellllllllll, I guess it can?  At least this infographic I found on Pinterest does!  It doesn't have all the coffee options...but there are some!

From this list, my drink of choice would be a mocha (preferably iced, but hey, I'll take hot if that's what's available).  And what does it say for mocha?  "You're fun-loving and creative."  I think that fits.  Definitely the second and I try for the first...  "You hate the taste of coffee, but you need the pick-me-up, so you improvise."

 Dude.  Dude.  Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude.  O_O  How'd you know?

Yep, that's me.  A barista who hates coffee.  DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!!!

Still, how accurate can this be?  (not accurate at all in the slightest, tiniest amount---it's just for fun)  What if someone likes ALL of them?  People are allowed to get both Americanos and Frappuccinos!  You can't label someone and stuff them in a box!

I sell a lot of drinks---frappuccinos are SO popular during the summer.  It has just as much espresso as a latte or mocha (not starbucks here).  I tried thinking of my regulars, but it doesn't really match up.

If you just looked at the descriptions and picked from that, would the drink be one you would actually drink?

,Do these work for you?  Let me know!  I'd be interested to find out!

[oneshot2day]

Umm, I like this one!

So, I work as a barista at two different places (we have more locations than just those, but I've only worked at two of them).

One of the coffee shops is inside a store and the other is in a hospital right down the road (my previous two posts about opening and closing were both just about the hospital).

Whelp.  There's not toooooooo much to say about the difference in working between the store and hospital.  Only that I like the hospital much better!

It is a sparkle of glitter and happiness.

Really, the biggest difference is that it is so much busier at the hospital than the store.  That's a good thing, really!  It makes the time pass quickly.  Another thing is that there isn't a cooler at the coffee shop in the store--so no sandwiches or pop (we're in a store--go get it from the store!).

Luckily, I'm usually scheduled at the hospital.  I'll hold my breath before I check the schedule.  And then I'll continue holding it while I check.  Altogether it could take several minutes if I'm interrupted, but that's okay.  Champion breath holder here!  (breathing through the nose doesn't count, right?)

Right?!

Right!

[oneshot2day]

Good-night

Closing shifts are not nearly as fun as opening shifts.  I prefer opening.  I am not a morning person AT ALL, but opening forces me to be and I like that.  :D

There's a lot, so let's get started!  With a closing shift at the hospital, there's some stuff I start about 2 hours before closing time (7:00).  The bakery gets wrapped up (still selling it, but that way it's ready for tomorrow (50 cent yummies, yum!).  The half and half container is emptied and sanitized.  The customer trash is emptied.

An hour before closing, I'll empty one of the trashes behind the counter.  I'll knock down the regular coffee if possible and sanitize a pot.  The espresso machine can be pre-cleaned: clean out grinds, wipe it down, etc.  Set some paper towels on it so I won't have to re-do it when I make another drink.

There's probably more I could do beforehand, but let's skip straight to 7, shall we?  It all depends on time, anyway.  Sometimes, it's not too busy, and I can get this stuff done.  Other times, it's like:

Or even this:

The fire is 100% necessary.  Naturally, when it's that busy, I might not get any of those pre-closing things done.  But oh well, that's the way the biscotti crumbles.

Presuming I am able to do that stuff, at 7 pm I will promptly turn off the lights, set out the "closed" sign, clear the money out of the register, and shut it down (unless I have a line, in which case I can't do that until I work my through them (the lights still go off, though).

All coffee is dumped and pots are sanitized.  The espresso machine is cleaned--it's a little complicated to explain.  The important thing to remember is that you turn it off so it can run the cycle and once it's done YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST TURN IT BACK ON!!!  It cannot be left off overnight.  Once, I was halfway home, and I couldn't remember if I had turned it back on, so I had to turn around so I could check (I had turned it back on).

The cooler lights need to be turned off, and they need to be covered.  All the food that's left in the cooler needs to be marked down, first (I love this bit, actually--I just like making lists for some reason...).

EVERYTHING gets cleaned.  Seriously, it's a lot of cleaning.  I work opening and closing, and there's nothing worse than coming in in the morning to a work space that hasn't been properly cleaned.  So whenever I close, I try to leave it nice for the openers.

When I leave the hospital, I have to go to the store.  Sometimes, I need to drop things off.  Often, I need to gather stock for the openers to pick up.  We run through napkins like crazy.  That needs to be picked up almost every night!  Soy and almond milk, too.

Thaaaaaaaaaaat's pretty much it.

[blackoakcoffee]

A little taste of the rainbow

[oneshot2day]

This is so pretty!

[oneshot2day]

opening shift

And it's early in the morning, too!  (Okay, fine, it's only 6 am, but that feels pretty early to me, okay?)  Well, it's not 6 am now (maybe it is when you're reading this (though that's unlikely), but it's not when I'm writing this), but 6 am is when I clock in when I have the opening shift at the hospital coffee shop.

 We don't open until 7, so what do I do for that hour, you ask?  That's a great question, I'd be happy to answer it!  Before I go to the hospital, I have to go to the store to pick some things up.  I get the money so we'll have cash to start.  I also pick up fresh bakery (yay!  Nothing goes better with coffee than a doughnut or other fresh pastry, amiright?)

Sometimes the bakery is done soon and sometimes I'm like HURRY UP!  I NEED TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL AND FINISH GETTING READY!!!  But only in my head.

I also need to make sure to grab the basket of items that the closer collected the night before.  Napkins make a frequent appearance in there.  Soy milk, too.  And almond milk, now that we have that.  It's a relatively new option that we offer.  :)

Once my car is loaded up, I head over to the hospital to finish setting things up.  The very first thing I do is transfer the money to the register.  The very second thing I do is grind some beans and start brewing a container of coffee.  It needs to be ready before 7 am rolls around.  Most customers prooooooooobably don't want to order a coffee and have the barista cheerfully chirp: "Sure, just give me 15 or so minutes to brew a pot! (Yeah, it would be super duper fresh, but most of our that-early customers are doctors and nurses who need to start their shift.)   Making the coffee has the added benefit of making the whole place smell so good.  Who doesn't love the smell of coffee?

Where was I?  I think I got off track...  Oh, yeah!  While that first pot is brewing, I'll take a cart out to my car and bring in the bakery.  Two huge bins of it!  (Then I need to park my car.  Can't leave it in front forever!)

Everything else sort of depends...no real order to it.  I'll need to make two more pots of regular coffee and one of decaf.  I need to actually lay the bakery out on the trays.  Half and half has to be poured into a pitcher and set out, along with the napkins and various additions (sugar, etc.).  The lights need to be turned on for the drink and deli coolers.  There are a few other small-ish things...

That's it for the most part, though!  Pretty simple.  I actually like opening a lot better than closing (that'll be my next post).  Plus, bonus, it's still relatively early when my shift is over, so I still have most of the day!

 And as always, I will see you...in the next video.

I mean post.

Buh-bye!  :D

 .......

[oneshot2day]

Caramel macchiatos and other drinks

In addition to the different drinks I reference in my last post, we have what could be termed a "secret menu."  It's not really secret--most if not all of our regulars know about it.  There are just a lot of different recipes for mochas and lattes.

Seriously, a lot.

I'm not joking.

We must have at least a hundred.

How can they be made?  I'm glad you asked!  We make them hot, iced, or frozen.  I recommend iced--you can suck one of those down in a matter of minutes (or seconds if you really need to).  With a hot one, you have to sip it or risk losing taste buds (unless you're like my boss or other odd people who can drink hot liquids quickly).  With a frozen one, you also have to sip it so you won't suffer from brain freeze (again, unless you're somehow an exception from what the majority of people experience).

Have you ever wondered just what a caramel macchiato from Starbucks is?  It's really simple.  It's basically a vanilla latte, but the espresso is added last, and then caramel is drizzled on top (In simpler terms, it's actually a vanilla macchiato with caramel drizzle--so I don't know why they call it a caramel macchiato.  Oh, well.  *shrug*)

My favorite is--wait, I have two favorites.  Both iced, of course.  There is the snickers mocha, which has chocolate, hazelnut, and caramel.  And then there is the almond joy mocha, which has chocolate, coconut, and almond.

Feel free to ask for a recommendation, or list some of your favorite flavors, and we'd be happy to make a suggestion!

[oneshot2day]

6 + 1 common coffee drinks (and what they are)

There are a lot of different coffee drinks with different terms, and if you're not "in the know" it can be pretty confusing.  Worry not, weary and wary wanderers.  I, your friendly neighborhood barista, am here to decode the secrets of the lingo that is the menu.

1.) Espresso

Now, if you ask for an espresso, what you are going to get is just a shot of espresso, so it's not going to be a full cup of coffee.  Still good, especially if you need that instant burst, but just know that it is only going to be a couple sips.

2.) Americano

An americano is espresso and hot water.  That's it.

3.) Latte

A latte is espresso, steamed milk, and a little foamed milk.  (You could also add a flavor to this to make a vanilla latte or a hazelnut toffee latte or any number of delicious concoctions.)

4.) Mocha

Mochas have espresso, steamed milk, a little foamed milk, and chocolate (either dark or white).  (You can add additional flavors to make a raspberry caramel mocha or a peppermint white mocha or some such.)

5.) Cappuccino

A cappuccino has espresso and equal parts steamed milk and foamed milk.  You might be asked if you want it wet or dry (or just how much foam you want).  A dry cappuccino has more foam, and a wet cappuccino has less foam.  This drink can also have flavor added to it.

6.) Macchiato

A macchiato is close to a latte.  The only difference is that the espresso is added last, and then you DON'T STIR.  Again, flavor can be added to this.

 And now for the bonus!

+1.) Mocha latte

  =========

 No such thing.  Not where I work anyway.  Mochas have chocolate, lattes have no chocolate.  You can't simultaneously have both chocolate and no chocolate.  I have never understood that Schrödinger's cat thing.

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Well, hopefully this has been helpful to you, but keep in mind that every coffee place might do things a little bit differently.  If you are confused at all, don't hesitate to ask the barista.  Believe me, we're more than happy to help you get the drink you want.

[oneshot2day]

The Origins of coffee...

When I was still in training as a barista, the girl who was training me asked if I knew how coffee was discovered.  When I said no, she told me it was discovered by goats.  Goats.

(gif originally posted by rejected-on-a-cosmic-level)

I was pretty sure she was pulling my leg.  But she pulled out the big folder packed with recipes, cleaning directions, other instructions, and miscellaneous info.  And right in there was a piece of paper detailing how goats had led to the discovery of coffee.

In Ethiopia, around the 9th century, some goats ate red berries off a shrub (this shrub was a coffee shrub).  After eating the berries, they would jump and dance all around. 

(gif originally posted by poppy-makk)

Their goat-herder, Kaldi, noticed the connection between the berries and their insane energy levels.  When he tried eating the berries, he also became energetic.  (There was also some stuff with Kaldi giving it to monks, and they were the ones who really got it going.  But that's unimportant.)

So yay for cute goats!  A huge thank you from all us grateful coffee drinkers.

[oneshot2day]

Pulling shots

I was super excited when I managed to get a job as a coffee barista.  I didn't actually like drinking coffee (it still needs to be pretty much half flavored creamer), but I thought it would be really fun to make drinks!  And of course, I couldn't wait to make coffee art.

Unfortunately, we weren't a super fancy coffee shop, so no coffee art for me.  :'(

Still, it was cool to learn how to make the drinks (and all the lingo that goes with it).  The number one most important thing was learning how to correctly pull a shot:  aka, make shots of espresso.  If that isn't done correctly, the drink will wind up tasting terrible.  There's a time range for how long the shot should run, and there has to be the golden brown layer on top (called the crema).  That crema has to last a bit, too (about a minute or two).  If it dissipates in twenty seconds, something went wrong).

I can get nervous easily, so I had a mild freak out when my co-working was training me.  She was an excellent teacher, though, and I managed to figure it out.  Now I can pull shots like a pro!

Uh, most of the time!

[oneshot2day]

Hello, what can I get you?

HI THERE!!!!

Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to shout.  Welcome to my blog!

(I’m not going to tell you who I am, though.  That’s because I want you to think of me as anyone.  Maybe you know me, maybe you don’t.  Considering the billions of people living on this planet, you probably don’t.  And if you’re not from this planet, then you certainly don’t.  But that’s okay!  Maybe I’m like someone you do know.  Or maybe I’m like you.)

There will be a lot of coffee talk here, due to the fact that I am a barista.  Don’t leave yet!  There’s room here for coffee haters, too.  I used to be one of you.  (I still can’t drink it black—I don’t know how anyone does, but if you do, then let me know why!)  In fact, when I started my job as a barista, I was a coffee hater.  (Weird?  What do you mean that’s weird?  No, it’s totally normal to sell something you don’t like!  What are you talking about?  *shifty eyes*)  This is not some kind of conversion blog, though, don’t worry.  You can enter hating coffee, and leave still hating it.  (But if you wind up giving it a try…  ;)  ..then yay!)

Prepare yourself to discover the secrets and inner workings of a small coffee shop.  You'll laugh, you hopefully won't cry, and you'll learn the super-secret barista handshake (that's a lie, we don't have one).