Blog

date

January 8, 2025

Blog

reading time

7 min

What is a Barista? Essential Skills to Excel in 2025

So you’ve all heard about the barista life and how they make cute little drinks while earning more than some office workers from all the tips, but if you dig deeper, there is so much more to being a barista than you could ever imagine.

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Baristas work in a variety of places including the most common coffee shops, brunch spots, and bakeries, as well as other overlooked spots such as hotels and resorts, coworking spaces, airports, universities, libraries, corporate offices, hospitals, etc.

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Illustration of a cozy café interior with a barista at the counter, two customers chatting, and a person relaxing on the window seat.

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With all this variation, baristas need to adapt their skills to meet the unique needs of their workplace.

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Whether it’s high-volume service at an airport or creating a cozy atmosphere at an independent café, having transferable and flexible skillsets will be crucial to being a top barista.

Illustration of a coffee shop entrance with striped awning, a wooden door, an open sign, and a potted plant.

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So What Does a Barista Do?

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Illustration of a smiling barista preparing coffee at a counter with coffee equipment and cups in the background.

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Main Responsibilities and Tasks

Coffee and Beverage Preparation
- Crafting espresso-based drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos.
- Making cold brews, frappes, and specialty drinks.
- Brewing tea and other non-coffee options.
Operating Coffee Machines
- Mastering espresso machines, grinders, and milk frothers.
- Adjusting grind size and extraction time for the perfect shot.
Customer Service
- Taking orders at the counter or drive-thru.
- Remembering regular customers’ orders.
- Handling complaints or special requests (e.g., non-dairy options, decaf).
Latte Art
- Pouring steamed milk with precision to create various patterns.
Maintaining Cleanliness
- Washing dishes and cleaning espresso machines.
- Wiping down counters and organizing supplies.
- Following food safety procedures.
Managing Inventory
- Restocking cups, lids, and coffee beans.
- Tracking inventory for syrups, milk, and other ingredients.
Upselling and Suggesting Pairings
- Recommending pastries or snacks to complement drinks.
- Promoting seasonal or limited-edition menu items.
Memorizing Complex Orders
- Calmly handling long, customized orders.
- Being ready to remake wrong orders and admit faults.
Multitasking
- Balancing drink preparation, cashier duties, and cleaning simultaneously.
Training New Staff
- Senior Baristas guide new baristas on equipment use, drink preparation, and customer service
Being the Café's "Therapist"
- Engaging in small talk and listening to customers’ day-to-day stories.
- Building longterm relationships with customers
- Carefully resolving customer complaints and issues

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What Skills Does a Barista Require?

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Technical Skills

Technical Skills are at the heart of being a Barista. Only after you have understood and mastered these skills, can you become a true barista.

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Although having all these skills is important to getting that barista position, many spots have barista training classes provided to incoming baristas to teach them the necessary skills or to help them improve their abilities.

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The most basic technical skill is operating the espresso machine. Being able to perfectly prepare an espresso shot takes time and practice and lots of testing to find the perfect balance between the amount of beans, the grind size, the exact strength to tamp the espresso powder, and the espresso extraction time. All these aspects fine tuned can create an incredible espresso shot.

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Steaming milk can be another hurdle that takes time and experience. Each espresso based drink has its own specific milk steaming technique and understanding the fineness of the foam, the amount of milk needed, and the characteristics of various types of milk can elevate your espresso shot to the next level.

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Many cafes and restaurants do not solely sell espresso based drinks. They offer drip coffee, cold brew, pourovers, and craft specialty drinks to give variety to their customers and baristas will need to learn during training periods the preparation methods and techniques.

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Although baristas are not required to know how to make latte art, having this skill will give you a big advantage. Creating designs like hearts or rosettas can bring a smile on customer faces and having a unique latte art style can improve your cafe’s branding and recognition.

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Equipment maintenance is another large part of being a barista. Cleaning and maintaining espresso machines, grinders, and brewing tools will be helpful in the long term and can lengthen the lifetime of your tools.

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Finally, knowing how to best utilize the POS system to optimize sales, performance, and management, is indispensable to being a top barista. The right POS system can organize, analyze, and help automate many parts of your job such as inventory management, payment processing, and employee management, creating a more efficient and systematic environment.

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Soft Skills

Soft skills as a barista are equally as important since your customers determine your success as a business and are the ones giving you your tips.

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By engaging with customers warmly, you are able to create lasting relationships that can continue outside the workplace, as well as retain loyal and regular customers that maintain the business during slower times.

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Multitasking is essential for baristas. Taking orders while managing multiple drink and/or food orders can be challenging, but staying organized is key to being an exceptional barista.

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Having attention to detail is crucial to ensure customers’ drink consistency and meeting customer preferences. When you have a set of regular customers, it’s important to give them a consistently good coffee experience so that they continue to return day after day and share with their friends and family.

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Clear communication is vital for a team environment especially when coordinating with team members and clearly conveying order details. Having clear communication can avoid misunderstandings, as well as show good management and leadership skills, giving you an opportunity to rise up the ranks.

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Quick and efficient problem solving skills are always good to have in a workplace dependent on many pieces of equipment. By being able to address equipment malfunctions or quickly adjust your game plan will ensure a smooth experience for yourself and your customers. These problem solving skills can also resolve customer issues effectively, making both parties content in a stressed situation.

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Knowledge

Having an abundance of coffee knowledge is absolutely advantageous to your barista career. By understanding coffee beans, roast levels, grind levels, and flavor profiles, you will be able to find and adjust the nuances to each espresso shot, finding the ideal balance to create the best drink for every customer.

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Food safety and hygiene regulations must be understood and followed to maintain health codes and cleanliness standards in any workplace.

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Finally, being well versed in the menu by knowing drink recipes and seasonal offerings will increase efficiency and trustworthiness of you and the brand image.

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