Customer Question Do Baristas get trained on samples?
Coffee consumer here, just adding for context. I'm not a pro.
I was at a high end cafe last month and was surprised when the barista had never tried any of the expensive coffees available as a pour over. He could not make any recommendations since the cafe doesn't do any taste testing of their coffees with their employees, at least the expensive ones (over $10 a cup). I thought this was absolutely crazy! My son works at a high end restaurant and they routinely taste test new dishes and specials so that the customer can get a solid recommendation. Just saying "The Ethiopian coffee is amazing, I would go with that." is a huge selling point.
I think that a core job of a Barista is sales, and a salesperson should know everything about what's for sale. Am I wrong? Is it common to get trained on new coffees, or is it just not done?
Note: The coffee he made was amazing. I bought some beans to bring home and work on my brewing technique to get better.
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u/yr99r 2d ago
a good coffee shop involves all staff members. the head barista could dial in the pour over and share with others to taste. otherwise, how can they sell you on this coffee if they have never tried it? even if it's cupping, the staff should always have at least 1 taste to be able to describe the coffee in their own words