How to become a Barista in Perth!

What is a Barista?

First things first, what is a barista? A barista is a coffee maker. He/she is the person who operates the coffee machine and equipment as well as makes all the coffee and related drinks found on a coffee menu.

A barista job falls under the hospitality industry. The Hospitality sector encompasses businesses that provide accommodation, food and beverages such as cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services; pubs, bars; hotels, and other accommodation and hospitality clubs.

How do I become a Barista?

There is no specific path or "qualification" to become a barista. Every barista has had their own unique journey into the industry. If you are new to the industry and wanting to seek employment, it is often preferred or required to obtain professional barista training through the completion of a barista training course in Perth.

What is barista training?

Barista training is a formal training session outlining and demonstrating the skills required to become a competent barista. In Perth there are many Boutique Barista Schools that hold barista training classes daily and are generally run by a passionate trainers or owners. Ideally the barista trainer should have years of experience and keep up to date with the evolving Perth café scene, to ensure you are getting taught the most up to date fundamentals of coffee making.

What does barista training courses involve?

There is no set "barista curriculum" that all barista schools teach. Most of the barista training schools in Perth have developed their own bespoke barista training classes to suit the needs of their customers and students. Some barista schools offer short courses [3.5- 4 hours] or full day workshops, they also offer specialty courses such as: latte art training or private bespoke sessions.

Start with a beginner’s barista course or a full day workshop. The beginner’s course will teach you the fundamentals of coffee making and give you a sufficient insight into what is involved in becoming a barista. It will enable you to decide if it’s the career path for you or simply the ideal part time job whilst studying / travelling.

The coffee fundamentals that are generally covered in most beginner’s barista training course are:

• The history of coffee: understanding where and when coffee was discovered to respect the beverage that we have all grown to love.
• Processing methods and the roasting process: develop an understanding of the complex journey of the green bean to the end-roasted product.
• Storage of coffee beans: discover the correct storage methods of roasted coffee beans to ensure utmost freshness and quality.
• Espresso extraction: understand dosing and correct tampering techniques to produce the prefect espresso shot.
• Milk texturing: develop the skills required to create prefect silky milk and understand foam ratios when making different / multiple drinks on a café menu.
• Coffee Menu: develop an understanding of the common drinks found on a Perth Café Menu. *Please note, every café or barista school will have variations of certain popular drinks.
• Machine maintenance: understand the importance of keeping machine and equipment cleaned and maintained to produce quality products.

Conclusion:

Coffee is an incredible product which we share and trade with the world. It is important to begin your path into the industry with respect for the journey it goes through before it reaches the barista. It is a long and complex journey. Therefore, starting your barista journey with some professional barista training at a barista school in Perth will ensure you have a rich understanding and passion for coffee to enable you to shine as a barista!

Jessie’s Cafe & Roasting Co is home to Barista School Perth: Perth’s most innovative and entertaining Barista School.