Sufu Barista social club

[benbenben]

Definitely seeing more Slayers pop up more often now.

Tyro, which ones you been hitting up? Seven seeds (and all their branches), St. Ali (and all their branches), Little Mule, Auction Rooms, Proud Mary, Dead Man, DiBella? Those are the ones off the top of my head.

[Tyro1]

favourite spots are Seven Seeds (BBB & Clieu), St Ali (outpost, etc), Dead Man, Market Lane, Proud Mary, Cup of Truth... yet to go to Auction Rooms, as I'm never in North Melbourne, but heard it's excellent

To be honest I'm not that impressed with places like 3 bags full, APTE and their other cafes, a bit too family friendly if you know what I mean.

this is out of date now, and missing cafes, but some background on places:

[e0d9n0b5]

i've been working at a cafe that has a nice espresso machine and good quality beans for about 3 months now. starting to get the hang of latte art etc. i just need to get my grinding game tight. a barista with 6 years of experience was the one who trained me, so i picked a lot of it up quickly, still have a long way to go, though. work at the cafe that used to be owned by derek lucas, western canadian #1 barista champ. unfortunately i never got to meet him, since he sold the business before i started there

[benbenben]

@tyro - that's fantastic! TBH, I haven't been to APTE, liar liar or 3bf.

Cup of truth sounds promising. Do yourself a favour and check out Auction Rooms, their house beans a little more acidic than usual (imo at least) and their food is fantastic. Probably my favourite food out of the 'specialist' coffee places so far.

Photo plug for auction rooms cause I enjoy going there so much.

amazing gazpachio

[jetpackbrontosaurus]

how does one get a job as a barista without prior experience? ive always wanted to work at a non starbucks/coffee bean place but those two are the only ones who seem to hire people without experience.

[FADEtoDARKNESS]

how does one get a job as a barista without prior experience? ive always wanted to work at a non starbucks/coffee bean place but those two are the only ones who seem to hire people without experience.

Charisma, prowess, confidence, knowledge and passion for coffee.

At least I'm assuming, these are traits most baristas seem to posses.

[american_hearts]

know someone.

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

Charisma, prowess, confidence, knowledge and passion for coffee.

At least I'm assuming, these are traits most baristas seem to posses.

A liberal arts degree.

(i keed, i keed.)

[GregoryH]

how does one get a job as a barista without prior experience? ive always wanted to work at a non starbucks/coffee bean place but those two are the only ones who seem to hire people without experience.

Frequent the shop you want to work at as a consumer...and ask coffee related questions, chat up your barista and talk coffee. Even if you know nothing about coffee whatsoever, just ask what he/she would recommend that day, ask about different beans and where they come from/flavor profiles etc.

When I hire new staff I look for people with a keen interest in the industry, rather than kids who just need a job. The hires I've made based on the amount of general interest have worked out MUCH better than the kids who simply walk in with a generic resume and say "uhh yeah I just need something part time"

Also it helps if you have few to no restrictions with regards to your availability. Learning how to work a bar at any coffee shop takes time ,and these skills need to be honed and practiced daily in order to maintain a certain level of consistency. If you can only work one or two days a week a good cafe manager probably won't waste his or her time putting 80hrs into training you because everything you learn will get lost without frequent practice.

Hope that helped, that's what I look for anyways...I've hired people with a shitload of experience, I've also hired people with none. The kids with no experience have actually worked out better in the end because they don't have any habits from their previous barista jobs that need correcting.

[GregoryH]

bored at work, not much going on at 5:00AM

[Tiro]

looking for a descent espresso machine, that is relatively small and isn't gonna cost an arm and a leg...

I figured you guys would be able to make a few suggestions, already looked at this thing (de'longhi ec710) but dunno if it's any good really...

definitely would like a semi-automatic italian brand machine but I guess that's something for when I have a bigger kitchen and some more experience making my own coffee...

[american_hearts]

It depends on how much you're willing to spend, but regardless of your price range, do some research on grinders first. Put money into your grinder. Trust me -- it makes all the difference. You'll think 300 for a burr grinder is too much. It's not too much. Start there: you can get a good cup out of a cheap machine and a nice grinder but not vice versa.

If you have more money to spend, I've had good experiences with the Rancilio Silvia, and I think it's about the best you can get without cracking a grand.

[mpcec]

Just got a new Barista job and I'm really psyched. Been practicing my v60 game for doing the pourover bar and I'm also being sent to Stumptown Red Hook next week for training, can't wait.

[Pavlov's Bell]

It depends on how much you're willing to spend, but regardless of your price range, do some research on grinders first. Put money into your grinder. Trust me -- it makes all the difference. You'll think 300 for a burr grinder is too much. It's not too much. Start there: you can get a good cup out of a cheap machine and a nice grinder but not vice versa.

If you have more money to spend, I've had good experiences with the Rancilio Silvia, and I think it's about the best you can get without cracking a grand.

What's a good Burr to start with?

[american_hearts]

Not to keep pushing Rancilio product, but the Rocky is good as far as a dependable product that'll be serviceable for many years to come, and generally accepted as very good compared to anything else you'd be looking at in the 300 range (which is higher entry-level or lower mid range in terms of grinder price...anything much less than that and you're getting into blowing-your-money territory). For the home, you don't need to get a version with a doser.

On the higher end, the Mazzer Mini is a shop-grade product that's not priced completely out of range for home use. If you have the money, spend it here.

[Tiro]

It depends on how much you're willing to spend, but regardless of your price range, do some research on grinders first. Put money into your grinder. Trust me -- it makes all the difference. You'll think 300 for a burr grinder is too much. It's not too much. Start there: you can get a good cup out of a cheap machine and a nice grinder but not vice versa.

If you have more money to spend, I've had good experiences with the Rancilio Silvia, and I think it's about the best you can get without cracking a grand.

that Rancilio Silvia looks quite interesting and not much above the price I was thinking about, seen it online for €439...

I didn't even think about a grinder to be honest, is this an absolute must have? the shop where I usually get my coffee grinds the beans for u, so I just assumed I didn't need a grinder (yet)

[american_hearts]

while this may sound anal-retentive if you haven't given it much though before, bear with me:

Coffee starts going stale very quickly from the point it's ground onward -- with so much exposed surface area, it begins to oxidize at a furious rate. While it's great that your local shop can grind for you on premises (a lb or 1/2 lb at a time, I imagine), this is best for brewed coffee -- even then, if given half the chance, your barista would be the first to recommend you use it within 2-3 days.

For espresso, freshness becomes even more of an issue because the idea is to concentrate all those flavors. No barista in the world would pre-grind a batch of espresso to use throughout the course of even one work shift, let alone several days. If you want anywhere near the same quality at home, take it for granted that you need to grind for each shot as you go.

Imagine ordering a Manhattan at a cocktail bar and watching the bartender ladle out your serving from a punch bowl where it's been sitting all night with a block of melting ice. That's roughly the equivalent.

[GregoryH]

keeping this thread alive...or trying to,

some shots of me doing my thing at a blenz barista jam + some shit from work...enjoy

I don't work for Blenz...they hosted the jam.

[GregoryH]

keeping this thread alive...or trying to,

some shots of me doing my thing at a blenz barista jam + some shit from work...enjoy

I don't work for Blenz...they hosted the jam.

[GregoryH]

that Rancilio Silvia looks quite interesting and not much above the price I was thinking about, seen it online for €439...

I didn't even think about a grinder to be honest, is this an absolute must have? the shop where I usually get my coffee grinds the beans for u, so I just assumed I didn't need a grinder (yet)

American Hearts hit it on the head, a good consistent grinder is one of the best purchases you can make if you want to make good coffee at home, don't pre-grind...period

I don't make espresso at home that often but I run a mazzer mini which I use for that. I use a Hario Skerton mill for everything else (currently running a chemex, a hario siphon, aeropress and clever haha)...amazing value for the price, you get a ceramic burr set and with a few mods it can almost compete with many of the expensive home grinders on the market. It is a manual grinder but it's well worth the little effort

[GregoryH]

that Rancilio Silvia looks quite interesting and not much above the price I was thinking about, seen it online for €439...

I didn't even think about a grinder to be honest, is this an absolute must have? the shop where I usually get my coffee grinds the beans for u, so I just assumed I didn't need a grinder (yet)

American Hearts hit it on the head, a good consistent grinder is one of the best purchases you can make if you want to make good coffee at home, don't pre-grind...period

I don't make espresso at home that often but I run a mazzer mini which I use for that. I use a Hario Skerton mill for everything else (currently running a chemex, a hario siphon, aeropress and clever haha)...amazing value for the price, you get a ceramic burr set and with a few mods it can almost compete with many of the expensive home grinders on the market. It is a manual grinder but it's well worth the little effort

[mpcec]

Awesome pictures greg, trying to get more education and step my game up slowly. Got a great new job but still have so much room for improvement.

In home brewing news I'm thinking of kopping a kalita this friday, got high hopes for it!

[kiya]

For those in the LA area that are into coffee/espresso we've partnered with Intelligentsia for our FHxRJB party, come drink some free Intelli:

[GregoryH]

kiya wish I could make it! sounds like a match made in heaven!

got slow at work today, snapped some shots of some shit I poured + the machine I get to manhandle all day...

[GregoryH]

more shots of the what's been up as of late...

Western Canadian Regional Barista comp. (Victoria BC, placed 4th overall, off to Nationals in October!) and some shots taken at a barista showcase we held at our cafe prior to the competition...enjoy

[mpcec]

Beautiful looking cafe Greg. Any video from the competition?

Also any of you bros going to the MANE Coffee Conference?

[Tiro]

so you guys convinced me to get a decent grinder and I guess that means I'll be spending less on a machine...

I'll be going with the rancilio rocky for a grinder and as far as machines go, these two caught my eye, what to pick though:

- Gaggia Espresso Pure

- Gaggia Classic

Would be a no brainer if the Classic had a stainless steel boiler like the Espresso Pure

Or is an aluminium boiler not that big of an issue?

[thedaniway]

Austin has a pretty large and delicious coffee scene. I work at a small shop downtown, but we use Cuvee roasters... and in general have really delicious espresso. we also serve gelato. recently, the combination of both (gelato y espresso) has been my caffeine consumption of choice. anybody here have an affogato before? will post pour pics soon. also, we have a pour over bar for our drip coffee. it reminds me of french pressing, but it a little fresher and tastier.

[Tiro]

just ordered myself the Gaggia Classic, now i'm wondering are there any good online shops for tampers and other accesories?

btw, what's the general idea on tampers here, convex or flat?

Edited November 15, 2011 by Tiro