Well, to kind of give you guys an update (for those interested) I ended up taking the Starbucks job. I’ve had a few weeks training at the closest store (30 miles away) and have to say I rather enjoy it. Our store (the second non-urban store) will open the first weekend of Oct.
We had our coffee tasting class the other night, and learned a lot about how Starbucks buys/roasts its coffee. I never knew that there are two types of beans, and that your commercial brand coffees that are ground when you buy them are already stale.
I don’t think I’ll even try regular coffee again, especially since I can usually get it for free. The downside to this whole ordeal is that on my days off, I lust for coffee…
I think he may be referring to Arabica and Robusto.
I worked at Dunkin’ Donuts for about three years, and also developed a new appreciation for coffee (had to take a class similar to yours, Brood.). It’s actually kind of interesting.
If you want to learn more, I recommend a book called Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Changed Our World by Mark Pendergrast. You will learn more about coffee and it’s marketing history than you ever thought anyone could ever know. It’s a neat book. And yes, I do own a copy.
Hey Brood - welcome to the wonderful world of Barista-ing!
I’ve been working at a Starbucks-esq kind of place (“authentic seattle espresso bar,” but not a huge chain like starbucks) for several months now and free coffee and espresso drinks is just one of the many perks.
Have you learned about espresso beans? Apparently, they are like the poodle of the coffee bean world. If you put them in too cold a portafilter, you’ll shock them. If you set them out too long, they go stale. If you dont grind them just right, it wont taste good. If you pack it in the portafilter wrong, it wont taste good. If you talk in an unpleasant tone while near them, they wont taste good. And so on, and so on, and so on…
What is Starbuck’s policy on free drinks for employees?
