For a while now, I have watched the way baristas work behind the bar. I have always been someone who is very clean and tidy, and when I started making drinks behind the bar, that stayed true. One situation in particular has boggled my mind: some baristas do not seem to think that cleaning the entire portafilter after emptying it out is necessary. The first time I worked alongside someone who I'd notice wouldn't properly rinse it out, they claimed that they were "seasoning" the portafilter to block out what they called 'metallic' flavors. I wasn't buying it; I still don't. I have begun to watch more baristas and many times, a barista will knock the puck out and they proceed to directly wipe it with a rag. Without rinsing out any of the grounds that are left over inside of the basket and even underneath it.. To me, this is confusing. Anytime I empty my puck, I then rinse the basket inside and out and then insert it into the group to also rinse hot water through it. I even will give the group a slight flush to remove any of the grounds that may have remained along the rubber gaskets. Give this a try, and you will notice that quite a bit of residue remains there, just waiting to become rancid coffee oils. I know, I know... cafes are busy and it is hard to set that much time aside to clean the portafilter. But, do we really want to risk having any of the old grounds pushed into our fresh puck? Yes, you may lose 3-5 seconds, but there must be a way to train barista to make it a habit and then eventually..."ll be a quick and easy process, ensuring that the only thing that is being pressurised through the basket is freshly ground coffee without any residue from the previous shot... In my opinion, that is very much worth a couple of seconds. If you are a barista, I would love to hear your opinion on the matter!
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I was lucky enough to be featured on an episode for KUED where they highlight individuals in their field of work. I am very proud to be able to represent the growing coffee industry in Salt Lake City. Thank you to everyone who has given me the chance to work for them. Cheers! |