It has been very exciting watching the coffee scene in SLC grow and flourish. I have met more people becoming interested in the endless possibilities of something that can seem so simple. More people are interested in the different profiles of brewed coffee and espresso. I know there is much more potential, though. Sometimes it is frustrating to see that there are many shops in town that have just become comfortable with where their efforts to continue the growth and experimentation of coffee. It doesn't make sense to cut corners when the whole point of craft coffee is to offer the best coffees and brew them with the utmost care. One thing I see lacking very much in SLC is the push for education. I have become extremely dedicated to my work, and it is hard to work in an environment that does not support that to the fullest. I think their needs to be much more effort on the side of the company in regards to educating customers as to why we operate the way we do. Coffee seems to be such a simple commodity to most people in the city, especially those who are new to craft coffee. It can be difficult to try and explain to customers why we don't offer 16 ounce lattes, or why we don't steam our milk past 135 degrees. It is even harder when you don't agree with changing the integrity of a drink, but a manager tells you else wise. Of course, business is business and companies need to make money. This makes it tough when a barista wants to educate someone as to why certain drinks are made or served the way that we decide. We need to start to cultivating a demographic that is willing to accept that craft coffee shops are working very hard to maintain high quality standards, and accept the way we would like to set up our menu, even if it is something new to them. Craft coffee does not need to cater to everyone. We need to focus on quality and growth of the coffee scene and keep pushing forward.
That being said, I realize that this may sound like I aim to be a snobby asshole. That is not the case. I think everyone should have a great experience, wether they are new to the craft coffee scene or not. I strongly believe that we should welcome everyone with a professional attitude and with gratitude towards the fact that they have decided to visit our establishment. What I am trying to get at is this: with more education towards the public , we can avoid situations where customers or staff feel a negative energy towards each other. Baristas should not be bothered by customers who may not be up to date as to why we don't make certain drinks a specific way. I feel like we should be creating a platform that encourages customers to try smaller milk drinks so that they can taste the espresso we so hardly work to dial in, or to drink a single origin coffee without anything like sugar or cream added. This is to show them how pure coffee can taste, and how much work goes into that cup. If they so choose that they do not enjoy this drink, then that is quite alright. They may not come back, but that is not a problem, at least we have shown them our way of producing an amazing drink without compromising any quality. Please feel free to comment, I would love to have input from anyone. Cheers.
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