Training baristas effectively is a hugely important task. When done well, it sets them up for long term success in the cafe and in their career. When done poorly, it leaves them without essential tools for understanding the nature of coffee and the work of a barista which leads to frustration and stagnation. If you want learn to excel as …
117 : Coffee and Cocktails w/ Amanda Whitt
Coffee and cocktails. Baristas and Bartenders. These are basically two sides of the same bar. Today we are going to get to know the craft cocktail and bartending side a little better with the help of coffee and spirits professional, Amanda Whitt! We will be talking about Amanda’s journey to becoming a pro in both disciplines, the way bartenders think …
114 : The New Rules of Coffee w/ Sprudge Founders Zachary Carlson & Jordan Michaelman
Sprudge is here!!! Founders, Jordan Michaelman and Zachary Carlsen join me on the show talk about their new book, “The New Rules of Coffee”. In this conversation we unpack their creative process deciding what to include in the book, their goal for the content and tone taken in writing these “rules”, and what this book means for both consumers and …
111 : Self Care 101: Taking care of yourself while taking care of others
Instead of being a normal part of our professional development, self-care is often a last resort after we have pushed ourself past where it was healthy in a bid to further our career and serve well. Today we chat about some practical ways that you can integrate self-care into your daily life and avoid the burn out that is inevitable when it is not made a priority. We also talk about what managers and leaders can do to help facilitate and inspire self-care in their staff.
110 : A Conversation w/ Matt Perger of Barista Hustle
Coffee education can often be a mixed bag. While resources presenting information on coffee and barista work abound, it is hard to come by reliable and well researched best practices that will genuinely help you make better coffee. Enter Matt Perger and Barista Hustle. Arguably one of the best coffee education platforms in the world, Barista Hustle focuses on providing trustworthy foundations in coffee education that you can build your knowledge base on and advance knowing it is built on sure footing. Matt’s own propensity for wanting to solve tricky problems in the coffee industry along with relying on a strong community of like minded coffee professionals has fueled the success of Barista Hustle and impacted the global coffee scene in a massive way. Today we sit down with him to discuss what drives him in his pursuit of helping the world make better coffee, the founding principles of Barista Hustle, the importance of being expert in the basics, in-house training, proper use of outside resources, how the educational modules are built, the new Barista Hustle Unlimited education Subscription service, and Matt’s advice for what we should focus on in the retail coffee world to do better in training and education.
099 : The Barista League w/ Competition Founder Steve Moloney
Competitions don’t have to be expensive, complex, or stressful! The Barista League is proof. Today we are talking with Barista League founder, Steven Moloney about this community focused, engaging, and refreshing competition. We discuss the benefits of this type of format, what people who attend are saying, his perspective on specialty retail, and advice for how we can support and liven up our shops and cities on our own. This is a great chat that will leave you encouraged to connect with and learn from your your fellow baristas and maybe even join the Barista League.
098 : Loving the Closing Shift : Problems, solutions, and philosophy on work
As shifts go, the closing shift is normally not a covent one. We can suffer from boredom, lack of motivation, disillusionment, isolation, and end up feeling bitter toward our day-time counterparts who get to work more in the thick of the coffeehouse culture plus make better tips!
096 : Instant Specialty Coffee w/ Voila founder, Kent Sheridan
Did you say “Instant specialty coffee”?! Yup, that’s right. Not only does it taste 300 times better than traditional instant but it may well change the way you think about accessibility, consumer engagement, and how we provide value to the end user. In this episode we are joined by the founder of Voila
095 : Dealing with Stress in the Cafe w/ Wellness Counselor, Joe Sanok
In coffee shops we know a thing or two about being stressed! It can range from nagging to debilitating just with a single shift. If you want to experience more calm and peace of mind in the cafe, even in the midst of the business then this episode will definitely help. Today we are talking with celebrated mental wellness counselor and host of the Practice of the Practice podcast, Joe Sanok. Joe share a lot of great insights into the story behind stress, Brain optimization, how staff and owners can manage and reduce stress while at work, the relationship between systems and stress, and helps us walk away with some tools that will bring the well being that we need to sustain a long and healthy career begins the bar.
093 : US Brewers Cup Champion, Becca Woodard!
Today we get to talk with the 2018 U.S. Brewers Cup Champion, Becca Woodard! It was such a pleasure to chat about the details that went into her fantastic performance, the fascinating story of her competition coffee, her personal drive and the message she delivered regarding changing systems, her mission as a specialty coffee ambasador, and some challenges to the coffee community around how we can become a more diverse and inclusive community.Becca is a humble and inspiring champion and you will be all the better for listening to her in this conversation.
