Below is the most up-to-date information on what it is to be a GREAT Brew Cafes Barista:
BARISTA GUIDEBOOK
General Expectations
Behind the Counter Etiquette:
• Clock/sign in and out for all shifts.
• Stop what you are doing to serve the customer, approach customer with helpful and friendly demeanor.
• Keep everything tidy and clean – glass: streak free, bakery case: crumb free etc.
• Always serve beverages with a lid.
• Personal items are stored out of sight from the customer:
a. AMU: All backpacks, etc. placed in cabinet by front entrance.
b. Raynor: All backpacks, etc. kept in back of work space on the designated hooks.
c. Cudahy: All backpacks, etc. kept in back storeroom.
d. Straz: All backpacks, etc. kept on designated hooks by stock.
e. All Locations: No laptops allowed. No reading/study materials unless ALL other obligations are complete. This includes fully stocking your location, complete cleaning projects, etc.
• Personal beverages must have a lid, are out of sight from the customer, have your name on them, and in designated areas.
• No personal phone calls may be made during your shift. Cell phones must be out of sight by both fellow workers and customers. They must not be kept in your pocket, but can be checked periodically as long as they do NOT become a distraction. Keep it out of sight.
• Eating behind the counter, loud talking, swearing, and excessive horseplay are prohibited.
• Computers and sitting behind the counter are strictly prohibited
• Answer all Brew calls with “Hello, Brew __location______, this is __name_____”.
Duties and To Dos:
We want the Brew to be a fun place for everyone, both employees and customers. In order for this to happen, everyone needs to do his or her part. While working, you are expected to serve customers in a timely manner. Brewing coffee, cleaning, and stocking must also be completed promptly without it being first brought to the Brew Management’s attention. With the amount of business we have each day, it is essential that these duties are completed during your shift. Each location will be provided with a location-specific Opening and Closing Procedures check list to be completed each morning and night.
Opening and Closing Procedures:
Each Location is Unique
Though locations specific directions vary, note these common procedures for each location. During your mandatory training session, you will be made aware of location specific directions.
Opening
• If you are a cashier – receive your bank and count in. Place bank in register upon arriving at location.
• Weigh and grind coffee, begin brewing.
• Open Air Curtain(s). Make sure bottles are faced forward and neatly aligned
• Retrieve Bakery. Stock bakery according to plan-o-gram.
• Retrieve Simply to Go food. Stock immediately according to plan-o-gram.
• Fill out food and bakery tracking forms.
• Fill half & half, soy, and skim containers. Place on condiment table. Straighten and stock condiment table if not ready from previous night.
• Warm up the espresso bar – pull approx 10 shots. Adjust grind if needed.
• Turn all case lights on.
• Fill red sanitizer bucket with sanitizer (1/2 full). Replace every 2 hours.
• Return bakery cart and Simply to Go crate to designated areas.
• Clear and wipe down public seating areas.
• Turn on all lights and music.
• Always open on time.
Mid-Day
• These will depend on business and staffing. Designated duties will be posted in all locations, however, to give guidance.
Closing
• Restock throughout day. At end of day, restock what is necessary using FIFO.
• Mark out bakery and food. Bring remaining bakery and Simply to Go food to open locations or throw out all bakery and any expired food if no other locations are open.
• Sanitize/Clean all counter tops, glass, seating areas, condiment bar, etc.
• Clean the racks and bottom of the bakery case. No crumbs, frosting, etc.
• Run all airpots through the brew cycle using urnex. Rinse lids and wipe down.
• Backflush the espresso bar – soak parts in urnex
• Wash dishes: bakery trays, serving utensils, steam pitchers, cream containers, etc.
• Turn off dishwasher.
• Turn off lights in bakery case, coolers, and air curtains.
• Replace all protective/ thermal doors on coolers. Lock cooler cases if applicable.
• Soak Pepsi machine nozzles in ½ water ½ seltzer solution if applicable.
• Sweep and mop.
• Load up trash and dump in appropriate place.
• Close out register and credit card machine (AMU must be done by 11:30p).
• Turn off all lights.
• Lock the door.
At the end of your shift everything with in reason should look full and clean. Take personal responsibility for your shift by closing to the best of your ability and paying close attention to detail.
Coffee Guide
Our Coffee:
Our coffee is roasted by Stone Creek Coffee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Stone Creek Coffee was founded by a local Milwaukee resident, and has 8 shops in the Milwaukee area.
Stone Creek Coffee promotes Socially Responsible Coffee (SRC), as well as organic (O), and fair trade (FT).
Roasting profiles are determined by the character of the bean. The character of a bean is defined by the region where it is grown. Most coffees are grown in Central South America and Central Africa and Indonesia. Blend profiles are created by the way in which the coffees work together.
“Mild” Coffee – Mild Coffee listed here while technically roasted to a “medium roast” still retain the profile of a mild coffee. Most single origin coffees lack the depth of the blends and therefore act more as a mild.
Mild refers to the way the coffee tastes, rather than the way in which it was roasted.
“Medium” Coffee – Medium Coffee should have a well rounded and robust flavor. In a “medium” coffee you may find a blend of dark roasted and medium roasted single origin coffee to create a balanced and satisfying taste.
Seasonal coffees vary, but generally fall under a medium to dark profile.
Dark Coffee – Dark Coffee should have a deep and powerful flavor with a lingering aftertaste associated with the body of the coffee.
Our Espresso
Our espresso is Green Bike Espresso. It is made with Stone Creek Coffee’s Socially Responsible Brazilian coffee and coffee from Guatemala. This espresso’s profile is bold, full bodied; sharp and dark with a buttery and smooth finish.
Espresso is a concentrated form of coffee. It is the freshest and purest way to enjoy strong coffee.
Our Espresso is brewed between 17 and 28 seconds.
Only keep an espresso shot for 20 seconds after it is brewed.
The Espresso Grinder:
The job of an espresso grinder is to store, grind and dose espresso. There are 2 types of grinders you will work with at the Brew – Automatic and Manual. The Grinders are technically different, but the fundamentals are the same.
TERMS: Starting at the top of the machine:
HOPPER – hold the espresso beans.
Keep it clean and free of excess oil deposits.
Also keep it full to maintain shot times
HOPPER STOPPER – Metal stopper at the bottom of the hopper.
When moved laterally, with stop the flow of beans.
This is helpful when cleaning, or to loosen stuck beans.
Use this stopper rather that hitting the sides of the machine to jostle beans free.
AUTOMATIC - GRIND KNOB –
on the left of each side of the AUTOMATIC grinder.
This knob changes the width of the grinder gears inside the machine.
Rule of Thumb: One Half Turn = 3 Seconds.
The knob is clearly labeled to clarify which way to turn the knob to cure your circumstance.
MANUAL – GRIND DISC –
directly below the hopper is a disk that you can turn left or right to achieve a finer or more course grind
Faster Pour = one tic mark in the direction marked “course”
Slower Pour = one tic mark in the direction marked “fine”
GRINDER HEAD / BURR – is located inside the machine where the portafilter fits. It is important to keep this area clean and free of build up.
ESPRESSO GRINDER Related Terms:
DOSING (MANUAL) – this is the method by which the barista measures the freshly ground espresso into the portafilter just before brewing. A heaping dose is dispensed, then the barista evens off the ground before using the tamper, see TAMPING.
TAMPING (MANUAL) – this is the method by which a barista packs the espresso grounds into the portafilter before inserting into the machine.
The Concept of Tamping: in general might help you understand how your grinder is working for you. To understand the concept of tamping think about how to stop a river – would you use boulders or sand bags? The answer is that you would use sand bags because the tightly compacted sand leaves little room for water to pass through.
This concept is exactly the same for espresso grounds.
• If the grind is too fine, your water will not pass through quickly; it will take a long time. Therefore you will have a long shot.
• If the grind is too course, your water will pass through too fast; is will be fast. Therefore you will have a short shot
KNOCKING – this is the method by which a barista removes the wet grounds from the portafilter and into the knock box.
Automatic Espresso Grinder:
This grinder’s job is to grind and pack each shot for you.
HOW TO USE THE AUTOMATIC GRINDER
Lock the portafilter into the grinder and press either the regular or decaf button. The machine will then grind, dose and tamp your espresso for you! But you still have to remember a few things…
NEVER:
• leave the portafilter in the grinder for a prolonged period of time
• hit the portafilter on the counter top or with your hand after removing from grinder
(this loosens the espresso grounds and effects your shot times)
ALWAYS:
• rinse your portafilter before placing it in to the grinder
• keep your hoppers full
• brush out residual grounds from the in side for the grinder (the burr) at the end of each night and throughout your shift.
• brush off residual grounds from the lip of the portafilter before inserting into the group head.
Changing the Grind:
• Determine if you need longer or shorter shots (17 – 28 seconds). See the Concept of Tamping.
• Turn the dial ONE HALF turn. This dial turn will change your shot time by 3 – 5 seconds.
• Dose 3 shots of dry espresso and empty them out in to the knock box to get fresh grounds that have been adjusted. Begin brewing shots
Brew 6 – 8 shots before making the decision to change the grind any more.
Manual Grinder:
This grinder grinds the espresso – the barista is responsible for dosing and tamping.
HOW TO USE A MANUAL GRINDER
1. Grind the espresso
Turn the timer dial on the right, bottom of the grinder.
Only grind as much as you need for your current customers.
2. Dose the espresso
Pull the release lever to dispense a heaping dose of espresso into the portafilter.
3. Tamp the espresso:
Using your finger, even off the heaping espresso in to a level surface.
Evenly place the tamper on the espresso and press hard.
The pressure you use is approximately 20 lbs of pressure.
Manual Tamp
Manual tamps follow the same principle as the automatic grinders/tamps: too hard and you will find yourself with long shots due to the compacted grounds. If you do not press hard enough, then there is too much space between the grounds and water will pass through too quickly.
NEVER:
• leave espresso grounds in the hopper over night
• hit or jostle the espresso after you are finished tamping
ALWAYS:
• time your shots
• grind as little espresso as possible
• tamp firmly and evenly
• brush off residual grounds before putting portafilter into group head
Espresso Machine Basics
Terms:
Group head – within the group head is the screen. All espresso bars, except Straz, are 2 group espresso bars.
Keep them well cleaned.
Always soak the screen at the end of the night.
Always use a group head brush to clean up and inside the group head.
Portafilter – Used to transport espresso from the grinder to the espresso machine.
Within the portafilter is the portafilter screen.
Soak the screen at the end of the night.
Never dent/drop the screen.
Steam wands – Used to steam milk.
Always bleed and clean the steam wand after every use and before beginning a new drink.
Always soak the steam wand in urnex every night and during your shift.
Trays – Used to catch refuse espresso.
The grated trays should be removed for cleaning.
The single solid tray beneath that should also be removed for cleaning.
Buttons, Knobs, and Levers -
Buttons turn on the flow of water in different ways.
The knobs turn on the steam wands.
When brewing espresso only use the buttons with the CUP –SHAPED ICONS
When cleaning the espresso groups use the button with the SWIRL SYMBOL
NEVER leave the water running for a prolonged period of time
ALWAYS keep everything clean. The slightest build up will cause shot time errors
Espresso Bar Cleaning and Maintenance
After Making a Drink:
• Bleed the steam wands
This means to quickly and safely turn the steam wand on, then off to clear any residual milk, chai etc.
• Empty the portafilters
Clear all spend grounds into the knock box after every drink.
The heat from the bar dries the grounds and clogs the equipment.
Wipe off any grounds from the lip of the portafilter before re-inserting into the group head.
• Clean the bell creamers
Using hot water rinse the bell creamers clear of all espresso so as not to taint the next drink.
• Tidy the bar space, wipe up spills, brush off grounds, and change sanitizer water.
Every Night At Close:
• Soak the Steam Wands
Using a steaming pitcher and urnex soak each wand for 15 minutes.
Bleed the wand when finished.
• Clear the Group Heads
Using a group head brush, clear the inner lip of the group head.
• Backflushing:
After clearing the group head replace the portafilter’s screen with the solid insert, also known as a “blind” portafilter.
Put a dime size of urnex in the portafilter and place in clean group head that has be cleaned by brush.
Press the button with a SWIRL symbol
10 SECONDS ON
10 SECONDS OFF
10 times for each group head
• Urnex Bar Utensils, Screens, Ect.:
In a pitcher of hot water and a quarter-size amount of urnex, soak for 15 – 20 minutes.
Use a green scrub pad to remove all residue.
• Hot Water Down Trap:
Under the grates is a trap – using hot water from the brewer, dump approx 3 small pitcher-worth of water to keep the trap clear.
Guide to Steaming Milk
Steaming milk creates a nuanced flavor and texture that cannot be achieved by simply heating the milk.
When you are steaming milk you are introducing steam – heat and oxygen to the milk. The temperature of the steam sweetens the milk as the oxygen adds the texture of tiny bubbles, or foam.
NEVER:
• heat the milk over 180 degrees. 180 degree + is considered scorched
• use an un-sanitized rag to wipe the steam wand after wiping other surfaces of the espresso machine
ALWAYS:
• use a calibrated thermometer
• use designated rag for the steam wand only – this is found in the red sanitizer bucket
• steam milk to 140 degrees
• STEAM DRINKS FOR CHILDREN 120 DEGREES
• steam to achieve a smooth and shiny texture
• bleed (or, turn on and off quickly) and clean the steam wand before and after use
• soak and urnex the steam wand every night
Milk Steaming Guidelines:
• Measure
o MEASURE the Milk
Do your best not to waste milk. Use the paper cup: leave 1 – 1 ½ inch of room at the top. Pour the milk into the steaming pitcher.
• Listen
o Begin steaming your milk:
Submerge the steam wand all the way in to the steaming pitcher/milk.
Turn on the steam wand all the way.
Slowly move the end of the steam wand up to the surface of the milk
LISTEN for the hissing sound – success! You are frothing milk! Avoid any screaming sounds by adding small amounts of air.
• Look
o Look at the temperature on your thermometer.
Froth until approx 100 degrees
Plunge the wand back down to the bottom of the steaming pitcher.
Turn the wand off at 140 degrees.
Pulling shots and steaming milk perfectly are two of three parts that you need to know about working an espresso bar and making the highest quality drink possible. The third is how to assemble the drinks.
Production:
o Steam milk first
o Pull shots second
Assembly:
o Espresso goes into your cup first
o Steamed Milk
o Cap with foam/whip
