Barista life & bar work

Hello everyone, My name is Maria Ahmed, and I am a Barista from Somalia with previous experience in coffee service. I am currently looking for a Barista job opportunity where I can grow my skills and…

The oldest argument in hospitality. What does your shop do, and does it matter to you?

5:30 alarms, empty streets, the first shot of the day with nobody watching. Best shift or worst shift? Why?

Extra hot, no foam, oat milk but also cream, and can you make it look like a heart. What did you get this week?

From last customer to lights off. Backflush, grinder, fridge, floor, till. Be honest, nobody is checking.

Everyone has one. Could be about milk, about feet, about tips, about the boss. One line each.

Mine was not glamorous. What was yours, where was it, and how long did you last?

A recurring thread. Big or small: a grinder issue you finally solved, a recipe that clicked, a regular you won over, a rota change that gave you your Sundays back. One line is enough.

I am eighteen months in, I still love coffee, and I am exhausted: 6am opens, standing all day, wrist pain, a pay rise that did not cover rent. Most people I started with have quit. How do the people…

I have been offered either a head barista role or the café manager role at the same shop. Same shop, different money, very different days. How do people who have done both describe the difference?

Small bar, two groups, one grinder. At 9am on a fresh bag the recipe tastes right: 18 g in, 36 g out, 28 seconds. By early afternoon the same recipe is thin and sour, and when I grind finer it chokes.…