Pay versus rent, how many decent shops are hiring, whether people are leaving or arriving. One paragraph on your city.
Community
Head barista, roasting, your own shop, green buying, out of coffee entirely. Where are you aiming, and what's the next step?
Origin, roast level, what it's for. Espresso blend, filter single, a sample you're excited about.
What did you buy, roughly what did it cost, and would you make the same call today? Short answers welcome.
Latte art, dialling in faster, cupping, steaming with your other hand, a competition routine. What's the thing you're working on this month?
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?
Not the machine. The small thing. A scale, a tamper, a jug, a specific cloth. What is it and why?
From last customer to lights off. Backflush, grinder, fridge, floor, till. Be honest, nobody is checking.
Coins in a jar, a card prompt, nothing at all? What do customers actually leave in your city?
Simple survey. Are your breaks paid, how long are they, and where are you? No judgement, just the numbers.
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?
This week's Brew digest (https://career.coffee/brew/weekly-digest-september-7-13-2026) has two stories that do not fit together, and I cannot stop looking at them side by side. Two separate…
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 Victor, I run Career.Coffee. I built this community because the questions coffee people actually have, about pay, trials, moving cities, getting into roasting, running a small shop, do not have a…
We are a two-person roastery about to hire our first production person. Not a roaster yet; someone to pack, weigh, cup and grow into the roaster seat. What should we look for, and what should the…
A flat white is €5 in the city I work in. I make €13.50 an hour. I cannot afford to drink in the shops I work in, and I certainly cannot afford to live near them. Is this just cities, or is something…
Our tips fell by about a third when the shop went card-only, and they arrive with payroll instead of daily. Owners like the paper trail; staff liked the cash. What happened in your shop, and how did…
Every café owner says they cannot find staff. Most baristas say they left because of the owner. From both sides: what actually kept you, and what made you hand in your notice?