Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Is double batching really that big a deal? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by keeendle
I am a bit of a rule follower at my store — I don’t take a lot of the shortcuts that other baristas do (at the expense of speed). Certain baristas at my store do things I would never think of doing in order to save time: they put iced caramel macchiatos directly under the mastrena while the shots are pulling, they don’t shake their teas, they don’t put water in their chais. HOWEVER, if someone places a 9 drink order and they’re all tall caramel frappuccinos, I’m batch blending that to hell!
I saw a thread here in which people’s managers scolded them for batch blending. If anything, at my store, my manager has complimented me on how I handled my frappuccino rush lol. Can batch blending really end up with serious consequences for you guys?
I saw a thread here in which people’s managers scolded them for batch blending. If anything, at my store, my manager has complimented me on how I handled my frappuccino rush lol. Can batch blending really end up with serious consequences for you guys?
honeydripdomme 50 points 3y ago
I ALWAYS batch blended. It’s just easier and SO much faster - ESPECIALLY it situations like this. Just don’t fill it to the point of explosion 🤷🏻♀️
BHOsman 39 points 3y ago
As long as you don't go over 3 ventis you will be fine... you only make that mistake once...
Top tip: put a tall dome lid between the blender lid and cover during the blend - lid wont come off then!
Top tip: put a tall dome lid between the blender lid and cover during the blend - lid wont come off then!
2q2RS 1 points 3y ago
What is the quality like batching 3 ventis? Wont there be lots of big ice chunks?
BHOsman 3 points 3y ago
Not really. As long as you’re putting in the correct milk and base you’re fine. Those blenders can blend nails and crap, they get though it
2q2RS 2 points 3y ago
Ok thanks I will try it out when my store reopens;)
BHOsman 2 points 3y ago
Good luck! Should make those peaks flow a bit smoother ;)
SkullJooce 19 points 3y ago
The only real reason they don’t want us doing it is because they know there are partners who can’t count 😔
suenologia 15 points 3y ago
the drinks are made of the same proportions so as long as you’re not filling up the entire blender it makes no sense why it would “ruin the flavor”. if it works for baking, smoothies, etc. then fraps are not something special.
first of all, we’re talking about liquid sugar but more importantly, i’ve heard people say it affects the taste but that makes about as much sense as “shots die”. the flavor wasn’t there to begin with, you’re just more likely to notice it when you’re looking for something to be *wrong*.
first of all, we’re talking about liquid sugar but more importantly, i’ve heard people say it affects the taste but that makes about as much sense as “shots die”. the flavor wasn’t there to begin with, you’re just more likely to notice it when you’re looking for something to be *wrong*.
aisecherry 4 points 3y ago
idk man batching frappuccinos should not be a problem at all but I definitely think shots taste super different and tbh nasty if you let them sit. I take some shortcuts here and there but I go out of my way to avoid letting the shots die.
might_not_be_a_dog 12 points 3y ago
Yeah the whole dead shots thing is weird. If shots die after a few seconds, then why can customers order just espresso? If someone orders espresso in the morning rush, I can guarantee that they won’t be getting their shots before they “die.” And, I can order straight espresso from a fancy restaurant or coffee shop with no problem.
My theory is that either dead shots is a myth intending to help partners sequence effectively, or Starbucks just has low quality espresso.
My theory is that either dead shots is a myth intending to help partners sequence effectively, or Starbucks just has low quality espresso.
Ninjachibi117 5 points 3y ago
It's both and then some. Pull a shot, let it sit for 2-3 minutes, and pull a fresh shot to compare the taste. It's definitely gone off, not necessarily bad but different. However, that isn't true of all espresso, just ones like Starbucks and Dunkin. Also, it takes minutes for a shot to die, not the 15 seconds that a lot of my coworkers enforced (I had someone walk in front of me and dump out my just-pulled shots because "it's been more than 10 seconds, the shots died you need to pull a new one").
suenologia 5 points 3y ago
its just a byproduct of corporations with high demand, the beans get roasted into the next millennium for packaging 🤷♀️ they definitely taste gross if they cool down but the espresso already had that taste, its just harder to notice when its hot enough to properly mix with milk and sugar
TinyItalian 14 points 3y ago
Don’t even get me started on people who put iced macchiatos directly under the mastrena or don’t shake their teas! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ if you don’t care or can’t be bothered to make quality drinks or you think you’re doing a good job by cutting corners to be time efficient, get off bar, it’s not the position for you. A good barista knows how to make top quality drinks in a timely manner. . .
┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)
Double batching is great though lol xD.. there’s no logic behind why it ruins the taste or quality as long as you measure correctly.
┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)
Double batching is great though lol xD.. there’s no logic behind why it ruins the taste or quality as long as you measure correctly.
MissCleoDarling 7 points 3y ago
Genuine question - Why shouldnt you put machiatios directly under thr mastrena? What does it change? I do it all the time. Is that wrong?
TinyItalian 7 points 3y ago
From my own training, and watching YouTube videos of other very skilled baristas making coffee at their own coffee shops, it’s to my understanding that if you pull the shots directly into the iced beverage, it melts the ice way more because of the longer duration the hot espresso is pouring into the drink. Also, it disrupts how the layers are supposed to be (milk and espresso layers) especially since it’s being poured in one thin straight stream. And of course lastly, it throws off the whole aesthetic of the drink and the taste.
I encourage you to do your own experiment, make two iced macchiatos at the same time. Pull two shots directly into one of them, and then on the second beverage, pull two shots into your shot glass, then pour the shots over the ice and milk in a circular motion. You’ll see that on the drink where you pulled shots straight into the cup, the espresso just sits there in one dark, thick layer on top. However, in the second drink that you poured the espresso yourself, the espresso is nicely flowing through the milk in an abstract layer towards the top. This makes the drinking experience very different and tastes more blended while still having those layers. When I train my new baristas, I have them make these drinks side by side for visual learning :)
And honestly at the end of the day, it doesn’t take that much more time and effort to use your shot glasses so why not try your best to make some quality drinks.
I encourage you to do your own experiment, make two iced macchiatos at the same time. Pull two shots directly into one of them, and then on the second beverage, pull two shots into your shot glass, then pour the shots over the ice and milk in a circular motion. You’ll see that on the drink where you pulled shots straight into the cup, the espresso just sits there in one dark, thick layer on top. However, in the second drink that you poured the espresso yourself, the espresso is nicely flowing through the milk in an abstract layer towards the top. This makes the drinking experience very different and tastes more blended while still having those layers. When I train my new baristas, I have them make these drinks side by side for visual learning :)
And honestly at the end of the day, it doesn’t take that much more time and effort to use your shot glasses so why not try your best to make some quality drinks.
ilovebrandonj 9 points 3y ago
I caught my manager batch blend when he was cold bar during a Saturday morning peak lol!
hummusheads 8 points 3y ago
Ive done 4 at a time, I will slam as much as I can until the lid falls off. No shame.
malaika07 3 points 3y ago
I understand the "no water chai". I get requests for that and a no water not shaken tea. Just ice and tea in a cup. I don't understand the added water to the tea.
LilKaySigs 3 points 3y ago
No it really isnt. SMs that give a fuck about batch blending deep down give more of a fuck about their drive thru times
ReneeZeLe 3 points 3y ago
The only real way to tell is if you taste the difference between a batch and the standard
colonade17 3 points 3y ago
Depends on your SM. One of my old SMs insisted that we do it to speed things up, and another would flex you off bar if he caught you doing it.
DistinctAd3169 1 points 1y ago
Shots die after 10 seconds if they’re not exposed to milk. This just means that the taste is a little worse that’s all
ska_barista -1 points 3y ago
I work in a high volume tarbucks , we have one espresso machine. Sometimes the caramel macchiato is getting placed directly underneath the machine . Get it .
golden_pinky 7 points 3y ago
Not to be rude but I really don't understand how this saves enough time to be worth possibly giving them a nasty shot. It takes one second to pour.
rlane1990 -37 points 3y ago
it hurts my soul when I see partners double batching. It effects of the tastes of the drinks, it's disgusting. Its a standard for a reason. Beverage quality should be more important than speed of service.
lilBalzac 13 points 3y ago
I agree that standards are important. If we want to meet quality and speed targets we need to schedule them to meet them. Partners (in some cases) are being put in a position where customer and corporate expectations exceed what can done with the staffing available. Partners will then, effectively, triage their tasks and take shortcuts. There will be differences in how partners deal with that in practice. That is just the facts on the ground. If we want EVERY standard followed, and times to be within a low range, then someone must first be scheduled for each task required in the time. Training can increase efficiency, but not to greater than 100%.
pkatess 10 points 3y ago
Just curious, how does it affect the taste? Is it because of less aeration or something? Because you would put the same amount of everything, and just put 2 of the recipe in the same blender, so I’m curious!
_Pulltab_ 8 points 3y ago
For real, I’m trying to understand your reasoning.
If I take two tall cups, fill to the guidelines, dump them into a single blender, add two cups of ice, 2x the appropriate amount of pumps, etc. and then split it back into two cups, how does that make it taste different than doing the exact same thing with putting it in two separate blenders?
I’m not throwing shade, I really want to understand.
If I take two tall cups, fill to the guidelines, dump them into a single blender, add two cups of ice, 2x the appropriate amount of pumps, etc. and then split it back into two cups, how does that make it taste different than doing the exact same thing with putting it in two separate blenders?
I’m not throwing shade, I really want to understand.
applepie1113 6 points 3y ago
If customers valued quality over speed of service, then we certainly would. However, many of them measure speed as our quality. Also, with the same ingredients going in and doing the same thing, how in the world is there a taste difference?
official_koda_ 5 points 3y ago
So if the store is slammed and a customer orders 15 tall vanilla bean Frappuccinos, you’re seriously going to try and say you wouldn’t batch blend?
Tara_Kitten 5 points 3y ago
You need to explain yourself. If the proportions are increased in relation to the quantity of drinks... what is the issue?
Starbucks uses high-end, kitchen-grade blenders. The drinks should always come out consistently.
Starbucks uses high-end, kitchen-grade blenders. The drinks should always come out consistently.
golden_pinky 3 points 3y ago
There is just no way this is true. Tell me how a venti which is made with literally exactly twice the ingredients of that in a tall can come out peachy, but if I spit it into two cups somehow it's wrong now?
rlane1990 0 points 3y ago
Hahah I figured I'd get downvoted for this My store is busy but not as busy as some of yours. I think the most fraps someone's ordered is maybe 6. I don't ever remember getting huge frap orders. We have 2 blenders so there's no need for double batching. Alot of baristas at my store still do it, if management catches you then your remaking those drinks.
Tara_Kitten 3 points 3y ago
Great non-answer. My store only has one blender, and I sure as hell can't make them one-by-one if there's a rush.
How about you actually explain how the quality is compromised?
How about you actually explain how the quality is compromised?
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