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Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind

r/starbucksbaristas

Full History - 2021 - 12 - 20 - ID#rkro7j

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Barista basics (self.starbucksbaristas)

submitted by Substantial_Walk_925

What is something small or easy about a drink or just the job in general that you forget? I feel like my store has gone for far from standard that I don’t know what I am doing right or wrong with drinks anymore

sailorgrumpycat 57 points 1y ago

The matcha and strawberries and cream frappuccino both get pumps of classic syrup.

Caramel macchiatos get one less pump of vanilla than standard.

The pour over kettle has lines marked on it for how much hot water is needed to brew teas for iced tea lattes.

Swirl the espresso shots around once they are done pulling in any drink that uses any of our sauces, to dissolve the sauce into the shot and distributes it throughout the drink.

Teas by default come unsweet now.

Flat whites by default get whole milk and ristretto shots.

monicamac52 13 points 1y ago

thanks for reminding me about the frappes! been making strawberries and crème wrong until just last week when my partner mentioned that classic comes with it. the matcha, i didn’t know until now as i’m reading ur comment

kimememememe 4 points 1y ago

One of my coworkers messed up an iced green tea latte (misread the code, it was supposed to be a green tea lemonade) so we all got to sample the mistake drink and MAN was that a lesson to always remember classic when making the fraps. As someone whose go to order in high school was the GTF I never knew just how different unsweetened matcha tastes.

whispermaw 13 points 1y ago

starbucks matcha is half sugar anyway, truly unsweetened matcha is essentially grass. but yeah it’s definitely noticeable when you don’t put the classic.

xoMisaa 4 points 1y ago

bruh i’ve been w the company for 7 months and i JUST found out three weeks ago that the matcha and strawberries and creme get classic💀

kimememememe 3 points 1y ago

I never knew this about the pour over!! As someone who always guesstimates the amount of water when making iced tea lattes this is so helpful :0

cardteish 2 points 1y ago

next time brew the tea in the hot cup size of the iced tea latte and fill it up with hot water only half way :)

flamingavocados 2 points 1y ago

I usually put classic in the strawberry frapp but after checking the app today it says that it doesn’t come with classic and that only the matcha one does :(

sailorgrumpycat 6 points 1y ago

It doesn't have options for removing it (which is admittedly both weird and confusing) but it $1

flamingavocados 2 points 1y ago

Good to know!

terriblescreenwriter 56 points 1y ago

Shake all teas and refreshers, no matter how busy it is! An unshaken refresher or tea is gross and all separated. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen partners at other stores not shake beverages.

yirium 25 points 1y ago

Agree ESPECIALLY with tea, we did a taste test one time and the difference is actually quite noticable. My pet peeve is when people don't shake the pink drink well enough

venturealoha 18 points 1y ago

The only teas I will skip shaking once in a while are the Trenta no water teas.

serenityforeva3 3 points 1y ago

I’ve asked for my strawberry açaí refresher shaken at this one Starbucks I go to and they just DONT. There’s 0 foam on the top. At this point I only make the refreshers for myself bc other baristas refuse to shake them it’s infuriating.

Necessary_Low939 -17 points 1y ago

Lol i waterfall when it’s busy. Hey it’s quite mixed.

terriblescreenwriter 13 points 1y ago

No it doesn’t, stop doing that and mix them. There’s a standard for a reason.

Necessary_Low939 -12 points 1y ago

🤷🏻‍♀️

flamingavocados 17 points 1y ago

I’d recommend turning this into flashcards:

Standard shots: 1/2/2 (3 iced)

Americanos: +1 shot, venti gets 4 shots

Flat whites: ristretto shots +1 & whole milk

Iced shaken espressos: +1 shot

Standard pumps are: 2/3/4/5 (6 iced)

Caramel Macchiatos get -1 pump

Frapps: 2/3/4 pump system, including syrups.

Christmas frapps get 1/2/2 syrup pumps

I like to review on the app to keep things fresh

nezaket 10 points 1y ago

cappuccinos do NOT get -1 pump...no way omfg...

edit: im feeling like the woozy mr krabs meme rn

flamingavocados 2 points 1y ago

Check the BRM. I believe that’s how it should be, but correct me if I’m wrong

brattneybiscuit 4 points 1y ago

Recipe card on the app updated 6/2021 says normal pumps for Capps :/

flamingavocados 3 points 1y ago

:O I’ve been living a lie. Seems kinda weird considering the minimal coffee and 2% amount

Fantastic1357 14 points 1y ago

Cold brew comes unsweetened by default.

However, iced coffee automatically comes sweetened with classic unless otherwise specified.

Does it make sense? No. Do I always remember to put classic in people’s’ iced coffees? Also no.

xoMisaa 0 points 1y ago

i’ve stopped putting the classic in iced coffee bc i’ve had to remake it too many times for people who want it😩 never had a problem since then!

Fantastic1357 1 points 1y ago

Yeah but if the person on POS takes the order and someone says they want it sweetened with cream and so the sticker says “Iced Coffee, Cream” and lo and behold there’s no sweetener in it lol

xoMisaa 1 points 1y ago

true but i’m a dt only store meaning i have a headset on all day so i can hear them 😅

emmsshamieh 9 points 1y ago

I always forget that hot chais get water

mxs4235 7 points 1y ago

This isn’t taught but don’t pull shots of espresso OVER ICE. It shocks the espresso and results in a really gross tasting experience. Whenever in order iced espresso or americanos, some baristas at my store pull them over ice and it drives me nuts. I even did a taste test. Definitely can test the difference.

paigemclachlan 3 points 1y ago

This is a new one for me!

-Zispy 5 points 1y ago

We have someone who pulls them over ice while there’s white mocha sitting at the bottom and then serves it completely unmixed 💀

mxs4235 2 points 1y ago

NOOOOOO 😱😱

mxs4235 2 points 1y ago

Something about the drastic change in temp alters the flavour. So it’s always best to add a liquid like water/milk before adding ice or even to let the espresso fully pull and develop its layers before adding ice.

kimememememe 7 points 1y ago

Iced coffee automatically comes with classic. Gotta keep reminding the people on reg to slash through the syrup option if the customer says “black iced coffee no sugar”

whatisprofound 8 points 1y ago

I see so many partners on reg struggle with clarifying this. I always train/ coach to have em ask if they want iced coffee sweetened or with cream, just like you would for a brewed coffee. Bringing up "do you want classic" or "it comes pre sweetened, is that ok?" is so confusing for non regulars.

nordeliachase 6 points 1y ago

(i think) none of us put classic syrup in the strawberries & creme and matcha green tea frappuccinos. i honestly did not even know they got classic until 6 months into the job. we don’t even have a bottle of classic syrup on the frappuccino bar. nobody ever coached me on it either.

xoMisaa 2 points 1y ago

i didn’t find out till i was 6 months in too dw 😭

rterrebo 5 points 1y ago

Let's say I'm making a drink on espresso bar. And we just have a shit load of people show up. Well...to help me be more efficient, I like to pre-pump.

I've tried to operate more than one espresso machine and bounce back and forth between cold bar and espresso bar while trying to change dark/pike and the sanitizers. Yeah...total shit show. I'm not that good yet.

Good news though! I got certified today as a barista after working in my kiosk for over a month. Lol

-Zispy 3 points 1y ago

Two things I’ve noticed - people don’t put enough coconut milk in pink drinks, they look transparent.
Second, it seems like most people don’t know that if it’s a full pump, you do 1 2 2 instead of 2 3 4 for fraps.

lemonuponlemon 2 points 1y ago

There are different standards around the globe. What’s true in the US might not be outside of it.

ElectricalScience8 1 points 1y ago

okay i dong know if this counts. but it makes me cringe when people don’t shake a newly opened almond milk and just pour straight water into drinks

frogboicentral 1 points 1y ago

I will never, ever remember the day dots for almost anything. I know sweet cream, mocha, white mocha, syrups, lemonade, and whip, and anything else I will have to pester everyone around me to remind me…….. I’ve been a barista for over two years

[deleted] 1 points 1y ago

[deleted]

nutmegkoffee 0 points 1y ago

I just keep a running note on my phone from my training with things to remember. I started with just the pump amounts for sizes and it's come to include things like cappuccinos get whole milk and flat whites get ristretto shots. also blonde shots, I can never remember what drinks automatically get blonde

Substantial_Walk_925 [OP] 2 points 1y ago

Cappuccinos get whole milk???

sailorgrumpycat 8 points 1y ago

Not by default no, they (by Starbucks standard) are a more foamy latte, they still start default with 2%

nutmegkoffee 0 points 1y ago

I've seen people say different things. I usually when i'm on bar do 2% just because that's the default in my mind anyways, but i've seen people on here say they get whole milk. mine never seem to feel right so I assumed I was doing it wrong

sailorgrumpycat 2 points 1y ago

The easiest way to verify while not at work is go in the app and look at the drink, and for the cappuccino it defaults to 2%.

Maleficent_Beyond665 1 points 1y ago

FYI that whole milk would actually be harder to get a nice light cap than 2% would. If you have downtime, practice steaming with nonfat. Listen for the paper ripping sound and experiment with how many seconds it takes to get the consistency down, like 4-6 seconds but sometimes more depending on if you're going for wet or dry. Also don't forget to tap the pitcher on the counter a few times and swirl it around, I think the training module describes the ideal look of the steamed milk to be "wet paint" for a standard cap

[deleted] 1 points 1y ago

[removed]

Normal_Wheat -3 points 1y ago

SHOTS HAVE A LIFESPAN. Taste test a fresh shot vs a shot that’s been sitting for over 10 seconds (they usually almost completely black). You can toss in a little half and half to cool them enough to drink.

Also adding anything to your shot will save it (adding syrups, sugar, milk, water, etc)

Maleficent_Beyond665 5 points 1y ago

I was always told that was a rumor. True shots can die, but Starbucks' espresso is shitty. I was told that was something corporate pushed to make baristas work faster

Normal_Wheat -2 points 1y ago

It’s definitely true, taste test it with half and half 🤢

dicksoutforpoppunk 4 points 1y ago

When you have genuinely good espresso (which is almost anything that's not Starbucks), shots don't really die.

Dopio espressos are made to be sipped and enjoyed slowly (and usually black, no half and half) when you have good espresso, it's just that Starbucks' is so badly over roasted that when you get to try it cooled, it tastes like shit, because Starbucks' espresso is shit.

xoMisaa 3 points 1y ago

i remember i went to a small coffee shop in Paris and ordered a dopio espresso before i worked at sbux and really enjoyed it even tho i sipped it very slowly (as i ate my macaroons hehe) then when i started at sbux j tried a dopio espresso, sipped it when it was fresh, and tried sipping it slowly and noticed a drastic taste difference that was horrible🥴 good quality espresso dies A LOT slower than sbux poor quality espresso😩

edit: forgot to mention the dopio i had in paris tasted the same throughout my stay at the cafe!

Maleficent_Beyond665 0 points 1y ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/starbucks/comments/rkx7iz/official_resource_about_whether_shots_die_or_not/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Normal_Wheat 1 points 1y ago

A great read! Still recommend that taste test. It wastes more time for customers to bring back a drink with a dead shot

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