The top 10 mistakes new home baristas make

The most ideal "fresh" coffee beans should have about 4-14 days without roasting and be stored properly. Coffee should not be stored in the freezer or refrigerator. If the rules for preserving coffee are followed, the experience it creates and its tasting will certainly be more pleasant.

Using untreated or hard water

Expresso contains 98% water and 2% is the composition that is created by dissolving in water. If the water is properly filtered, the espresso will definitely have an exemplary taste.

Hard water is not suitable at all. The hardness of the water should always be kept between 35-85 ppm. Water would be recommended to be tested every 3-6 months because municipal water sources have variability in their seasonal hardness. If the area you are in is dominated by rain, the hardness of the water can change dramatically. For the preparation of coffee, it is best to use fresh and cold water, which has been purified to remove all substances that adversely affect your cup. A very suitable option is to use water from a filter or a bottle for the best results.

Using milk that is low-fat

Probably many people prefer low-fat milk for various reasons. But it is extremely difficult to texture correctly for anything other than a cappuccino. In order to texture milk properly, fats and proteins are needed to produce smooth, silky milk. Certainly, many baristas make this big mistake. However, in order to obtain a delicious and good-looking coffee with milk, it is essential to use milk rich in fats and proteins.

Improper cleaning of the coffee machine

Coffee, like any other food, rots and gets rancid. In this state, not only does it taste awful, but it can also be harmful to health.

That is why it is very important that the coffee machine is cleaned well, although it is a less pleasant bag. This will also help create a tasty coffee without unpleasant aromas.

Using the wrong cup

Although it seems unbelievable, the cup used for coffee makes a difference in quality. A cup with thin walls does not maintain the same temperature as one with thicker walls. I think most people prefer warmer coffee to room temperature. Therefore, it is an important factor to choose the right cup of coffee. A robust ceramic mug is one of the best choices.

An important step could be to heat the cup before pouring the coffee, this prevents it from cooling too quickly.

Dissonant tamping

The correct way to tap is to press with constant pressure, completely leveled each time to make excellent espresso. If the coffee beans happen to be a little older and the shot comes out faster, the grinding must be a little finer.

Of course, many new baristas make this mistake and too few consider this to be a mistake.

But, it is definitely a step that must be followed for a perfect coffee.

1. The amount of coffee is not weighed

For a new barista it is totally wrong to eyeball the dose and output and then make modifications. If 20 grams of coffee are used to yield 30 grams of espresso and the quantity is off by 2 grams, that is 10%. 

In the beginning, in the learning process, a precise scale must be used to fix the problem correctly.

There are a lot of professional bartenders who continue to do this in view of the importance it has on the end result. It produces better coffee, reduces waste and lasts only a few seconds. This step must be done correctly at least in the first months to get used to.

Misunderstanding of brew ratios

The recipe is defined by the brew ratios. As with cooking, the recipe is extremely important for coffee, no espresso shot should be fired without one. For this, there are numerous books and specialized magazines where you can get recipes or you can even consult a professional barista.

Missing sources of information

Learning is not just about reading something and putting it into practice. In the learning process, a series of points of view must be compared, the information found must be filtered and draw own conclusions.

Information can be taken from blogs, social profiles, and YouTube videos. From here you can definitely get information that can be helpful. It is important to be up to date with the industry from different sources and you can even share your own experiences.

Not interacting with other baristas

By knowing and interacting with other bartenders you can learn a lot of things, especially from the old ones in the profession.

It is a very useful thing, you can enrich your knowledge with secrets from the world of coffee that you can apply in your work.