so....we are having training on how to steam milk.
someone please shoot me in the face. :facepalm:
Training.
(26 posts) (9 voices)-
Posted 7 months ago #
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It's sad that some baristas don't know how to actually steam milk with foam even after months
Posted 7 months ago # -
it's true. actually, most everybody at my store didn't know how to steam milk properly. i'm sure a ton of users on here don't.
Posted 7 months ago # -
If you don't steam it right, your cappuccinos come out way too heavy and not foamy at all. Similarly, lattes may be a bit too light and have nothing to top them with.
So, for partners who don't know, when steaming milk you have to:
Put the steam wand at the top first to aerate the milk. Hold it there for a few seconds until it starts to bubble a bit. You should be able to smell it.
Once this happens, just push it to the bottom and let it finish.
Done.Also, if you are steaming a full pitcher (past the Venti line) of milk, hold the pitcher up so the wand is all the way at the bottom to prevent it from overflowing.
Most importantly, if someone asks "is that non-fat/1%/2%/whole milk/soy milk?", just say YES! eff 'em
Posted 7 months ago # -
We steam milk fine, well at least I know I steam it fine, but we are training on a new method that involves
spoons un the pitcher and not steaming for a cappuccino like we normally would. At any rate I feel like my intelligence is being severely
insulted. What's next they're gonna train us on how to grind the beans? u gotta be kidding me.Posted 7 months ago # -
Why steam milk differently? What's the difference?
I could completely imagine another stupid barista manual and waste of paper being printed to teach how to grind beans...I could also unfortunately imagine partners taking it way too seriously too. Lastly, I could imagine myself ignoring the stupidity =DPosted 7 months ago # -
Yeaw my ss comes up to me And says ok.....here's how you do this blah blah blah. I had to keep my eyes from rolling lol! I'm frakin lactose intolerant I dint rally get that excited about milk :-/. this place reminds me of an old job I had once, my boss would always say " you look bored like you don't want to be here- where's ur excitment" I'm thinking in my head-- uhhh we sell cell phones and are ripping ppl off. Lol. Whats so exciting about that- not like that $$$ is goin in my pocket lol!
Posted 7 months ago # -
That's how it is at Starbucks. Customers are ripped off, paying $5 for a latte that tastes like crap anyway. If baristas were paid a living wage and SB didn't baby its customers, thus actually creating a warm, friendly atmosphere for people to gather, it would probably be more enjoyable working there.
I hate when people would say to me (customers specifically) "Oh, it must be nice working at Starbucks, not bad at all!" If only they knew...
Posted 7 months ago # -
@decaff4u I do the same thing when someone asks "is that soy/nonfat/whole?" my instant response is "yes".
I love it when the customer doesn't ask for nonfat milk until the barista is done making the drink and THEN they go "is that nonfat?"
for MONTHS I made the mistake of going "well, it didn't say nonfat on the cup so I put regular milk in it" and then I realized that I would save SO much time just going "yup!! have a nice day!!!" :D
Posted 7 months ago # -
and this is one of the reasons I only go to Starbucks if someone else is paying - prices constantly going up for crappier and crappier drinks. It's sort of futile to explain milk-steaming over the internet, but here it goes: hold the wand just under the surface so that there is a hissing sound, not outright bubbling. Hold it there the entire time. If the drink is a latte then use the spoon to hold back the foam, and if it is a capp free-pour it.
It really is the most critical thing that makes the difference between a fine italian-style drink and a glass of hot milk with coffee at the bottom. And practically no baristas can do it!
EDIT: did I mention that if the milk is steamed really well the quality of the drink goes up 100% with no additional resources or time taken?
Posted 7 months ago # -
@ paperfish- lol! Unless someone orders a skinny simethin I throw whatever milk ihave steamed into the drinks. And for that one idiot who comes in asking for whole milk, well it's quite obvious they're getting 2%. It's sad to say but I don't get paid enough to care.
Sorry I'm typing like ish. This iPhone keyboard takes a while to get used to it
Posted 7 months ago # -
@perfectionist: i think you and i are the only ones who actually know how to steam milk.
to those who have just been sticking the pitcher under the wand and walking away, please slap yourself. you ruined the milk, and you do not know how to steam it properly. you never supposed to put it down. always hold it in place and never bounce it up and down to make foam. that's crappy foam.
and that's why starbucks drinks are crappy. cause everyone's trained to steam the milk fast to get more customers, rather than quality. not the proper way.
Posted 7 months ago # -
I don't know about ya'll, but free-pouring milk does not make a cappuccino. Starbucks invented "free-pouring" so that they could serve more cappuccinos in the least amount of time and to minimize disruption between making lattes. They try to get as many drinks out the window as fast as possible. I always made cappuccinos the same way I made lattes, when it comes to steaming the milk. Used the spoon to hold the foam back. I'd just spoon out more foam for the cappuccinos. It's way more consistent. (cause we all know customers can't order just a 50/50 cappuccino. They gotta get it heavy or light.) This is how they make cappuccinos in every other coffee shop with real espresso machines.
By the way, the reason barista's make "crappy drinks" is because we are constantly steaming milk. In order for a drink to come out well, the milk must sit for about 30 seconds after steaming so that the foam can settle. Otherwise you end up with a cappuccino every single time, regardless of whether or not you hold the foam back with the spoon.
Funny story, this guy used to come in all the time, and he was one of the cool customers. He'd been going to starbucks for so long, he knew the recipes. He knew whether or not the shots were expired. I've never heard him complain to me about his drinks, and he'd let us know if it was bad. One day, I made him a drink, and I used milk that was sitting for a while (still in the temp range, though), and it turned out to be the best **** latte he ever had. At the time, I couldn't figure it out. I did everything the exact same. I didn't realize it, but it's very important to let the milk settle. That's apparently what made his so awesome.
Anyways, Starbucks drinks are crappy because the espresso sucks, not because the milk isn't steamed right. Hot milk is hot milk.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Starbucks increases its wealth by using cheap ingredients and cheap labor. Everybody knows that.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Hah, I just said in the post I just made in another thread. So true. :-( A friend of mine used to do QA at a bakery. He was saying he'd see the same run of bread go into different bags, for different prices. You'd have the bread going into store-brand for 99 cents and then a well known brand for 1.99. Same bread. I highly doubt Starbucks is any different.
Posted 7 months ago # -
djpeej, you said it right. Baristas get the drinks out in lightning speed but if you don't let the milk settle and separate from the foam, there's no point. Oh, and the espresso beans are poor quality. I've tasted much better at a lot of places (pretty much anywhere EXCEPT Starbucks)
Posted 7 months ago # -
Steaming milk is essentially your job. If you can't do it, go somewhere else.
Posted 7 months ago # -
It is essentially your job (aside from cleaning toilets). Just think of the people who have been baristas for 10+ years. It took them only minutes to learn all the training they need to perform their career...
There's no reason people need coffee served *immediately* If your food takes a little longer to come out a fast food place, no one cares. At SB, they run after people out the door to give them a "recovery certificate". Espresso drinks are going to suck if they're made quickly and sloppily, but that's not the barista's fault.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Have you ever had a person who has a drink 5 spots back in the queue but is hovering at the handoff plane? It drives me insane to the point I want to give them whatever I'm making so they'll go away lol
Posted 7 months ago # -
Even worse: a person who just finished paying for a drink grabs the first drink they see, sip it, and whine: "THIS ISN'T WHAT I ORDERED!"
I lose my faith in humanity each time it happens.Posted 7 months ago # -
i freaking hate that so much! i loathe the people who do that. so frustrating.
Posted 7 months ago # -
it's like... pay attention you stupid fcuk!
Posted 7 months ago # -
My store has decided to bring back the monthly beverage certifications.
Posted 7 months ago # -
whats beverage certifications?
ive been there for some time now and they havent :"certified" me as a barista yet. :/
Posted 7 months ago # -
I never got the certificate either. It's a joke anyway, would you really want to hang that on your wall? lol
Posted 7 months ago # -
They used to do it a long time ago. You have to go on bar and make a tall latte, mocha, cap etc and then the SM/ASM/SS has to check the temp to make sure it's in the right range and weigh it to see if you made it too light/heavy. And they take notes on how you did. I was told to smile more and that when there is a rush to speak louder when I call out drinks so there's less "confusion"!
Posted 7 months ago #
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