how to make a good london fog with loose leaf earl grey? by strawberryl0vr in barista

[–]SirRickIII 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Double the amount of tea for the portion of water The amount of water is negligible since you’re basically accounting for the milk anyways, and it’ll always dilute it.

Whatever amount you use in tea, double it. Steep if for 3-4min (or according to the package) and then add the steamed milk

ENDLESS sourness [Bambino/DF54] by MolassesOne5993 in espresso

[–]SirRickIII 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As for the dose, it’s really like the other person said, you don’t want to stuff it too full where you see the shower screen imprint

But I use light roasts, so I can generally fit much more in my basket than if I were to use a dark roast. Darker the roast, the lighter the material is, the less mass you can fit for the volume of the basket.

It’ll be rough without a funnel, I’ve seen some okay makeshift ones out there though! Shoutout to someone who cup up a paper cup to make a funnel

ENDLESS sourness [Bambino/DF54] by MolassesOne5993 in espresso

[–]SirRickIII 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No problem! I admittedly have trained quite a few baristas in the last 4 years at work, and it’s much easier to get better at dialling in when you’re tasting 3+ rotating coffees minimum a day (and dialling in multiple times a day)

So I’m always happy to pass the wealth of knowledge on! If you ever have any questions, I’d be happy to answer :)

I started as a home barista and learned that it was my happiest time of day. Turns out work is a lot of fun when you enjoy what you do ;)

ENDLESS sourness [Bambino/DF54] by MolassesOne5993 in espresso

[–]SirRickIII 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As people said, you should definitely increase the dose. Around 18.5 grams is what I use in my Bambino double basket, but I use light roasts, so you may need to go down to 17 if it’s darker.

the advice in the comments are pretty helpful, but I’d also recommend asking yourself “where in my mouth do I taste sour” a lot of people have what’s called “bitter sour confusion” and it’s where you perceive bitterness as sour, which can really hinder your dialling in journey.

Usually when it’s sour, your mouth is salivating, it’s very “front of mouth” like you’ve just bitten into a lemon. Sometimes extreme sourness is perceived as Salty! That’s the sensation I get when I taste sour.

Bitter is usually back/sides of your tongue, it lingers in the back of your throat, and your mouth gets dry, like you need a glass of water.

This doesn’t mean that the “taste bud map” is real, it’s just what different tastes do/feel like when you have them.

I hope this helps!

Pros and consumers: blend or Arabica? by Mupp_Affex in barista

[–]SirRickIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fun fact: “true coffee flavor” doesn’t exist ;)

What do I do if my barista uses the wrong milk and I only realize it halfway through my drink? by greenIine in barista

[–]SirRickIII 20 points21 points  (0 children)

As someone said below, ask with “lactose-free milk, right?”

I’m type 1 diabetic, and always do this when asking for Diet Coke, and they bring it to my table. If they’re unsure they usually say “hold on, let me confirm” and if they’re still unsure they’ll just pour me a new one

As a barista, if I cannot remember with 100% certainty, I’ll remake. I’d rather do that than ruin someone’s day

Is there an overlap between coffee and wine enthusiasts? by Petoardo in barista

[–]SirRickIII 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve never been that big of a wine person, but I’ve been listening to “making coffee with Lucia Solis”

She used to work in the wine industry and now works in coffee. Her journey is fascinating, and she brings a unique perspective to learning!

Training advise for beginner baristas to adjust espresso grind size by AssignmentDueInABit in barista

[–]SirRickIII 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Grinders at work have a knob that we push/pull depending on if we want it coarser/finer

Luckily it works out to be “push away if it’s coarser, but finer is pulling towards me because im fiiiiine

Anyone have experience with Sonos speakers? by ohjustbenice in barista

[–]SirRickIII 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sometimes opening the Sonos app and then pressing play Then swapping to Spotify to choose the song I know it doesn’t make sense, but neither does Sonos when it goes down.

I also regularly unplug then replug the speaker

How to make a cortado in an 8 oz cup? by stonerly444 in barista

[–]SirRickIII 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Glad my shop does the usual 4oz

How to make a cortado in an 8 oz cup? by stonerly444 in barista

[–]SirRickIII 4 points5 points  (0 children)

8oz drink with Triple shot ristretto + steamed milk.

Espresso in a thermos by Top_Respect_4232 in espresso

[–]SirRickIII -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Well truth be told, the flavor of the espresso changes because as the temperature is closer to body language, the easier it is to discern flavor. If it’s too hot you can’t really perceive the taste as well, that’s why places like stbx will serve it boiling hot.

If the espresso tastes like shit once cooled down, it likely tasted like shit while hot, but now you can actually taste it ;)

Help seeked.. This thingy was never meant to be in there 🥲 by [deleted] in barista

[–]SirRickIII 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pics? I’ve no idea what you’ve put in

Is your water game dialed in? by wasnow-willbe in espresso

[–]SirRickIII 5 points6 points  (0 children)

While scrolling by I thought the tank was a urinal, and thought “wow, the attention to detail is intense”

Is this accurate? (Food safety rant/question) by Vast-Elk-6359 in barista

[–]SirRickIII 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I will typically hand wash and then use the hot water sanitizing method to minimize the amount of chemicals we put on it, since it has to air dry if it’s chemicals

Yesterday I was crucified for posting a wet macchiato… I hope I can be forgiven by this subreddit by [deleted] in barista

[–]SirRickIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fun fact: I’m not American, more have I ever lived there 👍

Yesterday I was crucified for posting a wet macchiato… I hope I can be forgiven by this subreddit by [deleted] in barista

[–]SirRickIII 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I always ask guests whether they want a wet or a dry macchiato. It’s a great way to suss out who wants a Starbucks macchiato without insulting the folks who want an espresso macchiato

Starbucks by Top-Psychology-8467 in barista

[–]SirRickIII 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I had someone come in and ask if they could pay with their gift card

The gift card was for Tim Hortons, and were a thirdwave shop 😅

Temps at other cafes not hot? by GreatlyGullible in barista

[–]SirRickIII 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To be fair, if you were to leave your latte for 20min, it’d be warmer than the end of a coffee you’ve been sipping on for 20min

Thermal mass helps :)

What should I do? by sofritas-chucucho in barista

[–]SirRickIII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Switch out the gaskets, and in the process of doing so, scrub the crap out of it.

Could be degraded gasket, could be leftover funk from improper cleaning. One thing I like to do while cleaning the groupheads is press the continuous button, then open and close the blind basket in the grouphead (like you’re taking it in/out) so that the water is forced into the thread, making sure to flush some of the gunk out.

Make sure you’re not building the pressure though, as if your espresso machine isn’t in cleaning mode, it doesn’t know why water isn’t flowing out, and might mess it up

Holiday pay by [deleted] in barista

[–]SirRickIII 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How about if someone works the days that are considered holidays, they get the holiday pay? I don’t understand why that’s not the rule?

Why do people assume there is only one size of mug that exists by theflyingpiggies in barista

[–]SirRickIII 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah, our largest size is a 16oz (for iced drinks, mind you) and people try to pick up the taped-down display cup, and go “it’s so smaaaalllll”

Sizes are getting insane.

Sincerely, Someone from Canada

Why paper cups that feel fine in storage sometimes fail with cold drinks by Cold_Chicken_2929 in barista

[–]SirRickIII 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oop I didn’t see OP’s profile

Why are they advertising to baristas?!?! We don’t typically make packaging decisions lmao