barista power

while indulging in one coffee out during errand running the other day, i had an opportunity to observe the staff.  and i thought to myself that it just might be baristas are the ones holding this culture together.

consider the cuppa, meant to be enjoyed with good company, as opposed to chugged solo during the morning commute.  but even still that warmth and comforting routine, if it makes the driver happier, could influence society for the better.

my barista had a headset.  a serious one, like janet jackson used in concerts or even like an air traffic controller.  you may have put in forty years at a company, but did you ever get a headset as cool as that?  i realized i was staring at it.

her micro movements were So Synchronized.  while she welcomed a drive through customer on her nifty high intelligence headset she was also getting a to-go sleeve for someone's cup, warming a breakfast sandwich, cleaning milk foam from the steamer, getting my change, and answering a question from a colleague.  and doing it well, all before eight in the morning.  now there's a work ethic.  i watched, transfixed as if at a choreographed modern dance performance.

consider how many people said barista comes into contact with over the course of one shift.  how many flat whites and lattes are perfect (or if not, drink is on them and they will make another--marvelous business practice).  how this small act keeps us all going in our various fields and endeavors.

maybe there's a badge for this.  or if not, there should be.  keeping the crema steady while the ideal temperature is reached.  taking a jillion special orders of regular customers who want an "extra hot oat milk decaf breve cappuccino with a semi-circular clockwise cinnamon swirl aligned with Saturn" (such a far cry from regular or decaf, with or without cream) blows my mind.

yes, not to be underestimated, baristas are a marvel.  i may be old enough to be their grandmother, those young things with headsets, and yet it makes me feel oddly comforted, knowing that they're on the job.   in an ever-changing world shaking us from the cozy nest of our ideologies and bringing everything we've ever known into a question of existential dilemma proportions, it's nice to know i can count on them.  this cuppa from the cheerful multitasking rock star behind the counter.

check out one of my favorite baristas, james hoffman and his video series (narrated in his wonderful british accent doesn't hurt!)  james hoffman coffee talks