another_jim wrote:They're just taking jobs away from someone who could be good. If they are personable, they can make just as much or more money in another service job; so I would say they are in the wrong spot.

Trust me they would make more by far. My tips are good because I have worked as a barista in my present shop for quite a while. I have worked hard to help the owners build their customer base. (started when they opened the doors). The regular customers who are coffee fanatics know who is passionate about the cup. It also helps to be personable, but that doesn't mean nice. You have to rough up some customers, and kid glove others. Read the body language!
Lynn

Occasionally I'm a bastard, but a great cup creates harmony.

I'm no barista, but I liken it to bartenders who don't drink alcohol.

My GF used to tend bar and yet she can't drink - but she actually makes quite good drinks. go figure!
I think if you are taught good techniques and use your other senses you could be quite competent.

My take: You probably can't be a *great* barista unless you drink coffee -- but you might be a good one...

Take it with a grain of salt though.

Funny, we were just talking about this yesterday...

You have to drink coffee. How else would you know what a perfect shot tastes like? I think that barista who don't drink shots have a hard time making one someone can appreciate.

I'll also respond to Frank's comment above by saying it isn't impossible for a non-coffee drinking barista to be good but it ain't likely either.

How would you know what the shot tastes like? The answer - You wouldn't. BUT the people you served to and practiced with would.
Look at it this way - You aren't tasting every shot you make right? So at some point you trust your technique. If you are lucky enough to be around people who will help you learn technique by giving you feedback (being your taste buds as it were) you could probably learn decent technique without tasting. As I said - you wouldnt be great, but you might be good....

If you have reasonably forgiving equipment and careful attention to detail, anyone could pull an acceptable shot by rote instruction. However, I think the tweaks that separate average from very good are too small to make "by eye" or the feedback of others.

Yup... Possible but not probable.

Why would you ever hire someone to be a barista who wasn't interested in (nay... passionate about) coffee?

Geoff surely has a better read on the local hiring scene, but I think cafes in this area can't be too choosy about who they hire given the pay scales. If a prospective employee is reliable and honest, they'll get a job. I half jokingly say "The only hope for improving the quality of the typical espresso served in America's cafes lies in super-autos."

I would not hire them if they were not coffee drinkers. Funny thing is I have consulted folks wanting to open coffee shops that don't drink coffee. My first advice to them is don't bother and find something they are passionate about.

If you hired someone that doesn't drink coffee, how are they going to respond when someone asks about a particular origin of bean? How would they know the shots taste good? How would they answer a customer that is having brewing problems at home? The answer? "I don't know, I don't drink coffee". Well that is just a beautiful answer that conveys to the customer they are in the wrong store buying coffee.

Now some shops sell a multitude of different products such as tea and wine. Shops like this may have folks specialize in one area or another but all should have a good understanding of all. If the shop said they are going to be a coffee shop, then the employees better be coffee drinkers. If the shop is a tobacco shop, then the employees better understand tobacco and the different flavors and origins of tobacco. If the shop is a wine shop then they should know how wine tastes, origins, and food pairings.

Right now I see a plethora of coffee shops that are put together without any business plan, any research, and a lot of money wasted. It is a shame, but I see that across many other small businesses started today and is the chief contributor on why they fail in the first 2 years.