Barista tells all

Does anyone recall the tumblr page yourbaristaprobablyhatesyou (i believe was the handle) it was a cheeky blog that baristas and coffee lovers would spill their drink order to be judged or somewhere for baristas to tell their tales of horror or heartwarming moments.

I always found some sort of solace in that page, either feeling validated for being angry after a rough day or enjoying a good laugh at the with and accuracy of the guess to they type of person that would order something like a “Quad Venti ½ caff ½ sweet extra hot no whip no foam extra drizzle caramel macchiato”.

There was also this sense of loneliness I felt working at a corporate coffee chain as everyone I worked with didn't really even like coffee let alone want to know more about it.

That however wasn’t the case for me. I had always loved everything about coffee despite my mom constantly telling me I would stunt my own growth using her own height as an example.

After 5 years with the chain I decided that I wanted to know and experience coffee outside of a corp.

I applied to the cafes i had frequented before and got an interview with one of my favs and had an interview that i thought went really well but i never heard back after getting through the sads of not hearing anything i got back at it.

This time i looked up cafes near me and had seen one downtown, so i printed another resume and got myself ready to do a drop off, the train ride there i was meditated on my approach and how to ask for the manager and express my interest, but when i got to the cafe it looked like a place i didn’t fit in, it was modern and there were many people wearing suits i walked passed with my heart pumping and anxiety at an extreme high, and suddenly found myself sitting on the next level of the building sitting in the food court.

What's with me? I thought to myself it's just a cafe they’ll just take my resume and I probably won't even hear back anyway. With that i calmed myself, ran my fingers in my hair and headed back down.

“Hi! What can we get started for you?” asked the barista in a fashionable well made apron.

“Hey, I was actually wondering if your manager is available? Expecting them to be in the back.

“Oh! Yes he’s actually on the bar but if you wait on the side I'll let him know you’re waiting!”

“Wonderful, thank you so much.” wow i thought walking past the bar watching how fast and friendly the staff were while making my way to the bar like seating on the side to wait patiently, a moment later a gentleman was walking toward me.

“Hey there!” he said with a big smile.

“Hello.: i said softly and slightly confused

“I’m —--, one of the wonders, was there something I could help you with?” still smiling largely.

My heart sunk and sped up i quickly smiled larger and declared

“Hi! I’m here today looking to join your team as a barista!” pulling out my resume.

The rest of the conversation was brief and he let me know that they would be in touch via email hopefully in the next few weeks.

The train ride home i felt tears building up thinking about how foolish I must have looked

and started to think about how many more years i’d have to stay at the corporate coffee chain, a few days passed and i finally received an email!

They wanted to know if I was available for an interview!

I was so excited I told my friend/coworker who joked about leaving them behind but were excited for me to continue my coffee journey.

I had showed up ten minutes early and was offered a drink by a really kind barista and finally spoke to the manager who was really kind and a people person he let me know that

“The three of them will be here shortly! He said with a gentle smile with his hand directing me to a long table.

Three of them?!

My heart started racing, I was thankful to have been early to calm myself down.

Moments later I was facing three gentlemen asking me a few questions and at some point one them spotted my tattoo on the inside of my arm

“Is that a coffee plant?!” he asked excitedly with animated eyes.

“Yes! It's one of my favourite tattoos I have.” I answered with a nervous smile always remembering how much my parents hate tattoos

“Now that's commitment!” he exclaimed.

By the end they had asked me if they were to hire me when would i be able to start

“Two weeks! I’d have to notify my current employer.” I tried not to show the excitement in just the thought of being hired.

I shook hands with each owner and made my way to the station, hoping and praying that this would help me find my way into the coffee world outside of a corporation.

With each passing day I lost hope and tried to focus on where I was and be thankful I had employment.

Then it happened!

I received an email asking when I could start as they'd love for me to join their family!

Ecstatic, I jotted down my two weeks notice and for the following two weeks told my regulars that I would miss them and had a lot of lovely moments and sad goodbyes.

The night before my mini orientation I kept thinking of my new coffee adventure and how happy I was to not just be considered a partner in a corporation but family, an adoptee's dream.

NOTE: Thank you if you've read thus far! I'm excited to share years worth of an inside look of your local barista.