FAQ
ESPRESSO REPUBLIC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a Barista?
A Barista (not Barrister) is the Italian word for bartender and is usually a person who works in a coffee-house (cafe) who prepares and serves espresso based coffee drinks. The concept of a barista derives itself mostly from being the coffee version of a skilled cocktail bartender who is knowledgeable and skilled in his or her beverage craft.
What is the difference between espresso coffee and other forms of coffee?
Espresso coffee (not expresso) is brewed using an espresso machine by forcing a small amount of near boiling water (generally 89°C -93°C) under pressure through finely ground coffee.
The term espresso has Italian roots and conveys the notion of pressing coffee and coffee service with speed. As a result of the pressurised brewing method, the flavours and chemicals in a typical cup are very concentrated.
Espresso is the base for popular drinks such as Caffe Latte, Cappuccino, Caffe Mocha, Caffe Macchiato or Caffe Americano. Other forms of coffee do not utilise such high pressures in their brewing and are generally less concentrated.
BARISTA ACADEMY
Why are your Basic Training and Specialist training programs 4 hours long?
Both of these programs are designed to help ensure that the barista has enough time to practice and be comfortable with the concepts and skills presented in the course. The primary aim of this course is to prepare cafe staff to comfortably and confidently prepare and serve high quality espresso coffee in a high volume, busy cafe where they may be required to produce 200 - 500 cups of coffee a day.
What makes Espresso Republic's Barista Academy training programs different to others?
The primary difference is that our programs are based on real-world experience working in busy, high volume cafe businesses. We have also invested in our own knowledge and skills by learning from coffee roasters, specialty coffee baristas and barista championship winners. Another difference is that unlike other barista training providers, we provide the time for people to practice new concepts and skills within the training session.
How much do Espresso Republic Barista Academy training programs cost?
Costs will vary depending on the type of training program being conducted and the location of the training session (either at a cafe of your choice or at one of our nominated training facilities). As a result, we provide a quoted price per person when you Contact Us. Generally, the costs for each training program are outlined below:
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Basic Training ($229/person) incl. GST
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Specialist Training ($229/person) incl. GST
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Tuition Workshop ($89/person) incl. GST
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Latte Art Program ($129/person) incl. GST
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Barista @ Home ($219/person) incl. GST
I have years of experience working in the hospitality industry and have worked as a barista for quite a while. What would I gain from completing any Espresso Republic training programs?
As an experienced barista, we wouldn't initially recommend the Basic Training program to you. However, we would recommend the Tuition Workshop in which we evaluate your skills and processes and concentrate on areas that you can improve on. No matter the skill level or experience, it is our opinion that there is always something a barista can improve on in their craft. Also, due to the rapidly changing trends in the coffee industry (such as changing preferences of milk foam in cappuccinos) it is important that baristas keep up to date with the latest industry preferences.
As a cafe business owner we train our own baristas and have our own coffee standards. Why should we or our staff complete Espresso Republic barista academy training programs?
Working and operating a cafe business requires long hours and a lot of attention. As a result, you may not have the time to train baristas to the standards that will help ensure that every cup of coffee from your cafe business is served with quality and efficiency. A key difference in our training programs is that we explain the physics and science behind various barista techniques which will provide your staff with a framework and a language that enables them to adapt quickly to your specific coffee standards. They will also be aware of various indicators and techniques that will either add or subtract quality to your coffee product.
CAFE CONSULTING
I am interested in your Cafe Consulting Services. How much do they usually cost?
The cost of the Cafe Consulting service will depend on the level of engagement that you would like us to be involved with in your business. We will initially conduct an assessment and discuss with you the key areas of your cafe business you would like us to engage with. Afterwards, we would provide you with a cost estimate and a quote for the price of our services.
FINDING A LOCAL BARISTA JOB
I am wanting to become a barista, but I have no experience. Would I be able to find a job as a barista by completing Espreeo Republic training programs?
Working as a barista in a busy cafe requires a person to incorporate many different skills at high speeds. This means that you will need to perform barista skills that we teach whilst thinking about the most efficient way of producing multiple drink orders. Even though our training programs provide you with a strong foundation of correct barista techniques and will give you a great start in being a barista, we recommend that if you have never been a barista before and have taken our courses that you apply as a Front of House/Secondary barista at a cafe. You can then team up with a more experienced barista and learn their preferred system of working and gain efficiency in your beverage preparation.
As a barista who has been trained and assessed by Espresso Republic, what can I do to improve my chances of finding a barista job?
You can improve your chances of finding a job by providing Espresso Republic with your most current work history within the coffee industry. We will then collect and compile this information for cafes who have contacted us about looking for a barista.
You can also complete an Espresso Republic Tuition Workshop in which we will provide a training session focused on troubleshooting and improving your barista skills. We will then assess you so that we can provide cafes with an up to date assessment record.
FINDING BARISTAS FOR YOUR CAFE
How much does it cost to advertise for baristas on the Espresso Republic website and other Espresso Republic social media pages (Facebook and Twitter)?
The cost to advertise barista job vacancies for your cafe business is $40 (incl. GST) for 30 days.
As a cafe owner/manager, what can I expect from baristas who you recommend and have undertaken Espresso Republic training programs?
Each barista that we recommend and who have undertaken our training programs should have a sound knowledge and understanding of what is involved in consistently preparing and serving a high quality coffee. They should be able identify and perform key techniques that contribute to a great espresso. They should also be able steam and texture milk to a standard that is acceptable to all cafes, creating creamy, shiny milk containing micro bubbles to an acceptable standard drinking temperature (55°C - 60°C). They should have a knowledge and skill set that will enable them to quickly adapt to your cafe systems and produce coffee to your standards.
However depending on the baristas industry experience and the level of training that they have undertaken with us, their proficiency in their skills will vary. We recommend that Baristas that have no industry experience and have done a Basic Training program with us be hired as a Front of House person first and gain experience as a barista by working with one of your baristas in your cafe.
We will only recommend baristas who have passed our assessments which are a part of our training programs. Our assessments our outlined in the following:
Basic Training Assessment: Assesses the baristas ability to produce high quality espresso based coffees according to New Zealand Coffee Standards in a consistent manner.
Specialist Training Assessment 1: Assesses a baristas ability to adjust the grinder in order to extract high quality espresso coffee. We also assess their ability to converse and build a rapport with a customer whilst preparing and serving high quality coffees in a consistent manner.
Specialist Training Assessment 2: Assesses a baristas ability to prepare and serve a large number of coffees within a limited time whilst maintaining a high level of quality and consistency.
When recommending a barista, we will provide information to you regarding their industry experience, the type of assessment(s) that they have completed and their key strengths and areas where they can improve. We will also provide you with information regarding when they completed their assessment(s) to help you make an informed decision about their suitability for your cafe business.
BARISTA ASSESSMENT TOOLS
I am a cafe owner/manager and I am wanting to ensure that I am happy with the baristas that I hire. What can I do to improve how I recruit and select my baristas?
By undertaking Espresso Republic's Barista Assessment tools training program, we will provide you with systems and tools to assess future applicants for a barista role in your cafe and also existing baristas that are a part of your cafe business. The session will be a approximately 1.5 hours and you will be able to assess baristas the same way we do.
The cost of the session including the assessment tools is ($390/person) incl. GST.
espresso republic
BARISTA TRAINING + CAFE CONSULTANCY
new zealand