October 2009

Girls of the Bikini Baristas Talk

Hello,

My name is Holly, and I am a student at the Univeristy of Washington. I work at one of the Barista shops in my spare time outside of the city, and we receive a lot of customers and repeat customers. Because I am well-organized and bring a lot of customers back to our stand, the manager has made me a supervisor, and I help he and his wife with many of the clerical tasks that the business has.

Please blog me with any questions that you might have about being a Barista, or what our job is about.

Starbucks "Pike Place Roast" Review

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I have become very sensitive to the price of coffee lately.  Can you blame me?  Coffee prices have skyrocketed in the last few years, often due to temporary supply issues.  But then what happens when the coffee supply is secured?  Those prices never go down, do they?  

Thus it was with great excitement that I had to read the sign at Starbucks twice.  "Pike Place Roast, $10.95 per pound" it read.  This was not in one of the prominent displays, but in a knee-high barrel display off to the side of the barista's counter.  $10.95 per pound!  That makes this blend competitive with several store brands I have tried, as well as with Pacific Northwest brand Millstone.  

"Have You Tried Our Via Coffee?"

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If you have been into a Starbucks in the last week, you have most likely been asked whether or not you have participated in their "Via Taste Test."  Every Starbucks I have entered has had a little display with two identical carafes and wee paper cups at the front counter, beside the register.  

If you confess that you have not performed the taste test, the barista will dispense a tiny bit of coffee into the wee paper cups, one dose from each carafe, and ask you to decide which one you prefer.  Surprise!  You will probably prefer Via instant coffee.