Ryan and I picked up coffee after lunch today, and his latte was really, really bad. It was so bad, in fact, that he threw it out. It brought to mind something I had been thinking about earlier this summer: how much I appreciate a good latte, and why.
Perhaps you’re wondering to yourself why on earth I’m writing about lattes when there are BIG things happening in the world. Important things. Really meaningful things.
Well, good coffee is important too. Not only does a good latte make my day so much better, but it also signals that the barista takes pride in being good at what he or she does.
I think we can all think back to a job we worked that felt sort of purposeless. Whether it was working at a grocery store, in fast food, in retail, or as a barista, it’s that job that you worked simply to pay rent, pay for school, or supplement your income while you’re working on what you’re really passionate about.
It’s that job that you simply show up to, do what you have to do to make your money, and then you leave.
But here’s a concept: what if EVERY job that you worked you took in pride in being the very best at?
What would it be like to be the fastest grocery store check out person? What if you were so fast that people chose you over the self-check out? Now, there’s a concept. What if you were the nicest, quickest, most efficient drive-thru experience someone could possible have? Or a retail sales clerk who actually wanted to help customers find clothes that fit and looked good? What if you were the barista that EVERYONE wanted to make their coffee because you actually cared about making good coffee?
Maybe it seems like a purposeless job to you, but the experience you create can mean a lot to the customer on the other end of the transaction.
Here’s an example:
This past summer, we spent a few days in Toronto. One afternoon, we met a friend at a coffee shop called Te Aro. As per usual, I ordered an almond milk latte.
I’ve come to expect very little from my almond milk lattes. They are usually not very foamy or slightly burnt, and they almost always look like they were sloppily made. As long they taste okay, I would never complain, because at the end of the day, it’s about how the coffee tastes, not how it looks.
But, let me tell you, a really beautifully-made almond milk latte will most definitely make my day.
The barista at Te Aro finished making my latte, and handed me the most beautiful almond milk latte I have ever seen with a stunning coffee art leaf on it. I was shocked.
“Thank you SO much,” I gushed, “I almost never get beautiful almond milk lattes.”
“No problem,” he replied, “Almond milk is a lot harder to work with than regular milk so I’ve been practicing a lot .”
I thanked him again for my beautiful latte. He proceeded to tell me how almond milk is so hard to make good latte art with that he had spent hours practicing both at home and at the coffee shop.
“Just because you don’t drink dairy doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a beautiful latte. Enjoy it!” he said, as I walked away beaming.
Perhaps it was ridiculous that I was so stoked about my beautiful almond milk latte, but, it’s more than just a beautiful latte. It signalled to me that this barista really cares about being the best at what he does, and ensuring that I have a great latte experience. That is what really made my day.
Maybe this barista wants to work as a barista for the rest of his life or own his own coffee shop, but I would imagine not. I would imagine that he’s someone who recognizes that a good latte can make someones day, and that in order to make a good latte, he needs to be the best barista. In order to be the best barista, he needs to master making great coffee art on every beverage that coffee shop serves with every type of milk. He knows that in order to do that he will have to go above and beyond what is required of him to get a pay cheque. And despite the fact that he gets paid minimum wage and makes no extra money for practicing his latte art outside of work hours, that extra effort goes a long way past the financial return.
I hope the next time you are doing a menial task or are working a job that you’re not passionate about, you channel this barista and ask yourself how you can be the very best at what you do.
Good coffee matters. Good lattes matter. Taking pride in what you do regardless of what it is matters.
For context, here is said latte:
