Local baristas talk about what makes a good shot, and what makes a great barista too.

Acme Coffee Roasting Co.

Barista/owner Larry Thurman

What makes a good barista?

Love for the product and motivation to continually learn, because being a barista is the kind of skill that is as deep and wide as you want it to be. A good barista is constantly learning their job with a love for the product. We are fortunate in this area to have a small but rugged barista culture.

What’s the weirdest customer request you’ve had to deal with?

Everyone in the whole wide world is weird. Here at Acme, we try to treat each and every single person, no matter how weird we might think they are, with charity and in the same manner as everyone else.

What’s the key part for you in making a good espresso or a cappuccino?

Product would be the very first thing. The source of the green coffee absolutely has to be good. We can have the most skilled baristas coming in and if you’re trying to put horse poo inside your espresso machine, it just doesn’t work.

Cafe Lumiere

Barista/owner Brandi Lamb

What makes a good barista?

A good barista must be adaptable. He or she must understand the many variables that can affect the extraction of a great shot of espresso.

What’s the key part for you in making a good espresso or a cappuccino?

The key to great espresso is the quality of the bean, which we never worry about with Larry Thurman’s espresso; great quality, organic milk and an often overlooked component: water. You can’t extract balanced espresso with Monterey’s tap water. Our filtered water, coupled with a well-maintained espresso machine and experienced baristas, ensure a flavorful espresso.

Cherry Bean Coffeehouse & Roastery

Barista/co-owner Todd Williams

What makes a good barista?

The barista makes or breaks your operation, so the barista needs to know all: everything there is to know about the types of coffees you have, what a good shot looks and tastes like, what temperature you’re supposed to steam your milk to, etc. He or she is your first line of defense between your customer and your coffee. You can have as high quality goods as possible, but if your barista doesn’t know what they’re doing, it will break your operation.

What’s the weirdest customer request you’ve had to deal with?

Wow. There are just so many. There are customers who hover and stare at baristas when they make drinks. It will throw you if you don’t know how to deal. They refuse to engage in conversation and keep asking if the drink you’re making is theirs and ask a lot of questions.

What’s the key part for you in making a good espresso or a cappuccino?

It’s a learned art how to make foam. We are focused on the quality of the drink. A good shot should be syrupy, but not too thick so it drips out like rushing water. It has to have a nice sharpness in the body, but a sweetness in the finish.

Bright Coffee

Barista/owner Cameron Davies

What makes a good barista?

Training, lots of it. Not acting “above” anyone else, especially if a customer orders a macchiato and accidentally wanted the one with caramel. Kindness, intelligence, patience, you know, the traits that also make a good human. A lot of various training is important though.

What’s the weirdest customer request you’ve had to deal with?

I like weird! So if I really like you, then watch out. I worked one place that was next to a large downtown urban jail and the inmates would walk by every morning while they were being transferred to/from court, and so I’d have to duck down or else they’d wander over after they were released and try to put on the “bad boy” vibe.

What’s the key part for you in making a good espresso or a cappuccino?

Practice! Good ingredients. Good milk steamed well, in a cold and clean pitcher, with a thermometer, to the correct temperature, rolling and silky steam. Good espresso, fresh (but not too fresh, the age of bean is also important), good grind (consistent particle size from a clean and sharp grinder), consistent dosing, grooming and tamping (keeping that seal between a clean, hot portafilter and grounds tight and even, no hitting the portafilter!). Good water.

Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Co.

Barista Lauren Miller

What makes a good barista?

Someone who has a passion for good coffee and for customer service, because you can love coffee and hate people. And a lot of stamina.

What’s the weirdest customer request you’ve had to deal with?

We have a regular customer who came in a few weeks ago and he brought half a stick of butter and asked us to make espresso with a chunk of butter that he brought in himself. It kind of freaked me out. I have heard of it before, but I just couldn’t believe it. I didn’t make the drink.

What’s the key part for you in making a good espresso or a cappuccino?

For me, it is putting a small amount of milk or water at the bottom of the cup to save the shot of espresso, because it will typically die out in about 15 seconds. That is why you taste bitterness in espresso at some of the other coffee chains, because they let the shot sit too long. There is a lot that goes into the technique and knowing the details of the process