You love coffee.
You drink it every day and savor every sip from your mug, getting a lot of energy and flavor.
You know of many different kinds of coffee drinks – from espresso, to cappuccino, to nitro coffee.
You love it so much that you want to pursue a career as a certified barista.
I have just one question: do you have what it takes?
By Andrew.
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While making specialty coffees is more difficult than making coffee from your standard at-home drip coffee maker, becoming a barista is not as difficult as it may seem.
It takes practice, but in no time, you will be making specialty coffee with ease and become a coffee artist.
You will be tasting every drink you make on your palette to discern whether or not it needs some tweaking or if the way you made it is just right.
Don’t know where to start your journey towards becoming a barista?
It is important to get certified to be the best of the best.
There are barista certification programs in the U.S., online, and international ones.
Why Is It Important To Get Certified?
A barista is a very popular profession as coffee is the most popular drink in the world.
And because it is very popular, it is also very competitive.
Why not stand out from the crowd and get certified to ensure that you beat out the competition?
By the way, have you had a look at our resources and deals page yet?
Some Background Information About Barista Certifications
What does it mean to be certified?
It means that you have taken a class or classes and passed a test to become an expert in all things coffee, customer service, and cash register duties.
There is no government requirement or specific educational requirements to work in a coffee shop and most coffee shops offer on-the-job training, to work in a higher end café.
But getting certified is the best way to ensure you have the knowledge and skills.
This way you can thrive in a fast paced, customer focused environment and to make every coffee drink imaginable.
To enroll in a barista certification program, you must bring with you a passion for coffee and the desire to provide the best possible experience for the customer.
A barista certification program offers an organized and official way to achieve this end.
They provide information in a hands-on way that is absorbable and engaging.
Barista certification can expand career options in the field, improve your job performance, and increase your attention to detail, which means more tips for you!
Barista Certificate: How to Use It
Upon completion of a barista certification program, you will receive a certificate, either electronically or a hard copy.
Use this certificate as a tool to jumpstart and launch your career in coffee.
Electronically attach this certificate to your resume in your email to your prospective employer or bring the hard copy with you to your interview.
While a barista certificate is important to stand out from the crowd, it is simply a tool.
It is equally important to show your personality in your resume and during your interview to show that you are a people person and customer focused.
A barista certificate generally is good for one to three years.
Some organizations require that you refresh your skills so that you stay up to date on best practices and techniques.
Your certificate will state the level of barista training you receive, often denoted as Level One, Level Two, etc.
Barista Certifications in the U.S.
There are a number of barista certification programs in the U.S.
Most take a day or two to complete.
You will learn many skills and leading-edge techniques dealing with all types of coffee equipment and taste your creations to create the best cup on your journey as an aspiring barista.
When first starting out, don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
You will make some mistakes, but don’t let that get to you.
Don’t worry – you will be training alongside several other students of the craft who are on the same journey as you and you will be learning from experts.
Learning about the intensity of flavors, delectable coffee aromas, and ratios of espresso to milk may seem like a daunting task – and it is, at first.
But remember: practice makes perfect.
Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Barista Courses
If you are an American living in the U.S. and want to become a barista, a good starting point would be to join the SCAA and Barista Guild of America (part of the SCAA).
Sign up for their Level One certification class.
Certification from this organization is widely known as the standard.
The SCAA is comprised of the best experts in the world in the coffee industry.
One Great Reason To Get Certified As A Barista
A great reason to get certified through the SCAA is that you can make around $200,000 more in your lifetime compared to noncertified baristas.
The more skilled you are because of certification means that you can get promoted to a management position and make more money.
What exactly does the class entail?
Level 1 SCAA Barista Certification: A Short Description of What You Will Learn
In the Level 1 SCAA Barista Certification Courses, you will learn the basics of how to make espresso, including how to add steamed and textured milk to make many different drinks.
To complete Level 1, you must take Introduction to Espresso Part 1, Introduction to Espresso Part 2, Introduction to Cupping, Introduction to Brewing and Extraction, and Introduction to Customer Service.
After completing these basic courses, you will be required to take the Level 1 certification test to become a certified Level 1 barista.
Level 2 SCAA Barista Certification: Learn Even More
To go even further with your barista education, you can get Level 2 certification.
Just as with Level 1 certification, you need to complete a group of courses including: Milk and Latte Art, Grind, Dose, Temp Extract 201, Espresso Bar Efficiency and Workflow, and Exploring Espresso Equipment.
To complete the certification process for Level 2, you must also take and pass the Level 2 Barista Certification Exit Exam.
The Seattle Barista Academy (SBA): Another Great Option
Another great choice if you do not choose the SCAA is the Seattle Barista Academy.
They are different than other barista training programs.
They reduce the number of students per class to increase the amount of one-on-one instruction and personalized attention on your barista training journey.
Also, they are located in the coffee capital of the United States.
You will receive a high-quality education by using high quality espresso machines and grinders and learn the latest brewing methods.
In addition, best practices of customer service will be taught.
Another great reason to choose the Seattle Barista Academy is that if you are not satisfied with your training experience, you can get a refund – do note that this may change over time.
Barista Certificate Online
Can’t attend in person classes?
Not to worry – there are a number of ways to get a barista certificate online.
While online programs do not offer the personalized attention that in person classes do, they will still provide you with enough background knowledge of how to do your job well.
Barista Hustle: The Best Online Barista Training Program
One such online barista training course that is highly rated is Barista Hustle.
It is a completely theory-driven class that is a lot cheaper than both the SCAA and SBA programs.
Theories that are covered include coffee flavors, espresso, brewing, and extraction.
This serves aspiring baristas well as the information learned reflect up-to-date research on science of the coffee making industry conducted by Barista Hustle.
Bellissimo Coffee Advisors: Experts in Online Barista Education
Bellissimo Coffee Advisors offer an online barista training course at www.onlinebaristatraining.com.
You can access their videos, information, and tests on their website.
It is designed for both individual baristas and coffee shop owners alike.
In fact, if employers choose to use the website, they can sign up for a monthly subscription and their employees can access the training.
The training includes learning terminology useful to being a barista.
Preparing espresso, learning how to do latte art, roasting basics, steaming milk, how to tidy up your work area, and maintenance of all coffee related equipment are all taught.
Ultimately, you will learn how to be an efficient barista in no time – all entirely online!
International Barista Certificate
There are a number of programs around the world that offer an international barista certificate.
Learning at an international program means you will be globally certified in all things barista.
You will be a part of an international network of barista experts.
This will serve you long after you finish one of the following international programs that offer international barista certification.
International Barista and Coffee Academy (IBCA): A Great Way to Ger Your International Barista Certificate
The IBCA is a world-renowned international program that offers curriculum that can open doors for you in the coffee industry.
Whether you want to improve your skills as an individual barista or improve your business, this is the choice for you.
This program delves deeper into the art of becoming a barista.
It offers a deeper understanding and training compared to the SCAA program by letting you pick the brain of world-famous coffee experts.
Also, students from all over the world have benefitted from completing the program and receiving their international coffee certificate.
From Albania to Greece to China, to states across the U.S., the number of countries represented in the program is astounding.
The Espresso Academy: Their Partners That Teach the Italian Approach to Coffee Making
Another great international program is the Espresso Academy.
They have a number of partner schools all across the globe that further develop skills in the Italian Barista Method.
From cupping to roasting to latte art, you will learn the ins and outs of the Italian way of making coffee.
As of July 2022, there are partner schools in:
- Nepal
- The United Arab Emirates
- Thailand
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Mexico
- Egypt
- Jordan
- Switzerland
- Qatar
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- China
- Saudi Arabia
Be a part of an international network of coffee experts and learn from them to further enhance your skills and improve your business.
TESDA Schools: International Acclaim for Offering Thorough Barista Courses
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA for short) have a number of schools around the globe that offer a high-quality barista education.
TESDA in the Philippines offers a short course to learn the ins and outs of becoming a barista.
Other schools offer courses that can take up to three months, while others can be completed in as little as eleven days.
Check out the link above for more information!
How to Become a Barista? Your FAQ-s Answered
Q: What is needed to be a barista?
A: There are a number of things that are nice to have and some that are required:
- Experience in customer service and background knowledge of coffee is strongly preferred
- A High school diploma is also nice to have, sometimes required sometimes not. High school students are thought by employers to be too focused on school and extracurriculars to also focus on being a professional barista, however
- A very social personality. You must be a people person
- Able to work as part of a team
- Able to stand, walk, and bend for long periods time, including being able to lift up to 25 pounds
- Able to work during the busiest times of the day
- Great communication skills
- Good math skills
Q: Why is a Barista such an Integral Role at a Coffee Shop
A: Employing an efficient barista at a coffee shop is very important and determines the reputation of the business.
A great barista will build a rapport with customers and suggest coffee drinks that he or she thinks the customers would like based on their past choices.
Hiring certified baristas is the best prediction that the business can make that their business will have a good reputation.
Q: What is the U.S. National Average Pay for Certified Baristas
A: The national average salary for a certified barista is $26,284. This is according to ziprecruiter.com.
Q: Is There a Free Barista Course Out There That Also Offers a Certificate?
A: I was able to gather a couple websites that offer a free barista course, but they do not offer a certificate of completion.
Free barista courses are great if you are a beginner, can only complete the training online, and just want some basic information about how to become a barista.
Course Arena has compiled a list of the best free and online barista courses that are on YouTube. Check out the link and see for yourself.
You will learn about grinding coffee, steaming milk, and making iced coffee drinks and espresso.
To get a little more advanced, there is also training in latte art!
Conclusion
Your passion for all things coffee has turned into a desire to become a barista.
After reading, do you think you can do it?
Becoming a certified barista takes dedication to the craft, persistence to hone your skills, and a passion for customer service.
When you show these skills, customers will come back and talk about what a great experience they had at the new coffee shop down the street.
In order to ensure this great customer experience, it helps a lot to become certified.
There are a number of barista certification programs in the United States and across the globe.
Be sure to do your research on these programs and find the best option for you!
Photos by Tim Douglas, Bhuwan Bansal and ClaroCafe
