1. Cappuccinos and Lattes are very different

The cappuccino that you get at the gas station or even in your Keurig cup, is not the same that you will get at your local coffee shop. A true cappuccino is espresso, ¼ milk and then you fill the rest of the cup up with foam. Most cappuccino drinkers get no flavor and just stick with the strong espresso taste and foamy aftermath. Therefore if you like sweet, creamy goodness as your coffee of choice, you’re better off with a latte (espresso, ¾ milk, and ¼ foam, and any flavor you can imagine).

2. Learning not to cry over spilled milk

The thought of spilling milk before working at a coffee shop scared me, mostly because I’m not a milk fan, but second of all it’s a lot to clean up. But once you work in a coffee shop, you learn that spilling milk is just part of the job (as well as spilling a lot of other things because I’m really clumsy). You also learn that milk in your hair is a right of passage in the barista world.

3. Creating the perfect whipped cream topping

Whipped cream is a nice little treat on top of any drink (mostly frappes) but creating that swirly masterpiece isn’t as easy as it looks. Once I learned how to create the perfect whipped cream topping (without squirting it everywhere before hand) I learned that this was easily another right of passage as a barista.

4. Learning that a “Mocha” is actually the same thing as a “Mocha Latte”

If you haven’t learned from ordering at your local coffee shop or Starbucks, there is a secret language to coffee and literally every day I learn another secret, this one in particular still confuses me a little. When someone orders a “Mocha” they are just ordering a latte with chocolate flavoring and as a barista you should know exactly that (which I did not learn until like a month ago and I’ve been a barista almost a year). Saying that you want a “Mocha latte” is actually redundant believe it or not because in coffee lingo a “mocha” or “white mocha” is automatically code for a latte. If it’s still confusing to you, it’s okay because I’m not sure if I totally get it either.

5. Not feeling heat anymore

When I first started out everything I touched someone burned me and even things I knew would burn me I touched anyways (don’t ask why). So after countless steamed milk spills, hot water splashes, and brewed coffee burning you, you kind of learn that you don’t feel heat anymore because you're constantly getting burned or scalded by something. Most of the time this is my fault because i forget that things are hot and I put my hands in the crossfire but nonetheless my pain tolerance has gone up quite a lot since becoming a barista.

6. Remembering a regular's order

I remember the first time I had a customer come in and I remembered their order perfectly (and then they decided to “switch it up that day” and I had to remake the drink, but still). It was like all my hard work had finally paid off and after countless customers I had finally nailed someone’s order.

7. Learning that working at a coffee shop is probably the funniest job, ever

I’ve worked in retail and child care, as a hostess at a restaurant and being a barista still makes the #1 spot as the coolest job. Not only is it fitting because my blood type is 50% coffee but the laid back atmosphere is so unique depending and inviting that it’s hard for it not to feel like home. Not only that but the people that you interact with and the stories and experience you have working inside a coffee shop is like no other. There is something about the conversation that is shared over a cup of coffee that is so unique and being able to be apart of that is pretty awesome (and I get to drink coffee all day so that’s always a plus).