The espresso bar is where a Coffee Shop & Cafe earns or loses its reputation, one shot at a time. These 7 checks keep every shot and every jug of milk to standard through the whole shift, not just at open. Dose and tamp each shot to the set amount, time it to the set window, and taste-check quality as the day runs. Purge and wipe the steam wand before and after every jug, keep milk cold in the fridge until you need it, and wash the jugs between uses.
Pulling a consistent shot and handling milk safely. You dose and tamp every shot to the set amount, time it to the set window, and check shot quality through the shift. You purge and wipe the steam wand before and after steaming, keep milk cold until use, and wash jugs between uses.
A shot outside the set time window is under- or over-extracted, so it tastes sour or bitter. Timing each shot against the window tells the barista to adjust the grind before a whole run of drinks goes out wrong.
Twice for every jug: once before you steam, to clear condensate from the tip, and once straight after, to stop milk drying onto the wand. Dried milk is both a hygiene risk and a flavour taint on the next drink.
One free app has all of them: open the Coffee Shop & Cafe Checklists app - offline, no account, add it to your home screen.
This is the manual version