Looks like you're located outside the continental United States!
While we can't ship Royal NY Line Up boxes to you through our website, our team of coffee traders will be happy to help place your order and secure the best shipping rates for you.
Please note that if you have other items in your cart such as tea or tickets to an event at The lab, you will not be able to proceed to payment until all 22lb. boxes have been removed from your order
Looks like you're located outside the continental United States!
While we can't ship Royal NY Line Up boxes to you through our website, your coffee trader will be happy to help place your order and secure the best shipping rates for you.
Calling all baristas, aspiring & seasoned alike! If you’re looking for “barista classes near me”, then The Lab by Royal New York has got you covered. Join us this fall for SCA Barista Skills Foundation & Intermediate courses at the RNY Lab.
Why take SCA Barista Classes at the RNY Lab?
More often than we would like, the importance of the barista role is downplayed, underestimated, or in the worst cases, downright ignored. Having properly trained, SCA-certified baristas can be incredibly advantageous when trying to set your café experience apart from the rest.
The barista is the spokesperson for all the work that has gone into a coffee. Their finishing touches determine what impact that coffee will have on a customer. Plus, baristas are responsible for customer satisfaction. When baristas are armed with the ability to create a consistent brew and provide that coffee’s product info, their customer service skills can’t be beat!
Consistency
One of the key components of customer satisfaction is consistency. Imagine repeatedly ordering a mocha from your corner café that was constantly changing. Last week’s was too sweet, yesterday’s wasn’t sweet at all, and today’s coffee flavor is too strong. After too many inconsistencies, you’d probably become annoyed and walk another block to the next coffee shop.
Serving a consistent product builds brand trust between your café and customer, which in turn builds a loyal customer base. However, this type of consistency doesn’t just happen; coffee is a complex and dynamic product. If you’re looking consistency in your coffee, then you’ll need to dedicate time to your product in order for it to become successful.
Product Knowledge
Another important variable that sets apart an okay coffee experience from a great one is product knowledge. There are many coffee shops that have all the shiny new gear they can afford. These cafés might be meticulously curated with the most modern of décor, and maybe they even have baristas who delicately pour fancy shapes upon every almond cortado they serve.
Have you been to this shop? And more importantly, have you tasted their espresso without the benefit of an oat rosetta served in a fancy glass? Can the staff say where their coffee comes from or offer tips on how to brew your coffee better at home?
If the espresso doesn’t taste good on its own, or the barista can’t answer these questions, then the customer may leave disappointed, even if the drinks look fancy and the café has good vibes. You never want to miss an opportunity to provide a well-rounded experience by taking people on the journey that is specialty coffee!
SCA Barista Classes at the RNY Lab
Now that you know how having SCA-trained baristas can make all the difference, are you ready to sign up for classes at the RNY Lab? We currently offer both foundation and intermediate courses to help create a framework for this (lifelong) journey.
The foundation level focuses on the basics of making a consistent beverage in your café—namely, espresso. We will build upon knowledge of coffee varieties and various processing methods to guide informed menu development and recipe creation to craft consistent quality beverages. Additionally, you’ll learn how to brew a classic cappuccino and an americano.
In the intermediate course, we’ll go more in-depth, focusing on grind size, dosing, tamping, brew ratio, and more. When you learn how to taste and respond to these variables, you’ll understand how to optimize a coffee’s flavor, or dial in. To serve coffee at peak quality, you’ll work on delivering multiple beverage orders, as well as establishing best practices and orders of operation. We’ll also practice making orders while double-barring, or having two baristas on one machine.
Once you or your barista all-stars can consistently construct a deliciously complex and alluring espresso, there will inevitably be more questions; there always are if coffee is your true calling! Before even considering shot calibration, every throw-down-thirsty barista will probably ask about latte art. They’ll want to know more about the technique that allows them to pour hearts, clovers, maybe even swans! In this barista course, they’ll learn that while proper steaming optimizes the milk’s flavor, sweetness, and texture, proper pouring skills can create a visually striking drink with excellent composition.
Final Thoughts
In addition to learning these skills, these classes allow for all levels of coffee people to experiment and ask questions in a judgment-free environment. You’re surrounded by peers who also thirst for more knowledge as well as SCA instructors who have dedicated their careers to learning and helping others pursue a vibrant coffee community across the world. Last, but not least, these classes will set aside time to go over some fundamentals of café health and food safety, customer service, and basic business practices to help put these skills together in a real-world café setting.
