Yesterday San Francisco Eater ran a fantastic piece about Blue Bottle’s lead barista and cupper, Bennett Cross. Besides serving as a great peek into his daily grind, the article addresses the phenomenon of coffee snobbery in an intelligent way.
“It’s all about sharing,” he says. “I think coffee snobbery is just baristas not wanting to share what they know with an interested person. Coffee for me is one way to talk to people . . . I’d love nothing more than to geek out with customers. But you also need to know who is interested in all the minutia about the coffee, or who just wants to get a cappuccino and be on their way. Sometimes a barista can’t fulfill an order to the exact specifications they’ve been asked to. They can just tell the customer, ‘No, we don’t do that,’ or they can give a little background on why they can’t. Maybe they don’t have all of the ingredients . . . But to deny without explanation comes off as snobbery and as if they just don’t want to do what they’ve been asked. At the end of the day it’s all about providing good customer service and putting forward a delicious drink that I am proud to present.”
I couldn’t agree more!
Read the full article on SF Eater: eater.cc/PkXAt6
H/T Jason Dominy
