The pile of cups that used to lie face down on top of the espresso machine is gone. That morning, the clock had not yet reached 9 o’clock, and the barista, Krisna Dul, had run out of cups because Suka Espresso Café’s visitors were very busy.
Since 7 am, customer visits have been flowing non-stop. The supply of 5 kg of roasted coffee beans, which he had prepared for that day, was almost gone.
“Working the morning shift, the speed is like this. Operating two groups of espresso machines is a bit overwhelming, but I’m still like it,” he said.
The espresso machine barely stops hissing. Two portafilters alternately squeeze the coffee grounds, releasing thick, golden shine espresso. Meanwhile, the crisp sound of the grinder machine grinding coffee beans only occasionally stops.
This coffee shop located at the corner of Pengosekan Street, Ubud, doesn’t look too big. However, this two-story building is always full of visitors in the morning. The sofas and benches are always warmed by customers who enjoy the breakfast menu and coffee.
“After taking a break from rush hour, I took the time to check sales data, and check whether there was stock of materials that needed to be immediately requested from the warehouse,” he said.
Apart from handling the duties of the barista, Krisna Dul also has to ensure that the stock of ingredients for the kitchen, cocktail bar, and juice, is sufficient. He must carefully read sales data and estimate the remaining materials in storage. If needed, he must immediately make a storage request to the warehouse so that it can be prepared immediately.
“Usually I have my lunch in the warehouse, and after that, I bring ingredients for the café’s stock storage from there to here,” he said.
Even as a barista, the scope of work is quite complex. Not just making coffee. A tiny walkie-talkie always hangs on his waist, for communication with the entire work team.
But this graduate of the Bali Tourism School majoring in Culinary Management started working as a Plate Checker and Juice Bar. His job is to ensure that the menu is served safely and beautifully before serving it to customers.
He was not immediately assigned to be behind the espresso coffee machine. It takes time for corporate’s culture orientation in the work environment and product knowledge to truly understand it.
“To be able to use an espresso machine, I have to wait 3 months. Because being a barista here requires high qualifications. “We are required to be able to make coffee that meets standards and is consistent,” he said.
Initially Interested in Becoming a Barista
Krisna Dul is the nickname of a young man whose full name is I Wayan Krisna Mahendra. Initially, he never thought about working as a barista. It all started with the noisy atmosphere of coffee training at the restaurant where he used to work.
Coincidentally, the restaurant was inviting coffee trainers from Jaya Coffee Roasters. Krisna Dul also saw the fun of the training participants practicing how to make latte art coffee.
“I see it looks like fun. “I became more interested in exploring coffee rather than struggling in the kitchen,” he recalled, while rearranging the coffee cups, which had returned to clean condition.
Since then, he has begun to learn to recognize coffee and use coffee equipment. Coincidentally, some of his friends worked in coffee shops, so he could study while buying coffee.
“I buy coffee at Monkey Cave Espresso, but I make the coffee myself,” he said, telling how he learned about coffee at a coffee shop in the Monkey Forest area of Ubud. Of course, his friends, who were already baristas there, were happy to teach him.
His decision to pursue his barista skills seemed to be supported by the universe. He was invited by his cousin to work in a small coffee shop on Hanoman Street, Ubud. He just realized that his cousin, who was preparing to move to a cruise ship travel agency, had made Krisna Dul his successor to manage the coffee shop.
“I was left alone. I don’t know much about coffee, but I have been given the responsibility of managing a coffee shop. “I was really having a hard time because I wasn’t ready,” he said.
He decided to resign because he realized that his capacity was not sufficient for such a big responsibility. Krisna Dul doesn’t want to become a burden at his place of work.
He was not unemployed for long, he was offered a job as a barista at Purga Café, a new coffee shop in the Bisma Street area, Ubud. A friend who happened to be trusted as the manager of the coffee shop invited him to join.
However, just as he was starting to enjoy his new profession, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the shop to stop.
The COVID-19 pandemic situation has meant that very few coffee shops are running their businesses. He was forced to stop being a barista.
Krisna Dul didn’t want to keep quiet. Together with his friend, he opened a Balinese wine shop which could provide a happy atmosphere in the tense pandemic situation.
The shop, which is open from 4 p.m., often closes at 4 a.m. because many customers like to hang out there.
Krisna Dul, apparently, can’t stand it if he has to keep staying up late. Finally, not even 6 months later, he decided to close his business.
Running his own business is apparently not easy. He started applying for work at a restaurant near his house. However, after working there for a while, he decided to try opening his own business selling donuts.
Unfortunately, the business selling donuts did not run smoothly and went out of business.
It seemed like the universe was guiding him back to the world of coffee. A roaster staff member, a coffee bean supplier at the café where he previously worked, offered a job vacancy at Suka Espresso Café.
At the café, even though he cannot have direct contact with the coffee machine, Krisna Dul still carries out his job description with full responsibility.
Barista Krisna Dul Tenacity Test
A test of his steadfastness ensued. A careless act almost ruined his path to pursuing his dream of becoming a barista.
The shards of glass that he accidentally broke the night before bounced into one of the bowls at the top of the glassware rack. Even though that night, he had cleaned up the scattered glass debris, apparently there was one shard hidden.
“Early in the morning, one customer almost swallowed a piece of glass from the smoothie bowl,” he said sadly.
A commotion ensued. Luckily, the kitchen captain was wise, so the situation was under control. After apologizing and compensating the customer, a major evaluation was carried out.
“My Captain doesn’t necessarily blame me. “He carefully invited us all to be more responsible in our respective duties, so that fatal incidents would not happen again,” he recalled.
But Krishna Dul was specifically spoken to. Be reminded to be more careful.
The workplace is like a payuk jakan, a Balinese term which means rice pot. If we can work and live from there, we should care for and respect the place where we work.
Krisna Dul made this incident an episode to test his determination to become more professional at work.
After waiting three months, his patience paid off. Finally, he was able to operate the espresso machine and handle the influx of coffee orders, especially in the morning. He really enjoyed it.
The atmosphere in the cafe gradually calmed down. At around 10 am, Krisna Dul was able to stretch his fingers a little and relax the tense muscles.
When there were no more coffee orders, he started going around to the juice bar, kitchen, and cocktail bar, to make sure everything there was running smoothly. He must be alert if there is a problem that must be resolved immediately.
A moment later, he moved into the next room, opened his laptop, and monitored the sales numbers and stock of materials in the data storage. Then he made notes of what he needed to request from the warehouse this afternoon.
That’s Krisna Dul, who is now a senior barista at Suka Espresso Café. Not just making coffee, but also having the responsibility to ensure the entire team works well.
Looking back, the journey to becoming a barista was not always smooth. Sometimes circumstances force it to stop. But as long as he keeps trying to move, there is always an open way.
He realized that the barista profession was not just serving latte art and felt that was enough. But you must really have complete knowledge about the coffee product, so that you can better communicate the product to consumers.
“I want to further deepen my coffee sensory and roastery skills,” he said, explaining his plans.
Barista Krisna Dul is consistent with his choice of profession. Now, he is starting to plan for the future. This young man, who has just ended his single life by marrying a woman named Ersa Mayuni, wants to upgrade his skills. He wants to have more complete knowledge and skills about coffee. Because he knows that a long journey full of twists and turns and challenges awaits ahead. Krisna Dul will not stop.
Continue to move according to the rhythm of the universe that has invited him to walk this far. His steps became more firm and definite. Because the universe doesn’t want him to stay away from the world of coffee.
Follow Krisna Dul on his Instagram account, @krisnandra24
