Last month, I took a leap, a small step in the expert barista circles, and ordered a Breville Barista Pro. I’ve had my Keurig K-Cafe for almost six years, and the upgrade bug has been biting me for a while. I still love my K-Cup Pods latte and cappuccino-producing beauty and was saddened to put it back in the box, but I wanted to step up my at-home barista skills.

I received my new machine about a week before I hosted a Christmas Coffee and Cocoa Bar brunch. I watched many YouTube videos to learn the basics. I learned about “dialing in,” choosing the correct filter basket, measuring the coffee grind, breaking up the clumps with a WDT, leveling and tamping your puck, and timing the infusion and extraction. Then there’s the steam wand for your milk of choice. I loved frothing my milk with my old machine, especially for iced lattes. When it comes to using the wand, I need to find the sweet spot where the steamy, silky milk doesn’t water down my iced-flavored delicacies. I learned enough to make festive lattes for my holiday guests, the majority ordering hot over iced, but who’s judging? It was a cold day. It was fun, and people expressed their satisfaction, but what’s a good holiday party without some hiccups?

I was preparing the first two drink orders when the Barista Pro wouldn’t let me lock the portafilter. I kept trying, and it wouldn’t budge. I was so frustrated because I had been practicing for days and didn’t have this problem. I was about to shut down the coffee shop and only offer hot cocoa, orange juice, and water when someone suggested I take the filter basket out of the portafilter and try to lock it. That was the problem! I was so anxious to be the perfect barista that I inserted a single wall filter basket instead of a double. Then the drinks started flowing! I made it through ten lattes with only one milk spill and one guest getting a dab of whole milk mixed with almond or the other way around, but they didn’t even notice. Everyone enjoyed their drinks, with a couple asking for seconds. The downside is that nobody took pics of their lattes. I was so focused on working the machine that I failed to capture my hard work.

This new machine is NOTHING like popping in a pod and pressing a couple of buttons, but I was attracted to the challenge and wanted to learn the process. I’m still learning and practicing getting the perfect shot. The next step will be to master making my milk smooth and creamy to create beautiful latte art, which will take a little more time.

I look forward to developing my home barista talents. However, I’m still a coffee shop girl and have even more respect for the professional coffee artisans who are on their feet for hours a day to make fancy espresso creations for customers like me! 🙂