the underground coffee club

we’re gonna do it anyway.

The official soundtrack for this post - please press play.

One year and two weeks ago I was closing down Offbeat Coffee Studio for the last time. I scheduled myself for the last closing shift; I wanted to be there until the very end, some small comfort, I guess. Read my goodbye post for more context.

Offbeat was a dream job, not the dream job (gotta keep reminding myself). It was a tangible position I crawled towards on my hands and knees. It was my reward for all the shitty jobs, gave some meaning to my suffering and all the things I sacrificed for some low-paying gigs along the way (attending important events for friends/family, a functional shoulder and wrist, healthcare, etc). Maybe it’s dangerous thinking, but I needed that.

Offbeat was the cafe that saved me from quitting coffee and a home when I needed it the most. There may have been an Offbeat before me and before that and also a stark difference before and after the pandemic—I only know my Offbeat. And I know it wasn’t perfect, I wasn’t perfect. I was learning how to manage a staff. I remember the mistakes, painful reminders of my shortcomings, the way I get comfortable in survival mode instead of making it better. The way I cringe away from the hard conversations. The way I expect those conversations to be fair, to me, as a person with a little power. And I know none of it is why the shop closed. It’s just experience, just data to carry with me.

The best thing I carry with me is still the people I met and worked with at Offbeat. It was a place for me and my friends to be in our element, to be experts, to be creatives. And it’s hard to let go of that, again, at the ripe age of defeated.

coffee club

We are lucky, though. We inherited coffee, tea, tools, and equipment from the ghosts of small businesses past. We set it up in Andrew’s basement like a private cafe. There are stacks of cups, ceramic and paper; an espresso machine, batch brew, pour overs, matcha. There’s couches, a booth, some tables, a coffee sleeve stuffed under one leg for balance—the simulation is almost complete. We make seasonal syrups and treats, for fun and not for sales. We make breakfast sometimes, to feed ourselves and not to drive up the ticket numbers.

Someone hit the big score. They figured it out—that we’re gonna do it anyway, even if it doesn’t pay.

baja blast slushie + ceremonial matcha (this was an internet trend recently, and I love how silly it is. we saw Matryoshka in nashville do it and had to try.)

When our schedules don’t align, we find another way to visit, ideally over coffee. We grab a coffee at the cafe where one of us works; maybe we stay a while; maybe we all get to meet at the same time, sit at the big table, share snacks and stickers. I know when I make a fun new drink I’m excited about, they’ll be the first in line to try it. This little group of bev experts are the exact and only audience I care about impressing anymore.

Andrew’s polar bear, Naga, who is very hard to impress

barista files

Everyone thinks their job is under-appreciated. We’ve all said “the world would be a better place if everyone spent a day doing my job,” and I’m sure we’re all right. If everyone in the world spent a day as a barista (or in the service industry in general), I think people would be more humble. We can all use a little humility, and we should all take a turn serving each other.

I asked my friends to answer some questions. I hope the answers provide some insight into a barista’s headspace.

1. your go-to coffee order:

2. your favorite drink to make:

3. what do you wish more customers knew?

4. what do you wish more cafe owners understood?

Andrew

1. My go to order is a capp or drip

2. A pourover or latte

3. You can't get the same thing everywhere! Read a cafe's menu and order from it, or talk to the baristas.

4. Taxes and COGs. Learn how to run a business!

Amelia

1. Cold brew lately, cortado, or pour over

2. Espresso tonics or fun coffee soda type beverages

3. relying on the barista to ask you a million questions and drag your order out of you is genuinely horrible. I also wish they understood that every name and coffee term isn't standard and it doesn't hurt to ask questions if you aren't sure.

4. your employees are people too, and most of them care more about the shop than you realize. Also that a cafe is more for the community than a profit, so they really have to love both the industry and their community for it to do well.

Scarlett

1. lately an iced caramel latte with oat and a cold foam or any fun seasonal bevvy that peaks my interest (usually involving chocolate or fruits or coconut)

2. Any hot latte/ drink that I can pour a latte art, or just a visually appealing drink because I love seeing people take a picture of what I make for them and be excited ab it :) 

3. it’s okay to ask questions, I’m not gonna judge (too much) and I actually enjoy helping people find what drinks they will enjoy 

4. They should check in with their employees and giving them creative freedom encourages connections and overall morale

James

1. Drip

2. Anything clear! (when asked to elaborate, he said teas, tonics, etc. generally drinks made without milk.)

3. That the barista isn't in love with you because they asked you about your day.

4. How to run a business. The trend where people who can't successfully do anything opening a cafe for fun with no industry experience needs to end.

Heather

1. Black cold brew OR with honey as of late

2. Loved making hot lattes bc when latte art did turn out good I'd get so happy. I miss fangirling w custies over it

3. What they were actually ordering / correct barista / custie etiquette

4. Burnout is real and should be better respected / a reminder baristas are human too

Alexis

1. cortado & a drip

2. I love to pour art in a cappuccino; I also love making fun seasonals, especially layered tea drinks.

3. I wish more people researched and understood the tip system—that service industry workers are counting on your tip. Also, I don’t come to your job and stare at you while you work! 

4. the baristas WANT to care about the cafe. if you create a good work environment, they will care more and perform better. this includes but is not limited to running your business at least somewhat successfully. your employees deserve to feel secure! even so, you won’t make a lot of money. do it because you love it or don’t bother. and even so, the love of the craft won’t be enough.

I don’t know if I’ll ever have a sustainable career in coffee. I don’t know if I’ll ever work on bar again with this staff, who became my closest friends. I know that my time at Offbeat gave me most of the things I have and hold today, including my current job at Brickydella, my reputation, and my best friends. I know that when no one is paying us, we still make coffee. Especially when no one is watching, we’re baristas.

make coffee fun again.

xo, teacup ☕️