Area Man Works In Tech To Learn How To Become Barista
SOMA, SAN FRANCISCO — People work in the tech industry for a variety of reasons: to support an interesting mission, enjoy good work-life balance, or make a bunch of money, to name a few. For Felix Lee, the reason was to learn how to make damn good coffee.
Mr. Lee, a business analyst at a unicorn startup, shows up to his company’s offices at 8 AM every day in order to practice his coffee-making without distraction. The day that we caught up with Mr. Lee, he was practicing his pour-over technique in an empty micro-kitchen.
“When I came out of school, I wasn’t sure what industry I should go into,” he said as he tapped on an electronic scale and measured out precisely 43 grams of coffee into a Chemex. “But I did some research and came to the conclusion that working in tech would best set me up for what I would ultimately want to be: a hipster barista in a tiny coffee shop somewhere in the city.”
Mr. Lee started off making espresso drinks for his coworkers. By watching Youtube videos and seeking advice from more experienced coworkers, he eventually graduated from making plain Americanos to luxurious lattes topped with tulip-shaped milk foam. Over time, he realized that he needed dedicated quiet time to experiment and practice his craft. Hence why he shows up at 8 AM every morning, far earlier than when any of his co-workers arrive, to an unsettlingly quiet office. “When you get here this early, there’s nothing around but you and the coffee,” he laughed. “Making coffee like this is kind of meditative.”
“In finance, people are so busy that they just use Keurigs. They don’t want to wait a minute for someone to make an espresso, let alone five minutes for a good pour-over,” said Mr. Lee as he delicately poured in a stream of water in a circular pattern. “Here, I can come downstairs to make myself a cappuccino on a $20,000 Marzocco, take my time, and nobody will hassle me about it. It’s by far the best part of my day.”
Mr. Lee is not alone. A variety of groups have popped up within tech companies to practice coffee-making together and provide career counseling for future barista career moves. Nest’s UX team even has a public Instagram page documenting coffee-making attempts by newbies and experts alike.
As the timer on his phone went off, we asked Mr. Lee what the next steps in his career would look like. “I’m just looking to learn as much as I can, but I really feel like there’s a lack of coffee mentorship at this company,” he told us as he poured the coffee into a mug. “I’m thinking of working at Square. They have a full coffee bar in their office staffed by some really experienced baristas. I feel like I could grow in a lot of ways by being around them.”
He handed the mug of coffee to our correspondent, who took a sip. It was delicious.
