Patron Saint of beggars. Picked this up from fredlet. Funny, to me, how this fits with the upcoming Virgo scope. Back on topic: let me say this about that:
I frequent a lot of coffee houses, for fun and profit. Tipping is an important part of the culture. The history of coffee and by extension, coffee houses, goes back 500 years or so. At various times in history, especially literary history, coffee houses have served as important gathering places. There are a couple of localized versions wherein alcohol and tobacco is available alongside the coffee – I do enjoy my little pleasures.
When I was broke, really broke, the most I could afford was a shot of espresso, What that did was refine my approach to way I tasted the coffee. Plus I learned a lot more about just how much labor goes into a decent cup of coffee.
From recent caffeine research, I found out that espresso was coffee that was intended as “made expressly for you.” But what a number of folks don’t get? A single shot of espresso can be a very labor-intensive process.
I’ve used this in a scope already, but I do figure that it bears repeating, the observation about a number of folks lined up, grumbling, that a simple shot of coffee took so long. That “triple-tall-soya-milk-mocha-white-chocolate (with an extra shot) is a labor of love. It can be slammed together in matter of minutes, but it’s not as simple as pouring coffee from an urn. If it’s coffee from an urn? Might I recommend the stuff at the convenience store, down the street, no tipping required.
Not that tipping is required in any coffee place, it’s just a matter of form. And culture. For the last two weeks, I’ve been in and out of Caffe Dali (Mesa, Westside El Paso). Monday morning, on the way to the airport, we stopped one last time. I slipped another dollar in the jar for the Capricorn tending the machine. He doesn’t know my name, but he does know that I like coffee like women.
“Oh, hot and black?”
“Just bitter.”
Actually, he does a very fair approximation of several drinks that I’m fond of. I do prefer my espresso drawn a little slower, but I’m well aware that I’m still training him. Plus he kept trying to sign me up for a “buy ten, get one free” card, even though I don’t figure I’ll ever see that barista again.
Then, Monday evening, on the way home from the bus stop, after the quick shuttle ride home, a Libra barista poured an excellent double espresso. Yeah, so I tipped her a dollar, too. That works out to more than a 50% tip, but she put up with my meandering ways, the way I gawked at the menu for a moment, and earlier, she had humored me about her sign. Monday night was probably a slow night for her, and that dollar – I’m sure – went to a good purpose.
It’s a matter of form. It’s matter of having once been a tipped employee, too. Tipping is not required, but sure helps to ease the transaction. Besides, a truly gifted barista can make a difference.
There was a Taurus lad who did absolutely the best espresso ever. Instead of just grinding the beans, he would grind, pack, then grind some more and pack some more, because he maintained that the extra step produced a better brew. I still have a digital image – someplace – of one of his shots of espresso, a work of art.
The folks who work at Buck all have my admiration and sympathy. It’s not like it’s a glamorous job. For the record, I tend to prefer the independent coffee houses with their mis-matched furniture and sometimes not-so-subtle charm. And usually, at least in Austin, free wireless.
But Starbucks is dependable, and while I don’t plan to make any particular Bucks a personal hangout, that doesn’t mean I won’t tip.
At another place in Austin, I watched while a barista (Scorpio) did the three shots of espresso in the cup, then poured in the frothed milk, stirred it up, then added some other step that either involved more espresso, more frothed milk, or something. I didn’t catch it all. But what the result was? An excellent drink, and very worth that extra dollar which I left behind. Same place, different day, a Gemini ehind the counter, “double espresso with a sollop of frothed milk? In regular cup?” so nice to be remembered. Nicde that, after a dollar tip, once or twice, I do get remembered.
I’ve found that the current crop of coffee houses are a long way from they used to be. But making a decent espresso-based libation is still labor intensive, and being kind to the counter help, like the gesture of a tip, sure helps smooth the transaction.
Catch of the day &
Catch of the night.
- Aperture: ƒ/1.5
- Camera: iPhone 14 Plus
- Flash fired: no
- Focal length: 5.7mm
- ISO: 40
- Shutter speed: 1/120s
