The bountiful benefits of being a barista
Being a barista - someone who makes and serves coffee - might seem like an easy thing to do, but for Susan le Roux it is a form of art.
POLOKWANE – Susan decided to turn her passion for coffee into a business and founded Bayhound Coffee Works to this end. Running a coffee shop, she explained, has its ups and downs but she enjoys every challenge that has crossed her path so far.
“You’ll often find me putting a batch of beans in the roaster, pouring some flat whites and running off to toast a sandwich all in short succession, only to make it back to the roaster just in time to adjust the temperatures as the beans hit first crack. In between all of that I’m stoked to be supplying coffee and, in some cases, training to The Red Plate in Haenertsburg, Afri-Deli in Tzaneen. Soon I will also supply to the The Bakery Co. boutique bakery in Savannah Mall. It feels like a lot but I’m only just getting started. As the first and only coffee roastery in the city, it is my absolute responsibility and privilege to create the best artisan coffee and beverages money can buy, and to listen to my customers and craft coffees that make their day every time,” she said.
Susan told Review a bit more about her self-acquired barista skills and encouraged residents to always ask about the coffee she’s serving at the moment.
“Being a barista is a skill that is perfected by taking great care in the construction of beverages and also great pride, so yes, sometimes I throw out an espresso or two before I’m happy with my grind, but all good baristas do because only the best is good enough,” she said.
Susan added she loves to have a one-on-one with her customers, engaging them as well as teaching them about the different coffees she offers, teaching them to appreciate their individual coffee experiences.
