Lesson 6 of 6 · Doing it right

Keeping tools clean

There is no acceptable level

This is the kind of mistake that only needs to happen once to lose a guest forever. This lesson reminds you of the things you do every shift. The full food safety session and its test will be run by your trainer in person at the store.

Before stepping behind the counter

• Wash your hands using the six steps.
• Hair tied back neatly, hat on. Nails short, no polish.
• Take off rings, bracelets and watches.
• Do not hold your phone while making drinks.
• An open wound on your hand: cover it completely and report to the manager.

Eight times you must wash your hands

• At the start of the shift.
• After using the toilet.
• After handling money.
• After touching rubbish, dirty surfaces, or your phone.
• After coughing, sneezing, or covering your mouth.
• Before touching ingredients or a finished cup.
• At set times during the shift, by the store schedule.
• After taking off gloves.

The portafilter (tay pha), after every extraction

• Remove the portafilter, empty the spent tea leaves, wash the filter basket clean.
• Flush water through the group head for a few seconds.
• Wipe dry, check that no tea leaves are caught in the gasket, and only then lock it back in.
• Never leave a portafilter with spent tea leaves sitting in the machine waiting for the next order.
• The tea portafilter is not used for coffee.

Tools and cloths

• Shaker, spoons, measuring tools: wash right after each use.
• One cloth, one surface. Do not share a cloth between different areas.
• Clean area and dirty area kept separate.
• Cleaning chemicals kept away from the drink-making area. Do not mix chemicals yourself.

When you see a foreign object in a cup

• Stop serving that cup.
• Apologise and make the guest a new cup.
• Keep the cup and the object, report to the manager.
• Do not fish it out and hand the cup over.

Common mistakes

• Not looking inside the cup before pouring.
• Using a scouring pad that sheds fibres to wash cups, so fibres end up in the guest's cup.
• Hair not tied back, no hat.
• Clean and dirty tools kept together.

Take this with you. The food safety part will be graded by your trainer in person at the store. This lesson is only a reminder, it does not replace that session.