Make it.Pair it.Sell it.
How we teach: the drink, what goes with it and how to sell it. Then every skill gets checked, and you re-do it until it’s right.
The plan
- 1
Pick your course
30 days, 45 days or custom. See the fees.
- 2
Learn at our school bar
With every skill checked. See how.
- 3
Prove it on shift
28 hours at a Taja outlet, with real customers.
How checking works
Not untilit’s right.
Café customers don’t accept “almost”. So neither do we. You can’t pay your way past a skill.
- 1
You do it
Make the drink or show the skill, on your own.
- 2
The trainer checks it
Against the skill sheet.
- 3
Not right yet? Re-do it
You practise and try again, until it passes.
- 4
Right? It’s ticked
The trainer ticks Yes. That’s signed off.
- 5
The sheet shows your progress
You can see what’s signed off and what still needs a re-do.
Say your rosetta falls apart. That’s a Re-do. You practise, pour again, and it’s ticked when it’s right.
The skill sheet
- Coffee history and Nepal’s growing areas
- Beans: Arabica, Robusta, green, decaf
- Food pairing and serving bakery items [SKILL_3_TO_CONFIRM]
- Processing: dry, wet and honey
- Roasting: light to dark
- The barista’s job and duties
- Machines, grinders and tools
- Milk: types, storage, first in first out
- Steaming and pouring to temperature
- Cappuccino, latte, flat white and more
- Chocolate drinks
- Iced, blended and fusion drinks
- Smoothies and blender safety
- Customer service and complaints
- Brewing: V60, French press, AeroPress, syphon
- What it takes to open a café
- Running a café day to day
- Upselling and cross-selling
- At least three latte art patterns
- Hygiene: clean as you go
An example sheet. Nobody has finished a batch yet.
When every skill is signed off, there’s a written test, short answers and an interview, then your certificate.
Re-do rules: [REDO_RULES]
Make it.
The bar.
Espresso, milk and latte art, from your very first shot. Spill the milk here, not on your first shift.
- Coffee, beans and roasting
- The machine, the grinder and calibration
- Steaming, pouring and every milk drink
- Brewing: V60, French press, AeroPress, syphon
- Iced drinks, frappes, smoothies, chocolate
- 8 hours of latte art: heart, tulip, rosetta
How it’s signed offSigned off at the school bar, skill by skill.
Pair it.
The bakery.
Coffee never comes alone. 3–4 hours with Taja Bakery’s chef, so you can suggest what goes with the drink.
- A day in a bakery: what’s baked when, freshness, shelf life
- Bakery families: laminated, sweet breads, cakes, savoury, biscuits
- Flavour basics: match or contrast
- Tasting: three drinks with three bakes, on a pairing card
- Handling food: hygiene, tongs, first in first out, allergens
- Local tastes: chiya, momo, what people here already order
How it’s signed offSign-off: pair three drinks with three items, and explain each.
Sell it.
The counter.
The part café owners pay for. Suggest one item in one sentence, in Nepali and English, at a real till.
- Customer service and complaints
- Upselling and cross-selling
- Cash and the till
- Café etiquette: plating, warming, serving, clearing
How it’s signed offSigned off on shift, in front of real customers.
On shift
Your first shiftisn’t your first job.
28 hours at a Taja outlet, in its busiest hours.
- 1
Watch
See how a busy counter really runs.
- 2
Assist
Work beside the team.
- 3
Work the counter
With a supervisor, and real customers.
We can’t promise a job. Trainees who do well may be hired.