Technological and Applied Studies (TAS)

Barista Basics Incursion – Year 9 Cafe for a Day

Year 9 students in the Cafe for a Day elective recently participated in an exciting and highly practical Barista Basics incursion. We were fortunate to welcome Tim Gardiner from Grade A Mobile Cafe, who brought along his fully equipped mobile coffee van to deliver four fast-paced masterclass sessions.

Across the day, students were introduced to espresso machines, coffee equipment and workstation setup, before developing their skills in milk texturing and extracting espresso shots. They practised preparing a range of staple café beverages including cappuccinos, flat whites, lattes and long blacks, as well as hot chocolates and chai lattes.

A highlight of the experience was the opportunity for students to serve real customers, including staff and the De La Salle Brothers, creating an authentic café environment. The timing of this training is particularly valuable as many students are beginning to prepare résumés and seek casual employment in the local community.

Students also gained insight into emerging industry trends through a matcha masterclass led by ex-student entrepreneur and founder of More Matcha. This session explored innovative flavour development, challenges faced by cafés, and the journey of matcha from tea leaf cultivation in Japan and Australia through to processing, branding and social media marketing.

Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and embraced the opportunity to engage in real-world, hands-on learning. Their skills will be put into practice next term as they launch their student-run mock café, Coffee on Cross, operating weekly to raise funds for our sister school in Pakistan in conjunction with Founders Day.