Aden Beqa
Greenbelt,MD
Summary
Specialty Coffee Barista with experience in espresso extraction, pour-over brewing, and sensory evaluation. Proficient in coffee production, inventory control, and quality assessment, with hands-on experience in high-volume café operations. Aiming to enhance my coffee knowledge through practical roasting and production roles in a specialty coffee setting.
Overview
1
1
Certification
1
1
year of professional experience
Work History
Barista
Blue Bottle Cafe
Washington, District of Columbia
02.2026 - Current
- Independently dial in regular, decaffeinated, and single-origin espresso, adjusting grind size to consistently meet established extraction parameters during service.
- Dial in pour-over coffee using controlled brewing recipes and refractometer-based TDS measurements, adjusting grind size according to extraction results.
- Produce cold brew using Marco brewing systems, managing grinding, pre-infusion, filtration, extraction timing, TDS measurement, and final dilution to specified parameters.
- Perform daily sensory evaluation of espresso and pour-over coffees, identifying and documenting flavor characteristics during opening dial-ins.
- Receive and manage coffee inventory, applying FIFO rotation, recording roast and received dates, reconciling shipments, and maintaining inventory documentation for café leadership.
- Work in a high-volume specialty coffee environment averaging approximately 100 drinks per hour during peak weekend periods, maintaining quality and consistency while rotating between espresso, milk steaming, POS, and floor support.
- Successfully completed Blue Bottle's three-month barista validation, demonstrating proficiency in espresso extraction and troubleshooting, milk steaming, latte art, pour-over preparation, and café operations.
- Placed 3rd in the entry round of a company-wide cup-tasting competition, demonstrating developing sensory evaluation and coffee-identification skills.
- Selected by café leadership to participate in a specialty coffee tasting focused on Liberica, contributing sensory observations regarding aroma, flavor, acidity, and body.
- Train and support new baristas in espresso preparation, milk steaming, pour-over technique, workflow, and café standards while maintaining opening, cleaning, and closing responsibilities.
Education
High School Diploma -
DeMatha Catholic Highschool
Hyattsville, MD06-2024
Skills
- Espresso techniques
- Brewing methods
- Cold brew production
- Extraction measurement
- Sensory analysis
- Brewing systems management
- Café operations
- Inventory management
- Barista leadership
Certification
- ServSafe Food Handlers Certificate
Timeline
Barista
Blue Bottle Cafe
02.2026 - Current
High School Diploma -
DeMatha Catholic Highschool