Barista of the Month - Renz, Ratio Specialty Café - September 2025

At Paradox Coffee Roasters, our café partners are part of our extended family. We love celebrating them! Each month, we highlight a Barista of the Month from our partners across the country, sharing insights into their routines, what they love about their work, and tips for home baristas. Meet Renz from Ratio Specialty Café, who is this month’s Barista of the Month for September!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤? Hi, my name is Renz, and I’m a Barista at Ratio Specialty Café.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭? I usually start my day with a cup of coffee while browsing social media, checking out the latest trends in the coffee industry.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐟é? I really enjoy the conversations with everyone and the warmth that a café environment brings.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭? Consistency in milk steaming and control are the keys.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐱 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲? I love the Poker Face blend because of its great balance and complexity. It works beautifully as a straight shot, and it also dances with milk.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠? I have a very specific ratio and timing that I stick to.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐝? Flow rate and ratio are the main things I pay attention to.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲? I prefer filter because I enjoy the flavours it brings out every time.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨-𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠? Oat Piccolo or a Magic.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮? I love coffee but can’t stand crazy latte art patterns!

Head down to @ratiospecialtycafe and enjoy a coffee with him.