Milk tea has actually gone through many stages of development in China, from powdered, tea-flavored drinks on the streets to newer tea drinks that use a variety of raw materials and are richer in flavor. Today, as national living standards continue to rise and residents' awareness of healthy living continues to improve, the term milk tea encompasses more and more varieties. According to the "2020H1 China New Style Tea Drink Industry Development Status and Consumption Trend Survey and Analysis Report" released by AiMedia Consulting, the main considerations of Chinese consumers in purchasing new style tea drinks in Q2 2020 are the taste of the drinks and the quality and safety of the drinks, which accounted for 61% and 44%, respectively. Consumers are more inclined to choose newly launched products and seasonal limited models when making product choices, accounting for 30% and 29% respectively.

The overall quality of new tea drink products is improving, and practitioners in the tea drink industry certainly can't be left behind. on March 18, 2021 the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), in conjunction with the General Administration of Market Supervision and Regulation (GAMSR), and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), formally announced to the public the release of 18 emerging occupations, including the drink mixer. As can be seen in the announcement issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, practitioners who produce tea drinks are uniformly standardized as drink mixers. At the same time, there is also a professional definition of these tea drink producers, that is, the tea, fruits, milk and its products and other raw materials through the color matching, modeling and nutrient ratios, etc. to complete the taste diversification of modulation of beverages. Their work involves the following six aspects: 1, procurement of tea, fruit, milk products and mixing drinks required ingredients; 2, cleaning the operating bar, disinfection of operating equipment; 3, decorating the water bar, the operating table, display of raw materials; 4, based on the nutrient composition of the ingredients to design the mixing drinks recipe; 5, modulation of the mixed tea, dairy products, coffee or seasonal beverages; 6, display and promotion of special beverages.

"It's important for the country to recognize that more and more people can also develop a beverage mixer as a career." Wang Houhua is the senior store manager of the Hot Wheat store in Shuncheng Shopping Center in Kunming. In his opinion before the announcement of the emerging profession, most people subconsciously feel that a bartender is a tea drinker. But after the state officially recognizes the profession, bartenders will be more socially recognized. "I think the social recognition of the profession is very important for people who work in this profession." Wang Houhua believes that his colleagues around him are obviously more motivated and enthusiastic after the profession has been certified.

Occupational group

Mostly young people, with no clear gender balance

"I'm already considered an old man in our store." Wang Houhua said. As the senior store manager of the Hi-Tea Kunming Shuncheng Shopping Center Hot Wheat store, he is just 29 years old this year, while his store has more than thirty partners. Wang Houhua believes that the main force of the entire tea industry is the post-95s "The post-95s account for the vast majority of the store, about 70%, if you count the post-00s will reach more than 80%." he said. He said. Let Wang Houhua doubly surprised is in the traditional concept of 95, 00 after the inherent impression is pampered, can not suffer. But in practice, he found around these young partners hard-working, down-to-earth and willing to work, can instantly and efficiently complete the tasks set out every day.

Wang Houhua has been working at Hi-Tea for 1.5 years, and before that he used to work in the Western fast-food industry. "At that time, I was mainly responsible for the marketing operations of some stores in Yunnan and Guangxi" What impressed him was that the Hi-Tea store across the street from his office in Nanning was crowded every day, every day, which couldn't help but make him curious. "I think the atmosphere of Xi-Tea is close to youthful, from the first cup of the first cheese tea, not sticking to any 'tradition', boldly pursuing new inspirations, this kind of continuous innovation and the idea of 'seeking newness and change' of Generation Z This idea of continuous innovation coincides with Generation Z's idea of "seeking newness and change"." Compared to his traditional work environment, he wanted to try something new, and he wanted to reach out to a younger team. "The flat-zero work values make me feel comfortable."

The fact that the industry is mostly young is very understandable. "Compared to traditional bottled drinks, milk tea is more popular with young people nowadays, and as you love the house, naturally there are more young people working in the career of a bartender." He Yingdi is the store manager of Shuya Shaoxianzhao's South Asian Style Garden store, and one of the first employees of Shuya Shaoxianzhao after it moved into Kunming. The 24-year-old believes that there are two reasons why Shuya Shaoxianjiao has attracted him and a large number of young people to join. "1 is the book is also roasted in Kunming City, there is still a lot of room for development. And young people into the prospect of good upward space is also more transparent. 2 is in the new style of tea drink today, the drink mixer this industry has long been changed. Many of these skills are easy for young people to understand and grasp, and learn quickly. "

Li Yafeng, a senior tea mixer at Hi-Tea Shuncheng Mall's Hot Wheat store, doesn't think there's an imbalance between men and women in the store. "As the saying goes, when men and women work together, they don't get tired." Li Yafeng says there will be more boys in the tea mixing team, while there will be more girls in the service team. "Girls are very good at communicating with the outside world and have a strong affinity, so they can be more flexible in dealing with field work."

Working hours

Different shifts Individuals have more time

"I think the idea of choosing a career for a lot of young people nowadays is to not go to work for too long." Zi Xianghua is the store manager of Shuya Shaoxianjiao's Wanda store.The 24-year-old has been working in the restaurant industry for many years. "I have been working in the restaurant industry since I graduated from junior high school. Before that, I had been working in hotpot restaurants, and then in 2017, I started to get involved in the milk tea industry." From hotpot restaurant to milk tea industry, there is still a certain span in it. But Word to Flower feels that a beverage mixer will have much easier working hours comparatively. "When I worked in a hotpot restaurant before, although I could rest for one to two hours in the afternoon, I basically couldn't do much during that time." And the word to the flower to the book also roasted fairy grass private time has become significantly more generous. "If it's the 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift, I can meet my friends for dinner and shopping after work. If it's 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. I can take a nap." Zi Xianghua, whose hometown is in Dali, said, "If something comes up I can work an early shift and rush back." Although the industry of bartenders does not rest on national holidays, and the word to the flower this year, only in the New Year has returned home once, but she feels that this is the norm that should be accustomed to this line of work. "Although there are some small regrets, but the holidays of the three pay enough to comfort me," she said.

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Shuyi Yakisencho's mixologist is making drinks for customers

Da Yanhua, who works as a shift manager at the Hot Wheat store in the Shuncheng Shopping Center in Kunming, where Xi Cha is located, feels that the current flexible off-duty hours are perfect for her. She graduated from junior college and is now actively preparing for her bachelor's degree, and the flexible working hours have provided her with plenty of time to study.

Occupational characteristics

Turning a favorite into a love of the job

Beverage drinkers have a love of tea, not to say that you would never have guessed. Even turning it into their job was just love at first sight after a chance encounter. "The reason I chose to join Shuya Shao Xian Cao was simply because of a chance encounter with a cup of signature shao xian cao." He said he tried a cup of Shuya's signature shao xian cao on a friend's recommendation by chance, which prompted him to enter the industry when he was looking for a job. The drink mixer at the same store as him, Ho Niu Hou, drinks tea two to three times a week. Turning a favorite into a job is He Niu Hou's passion. Tao Jun, a two-star trainer at the Xishan Wanda store of Shuya Shaoxianjiao, is even more exaggerated, as his love for tea has reached the point where he drinks two to three cups a day. "When I was working in Chengdu, I especially liked milk tea, and you can see advertisements for Shuyi Burnt Immortal Grass in all the streets of Chengdu." Under such "brainwashing", Tao Jun also decided to join Shuya after returning to Kunshan, becoming a drink mixer. "It is not an exaggeration to say that I have basically drank in all the big and small milk tea stores in Kunming." Just as Li Yafeng chose to major in auto repair because he likes cars, he became a beverage mixer because of his love for tea. When the reporter asked to engage in the drink mixer this career, will not because every day in contact with a variety of tea and reduce their own love of drinking tea, these drink mixers are in unison to give a negative answer. They also explained for the reporter, "the drinks of the new very quickly, sometimes even up to two weeks to update once, it is difficult to produce a sense of boredom."

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Shuya's bartenders are learning

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Shuya's bartenders are making drinks for customers

Professional Skills

Good Memory, Fast Hands

Unlike early powdered beverages, in the era of the new tea drink, people are interested in the "tea drink". "Tea drink" requirements are getting higher and higher. Multi-sugar, half-sugar, no sugar, hot drinks, room temperature, less ice, de-ice, will have an impact on the taste of a cup of tea drinks. In addition, people are demanding fresh and healthy ingredients. Drink mixer is no longer as easy and simple as the traditional impression of milk tea master. Li Yafeng said Xi tea Kunming Shuncheng shopping center hot wheat store has dozens of different categories of drinks, and each drink due to customer requirements, in order to ensure the taste need to make corresponding adjustments to the recipe. This directly leads to the store a qualified drink mixer needs to master hundreds of recipes. "And with the introduction of new products these recipes are still being updated." Li Yafeng said. As a newcomer, you need to memorize these formulas within a month and be able to operate them smoothly. "Tea on the requirements of the strict implementation of standardization of tea drinks, the use of measuring cups in the production of tea drinks, the scale should be accurate to the milliliter." Similarly, Tao Jun feels that mixing drinks is not an easy job. "For this industry I belong to start from zero, everything is from the most basic preparation work to learn." Tao Jun says that a bartender is not just about making tea drinks, but also about preparing ingredients. He remembers that when he first started working, his hands often needed to be soaked in water, and peeling and cracking became the norm. In addition, bartenders need to have a deeper understanding of the ingredients used in tea. What Li Yafeng remembers most vividly is the time when the store launched a tea drink featuring Guangdong's regional fruit, Huangpi. "As a regional fruit of Guangdong, most customers in Kunming must not have tried it." That's when the bartender needed to explain the fruit's flavor to customers.

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Hi Tea bartenders are making tea drinks Photo courtesy of Hi Tea brand

Besides the main job of bartending, bartenders actually need to master a number of skills, including service, cashiering, dishing out cups, community maintenance and fan interaction. This is also a skill that a bartender must master if he or she wants to continue to advance. In the words of He Yingdi, "Although the position He Duty Master is fixed, a qualified bartender needs to master a comprehensive range of skills."

Hand speed is also one of the skills that these bartenders rely on for their survival, as He Yingdi can make more than 100 cups of milk tea a day and can produce a cup of freshly made tea in one to three minutes. Similarly Tao Jun can produce a cup of freshly made tea within three minutes. Li Yafeng, who said he could produce a cup of tea drink in about a minute, said he had made 20 cups of tea drink in four minutes in the National Chacha Cup Skills Competition organized by Xi Cha. "I can rank in the top five in the Southwest Region." He is a little proud when he talks about this. In fact, these drink mixers have to improve their speed and at the same time ensure quality according to strict standards. At the same time, these skills can't be built up without their long hours of practice and work. Some may wonder why bartenders need to be so fast. In fact, the happy "first cup of milk tea in the fall" is the most unforgettable memory of many bartenders. "The day of the fall tea we probably made more than 1,000 cups of tea drinks," said Li Yafeng's memory, the store's orders on that day appeared to surge. Slow hands meant that these customers' orders couldn't be completed on time, affecting the consumer experience.

The entry threshold

is not strict, support work within the upgrade of qualifications

In the reporter's interview with the eight interviewees, in addition to a Yunnan Normal University undergraduate graduates other than the rest of the mixing drinks teacher qualifications most of the main college or university. The person in charge of the book also business school said, "the book also drink mixer selection criteria need to be aged 18 to 28 years old, men and women are not limited to high school education, outgoing personality, able to bear hardships and stand hard work, have affinity, with the service qualities." Wang Houhua, on the other hand, said, "Xi Cha very much encourages employees to enhance their education, and even employees to choose to enroll in related professions and schools, Xi Cha will also provide subsidies." Meanwhile, beverage mixers also value experience in the industry. For example, Yao Yu and Da Yanhua, the two duty managers at Hi-Tea's Hot Wheat store in Kunming's Shuncheng Mall, have both worked part-time at branded restaurant chains. Most of the rest of the people interviewed also have experience in the restaurant industry or the tea industry.