Is Anyone Here a Barista? Coffee Shops Are Pretty Loud — Any Impact on Your Tinnitus?

Hey, I have noise induced tinnitus, and I'm looking for a part time job while I attend college. I know it's corny, but I really want to be a barista. I love coffee, and it just seems like a cool gig to me.

Anyways, coffee shops are pretty loud, especially behind the counter where there are espresso beans grinding and what not. So, I was wondering if anyone has experience with that kind of work and how it impacted them/their tinnitus.

Thanks!

 

Coffee lover here, used to have a professional electric grinder that I have since replaced by a hand grinder. The grinding and milk frothing are the loudest. The espresso pump less so. In a bar, they mostly grind a bigger batch every hour or so although I'm sure you know it's best to grind just before every coffee. When grinding with a doser you don't need to stand close for the duration of the grinding. There's always earplugs too but that would probably hamper communication. All in all I don't think the noise levels are considered dangerously loud.
I'm not a barista btw. Home user.

Source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4749437/

 

I don't have experience working there, but I can tell you that as a customer I try to sit as far from the coffee grinder as possible because that noise is poison to tinnitus sufferers. I would probably not advise that job, though obviously if you're thinking about you may be more tolerant of noise than I am.

 

Check under a rock for a barista... better odds.

 

You should go for it. I doubt it’s loud enough to do harm I chill in coffee shops on the regular.

 

I still grind every morning with an electric. But I cover my ears tight during the event.

 

The switch to hand grinder was more a choice of keeping the wife happy as the grinder was bigger than the coffee machine and not very pretty on the countertop. it's not a choice I regret. There's some good hand burr grinders and they are less of a fuss to clean. Supposedly the lower speeds also mean less heat which would be better for your eventual coffee. Not that I have noticed.
I even learnt to switch arms during the grinding process when one arm gets tired. I guess you could say my tinnitus made me ambidextrous.

 

Man becomes ambidextrous! Success story!

 

On a side note: stopping coffee was another thing that was suggested by my ENT. That was a pretty miserable week!

 

Ha, yes, I got the same advice, though at least my audiologist admitted that it was probably not going to do anything, but might as well try/experiment. Sadly, that week taught me that I am indeed caffeine addicted.

 

5 seconds on, 10 seconds off.

Just like at the dentist.

 

For the grinder, just use ear muffs, keep them handy.

Also, there is one study paper on the effect of caffeine and how it affects recovery from noise trauma:

Say what? Caffeine could impair recovery of hearing loss

So after a coffee grinder caused some hearing loss, the following cups of coffee will further inhibit hearing recovery... pretty depressing story for coffee lovers.