Charm Coffee's Cynthia Fresnoza Serves Good Vibes and Great Drinks

Barista Cynthia Fresnoza uses good vibes and specialty coffee knowledge to elevate the customer experience at Charm Coffee.

The 24-year-old Outer Mission native got her start in the business at Peet’s Coffee in Serramonte Center, where she learned the ins and outs of making drinks and creating a nice space for enjoying them. While looking to move away from corporate coffee, Fresnoza saw an ad for the Ingleside coffee shop. She checked it out with her partner in January and fell in love with the atmosphere. She left Peet’s in the spring and started at Charm Coffee shortly thereafter.

“I like working with coffee a lot,” Fresnoza said. “I'm very much a hands-on person, so for me, coffee is the best job that I can do. And being at Charm is such a good match. [Owner Kim Ramos] is really awesome. She’s very sweet. Everyone who comes in is also really awesome.”

Working at an independent coffee shop has been a rewarding experience for Fresnoza. Elevating her coffee knowledge and serving experience has opened the door to new favorites and kept her on her toes. Though she has her go-tos like a cortado, Fresnoza encourages people to be more curious about coffee and try out something new.

“Charm is really like a ‘too good to be true’ kind of thing,” Fresnoza said. “I think since it’s so specialized in a way. [Kim] really cares about coffee. She knows about coffee and she knows all the people and stuff like that, so it’s really a comforting, welcoming vibe in here.”

The Ingleside Light caught up with Fresnoza to learn more about her time at Charm Coffee.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get into coffee? 

In college, my friends and I used to go to coffee shops all the time to sit and draw people, so back then it was more about the atmosphere of coffee shops rather than the coffee itself, but after working in coffee, I've become more attentive to the art of coffee making. Kim has taught me a lot about the nuances of coffee, and I feel very lucky to learn from her and other people who come to Charm. It's very nice to be appreciative about both sides! Charm seems like the best of both worlds, where it's a comforting atmosphere and an interest (for lack of better word) in coffee. You can really tell Kim puts a lot of effort and emphasis into Charm, and it's really amazing to see! I feel very lucky to have my worlds collide in this way.

What does a typical shift look like?

I come in, and I set up everything. It's really quiet. When I was working at Pete's, I actually closed all the time, so opening for me was kind of different, but it's really nice in the morning. It's really quiet. Usually just me and one of her [Kim’s] parents that are here and it's quiet for a little bit and then rushes come. But it's nothing that I'm not used to. If anything, they're not as crazy as a corporate coffee rush. It's just nice to see people every morning. I'm very much more of a morning person than like a night person. I get to wake up early like say “Hi!” to people and I'm starting to get to know all the regulars and stuff, so it's really sweet.

Do you have a favorite moment from working in the neighborhood?

I think honestly, when people sip their coffee and they're like, “Oh, this is really good.” Obviously, yeah, like it's the beans and stuff, but it's nice to hear that we serve actually good coffee. It makes me feel nice that I'm doing a good job.

What’s one piece of advice you have for someone looking to be a barista?

My best advice for someone who's aspiring to be a barista would be just definitely be very humble and [ready for] learning. I feel like coffee can be kind of either like specialty or just coffee. When I was at Peet’s, it was very much just like, I just put the thing in there and put the milk. It doesn't matter how it tastes; it’s just whatever. But then here, you have to learn about like dialing in and it's very intricate. I think that's like a fun part of coffee that sometimes people don't know is that there's like all these little intricacies, so definitely like if someone's starting out as a barista, definitely be very ready to learn and like willing to learn.