my barista friends didn't drink coffee
How can they resist the temptation, damn!
I resonate with your point of view here. A lot of the times when I am trying out a new cafe, I will often ask the barista their personal recommendation. And if they do not drink the coffee themselves, how are they going to give me the right suggestion?
This is something I often face, if I see a customer who wants to ask my friend about coffee, I immediately take over and approach him and build communication with the customer.