How to Order a Great Cup of Coffee
A "tall, skinny single" might sound like a supermodel, but it's actually just a cup of joe. Brush up on the latest latte lingo and in no time you'll be speaking like an experienced coffee connoisseur, whether you stick to a straight-up cup of black coffee or dabble in flavored and foamed concoctions.
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Instructions
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Know your basics. As most people know, there is caffeinated (regular), decaffeinated (decaf) and "half-calf" coffee. A shot of espresso is smaller, but offers a condensed quantity of what amount to more or less a small cup of coffee. It's brewed from a finer grain, and is stronger per ounce.
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Add milk, if you choose. There are a few milk-based coffee concoctions. A cafe au lait is brewed with equal parts coffee and hot milk. A cafe latte is espresso with steamed milk. In lattes, the milk is frothier. A macchiato is a an espresso with just a hint of milk foam.
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Don't stop at milk. There are a number of coffee additions that add to the flavor. Some are combined with milk, and some stand alone. An americano is an espresso shot poured into a cup of piping hot water. A drink "con panna" means adding whipped cream to your coffee. This is not unlike adding heavy whipping cream and a dash of sugar. It amounts to a sweeter, creamier coffee drink. Various syrups are also used to spice up the flavor, including vanilla, hazelnut and and caramel. A mocha is a latte brewed with chocolate.
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Make it an adult beverage. An Irish coffee has a shot of whiskey, heavy whipping cream and three sugar cubes.
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Know how to order. Shots of espresso and espresso-based drinks are order in single, double, triple and quad. This distinction determine how many shots of espresso you're getting. Size generally range short, tall and grande (small, medium and large, respectively).
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Comments
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Jun 30, 2006
When ordering a tall dark coffee (for example), ask for a Grande cup. It cost the same and it saves you from pouring out coffee to make room for cream/milk. Ask for it as a tall dark in a Grande cup. No more pouring out your coffee to make room for cream/milk! -
Jun 30, 2006
When ordering a tall dark coffee (for example), ask for a Grande cup. It cost the same and it saves you from pouring out coffee to make room for cream/milk. Ask for it as a tall dark in a Grande cup. No more pouring out your coffee to make room for cream/milk!
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Mar 21, 2006
If you want to confuse your barista, add terminology that they may be unfamiliar with. For example, I usu sally order a triple grande caramel macchiato, but to confuse them, I sometimes order an upside down triple ristretto caramel macchiato. Upside down - Drink is made with the caramel at the bottom, and everything else reversed. Mixes the caramel in a bit more, MM. Ristretto - A shot pulled for a shorter amount of time, sweeter, as if it wasn't already sweet enough, the reason why this drink is sometimes referred to by baristas as 'caf tooth decay'.
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Mar 21, 2006
If you want to confuse your barista, add terminology that they may be unfamiliar with. For example, I usu sally order a triple grande caramel macchiato, but to confuse them, I sometimes order an upside down triple ristretto caramel macchiato. Upside down - Drink is made with the caramel at the bottom, and everything else reversed. Mixes the caramel in a bit more, MM. Ristretto - A shot pulled for a shorter amount of time, sweeter, as if it wasn't already sweet enough, the reason why this drink is sometimes referred to by baristas as 'caf tooth decay'.
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Nov 22, 2005
A red-eye is a cup of brewed coffee with a shot of espresso added. A black eye has two shots. These are sometimes called 'shots in the dark'. A cappuccino is not a latte with foam on top. A proper cappuccino is made in three equal parts (1 part espresso, 1 part steamed milk, and 1 part foam, all by volume). Don't order (in Starbucks lingo) a venti cappuccino. Keep it small. Venti, as per the name, holds 20 fluid ounces. About 6.8 ounces of espresso, with a normal single shot being about 1 - 1.5 oz, packs quite a wallop! That's why you basically get a latte, which is like a cappuccino but with a greater proportion of steamed milk. So stick to the 8 oz short size for best flavor. 6 oz is the proper size. A hint: Don't go in to a local café and order without being familiar with their terminology. Short, tall, grande and Venti are Starbucks terms, not industry standards, and you will spare yourself a lot of snickering and embarrassment by sticking to small, medium, and large, or whatever terms the café has selected.
