Help! I don't know how to order coffee. Can you give me some Coffee for Dummies-style info?

Answer 1

For dummies:
First decide how much you want. Small, medium, large, whatever. I'll assume you'll be going to Starbucks, since they are on every other street corner these days.
Starbucks has cute names for their sizes:
Smaller - Short (not on the menu)
Small - Tall
Medium - Grande
Large - Venti
They have about a million different options for drinks which confuse and infuriate me. Just check the source I listed for what you want to order.

Strangely enough, I don't really drink coffee all that much. Hope I helped.

Answer 2

First off, don't go to a Char-bucks. THey tend to be really pushy and impatient with newbies...the customers, not the baristas. Go to a local indie shop.

Always ask the baristas for opinions. They will jump to make you a drink that would fit with what your needs are. Trust me, there is nothing worse than a bad coffee experience.

I am just going to add to the list of drinks people have given you:

-Espresso: striahgt shots of espresso coffee. Very small, very strong.
- Capuccinno: espresso with very foamy milk. Can be served "wet" (more like a foamy latte; 3/4 foam, 1/4 milk) or "Dry" (mostly just dense foam with the espresso and very little foam)
- Machiatto: The real one (machiatto meaning "to be spotted or marked") is a double shot of espresso with a dollop of foam on top. The Char-bucks version is a vanilla latte with caramel sauce
- Latte: Espresso with steamed milk. This is good if you want something a little more than just a drip coffee.
- Mocha: add choclate to the latte, but please don't order a chocolate latte (that is a mocha). Good if you have a little bit of a sweet tooth
- Breve: Just like a latte, but with steamed half & half instead of milk. Very creamy and thicker than a latte.
- Chai Tea: Normally this is a sweetened tea concentrate that is split with milk. Tastes like pumpkin pie.
- Cafe au lait: steamed milk split with coffee. Add chocolate for a mocha au lait, 1/2&1/2 for a breve au lait, or tea with steamed milk for a , you guessed it, a tea au lait!

Add any kinds of syrups you would like to any drink you would like ((even drip coffee), just a warning, though: Many berry/fruit syrups have the acids from the fruit in them so they tend to curdle the milk. Either reserve those for the mochas, have the barista steam the syrup with the milk, or split said syrup with vanilla (which is a tasty combo, by the way).

Once you know the lingo, ordering is very easy. Any good barista will be able to make sense of anything you say. Honestly, there is no right or wrong way to order. There is no set guidline you must follow, however (speaking as a barista), it does tend to be easier to specify the size, drink, any kind of add-on, then if it is hot, iced, or blended.

...sorry this was so long-winded

Answer 3

Do you mean different styles of coffee drinks? Or just regular coffee. "Coffee regular" means with cream and sugar. "Coffee black" means just coffee.

There's myriad types of coffee drinks.

Cappucino is one shot of espresso w/steamed milk. A double is two shots.

A latte is the above, just with more milk.

You'll hear people ordering drinks with various shortcuts, like "a tall double half caf non fat" which means a large double latte made with one-half decaffeinated coffee and non fat milk". But you can order however you want.

And a multitide of varieties. Go to your local shop and just ask what they are.

Answer 4

I used to be a barista for Starbucks.
Tall-small
Grande-Medium
Venti-Large

Latte is espresso shots with steamed milk and froth on top
Mocha is espresso shots, chocolate, and steamed milk with whipped cream on top
Breve means to use halfnhalf instead of milk
Cafe Americano is just espresso and hot water
Cafe Au Lait is brewed coffee with steamed milk in it
Red Eye is brewed coffee with espresso shots in it

My favorite drink is......venti iced breve vanilla latte with whipped cream and little ice.

Good luck! :)

Answer 5

If you are talking Starbucks coffees:

Tall= small
Grande= medium
Venti= large

Grande and venti are usually double shots (espresso) if you want an extra shot order a triple shot for these two drinks and a double for the tall.

No whip means no whipped cream.

Hope that helps somewhat.

Skinny means non-fat milk

Answer 6

I order coffee all the time at restaurants! Its simple and easy and well you enjoy it after you order it. When the waiter asks me what I would like to drink I politely say may I please have a (decaf or regular) cup of coffee. Good Luck!

Answer 7

Hello, I would like a cup of coffee. Thank You

I always order coffee flavored coffee b/c these days they put kinds of junk in them.

Answer 8

Check out the links that I put under "Sources" below. I wasn't sure if you wanted to know about coffee beans, coffee drinks or both, so I gave you links on both.

Answer 9

u walk up to the counter and ask the pretty lady (pick the prettiest one and start talking to her, if the lady who is already standing there tries to help you tell her no thank you, but dont tell her she is not pretty) to get you some coffee, the best tasting coffee only will do. And walla, finito, you are done!

Answer 10

just simply ask. then you might want to ask for advice from the ppl that work there. Also know that an expresso is pretty strong if you go to a cuban restaurant. my favorite however are creamy lattes its such a different consistency then what you would think coffee should be. :)