What’s Your Coffee Order? (Plus, a Funny Paris Story)
Whenever I head to a café, while walking arm-in-arm with a friend or dragging my grumbling preteens, I always look forward to my order: a flat white, which is, as I’m sure you know, basically a latte with less milk. So delicious!
Not everyone has loved my coffee requests, though. When I was in Paris a few years ago, I stopped into a tiny café in the Marais and asked for an Americano with milk. “No,” the barista replied. I waited a beat, and when she didn’t explain her thinking, I figured she might not have a rate set for that specific request. “Oh, I’m happy to pay for a latte, or whatever you’d think is best,” I suggested, trying to help. “No,” she repeated, firmly. “Our coffee will taste burned if I make that, so I won’t do it.”
Honestly, I loved her passionate take. She knew her coffee best, after all, so I asked what she’d recommend, and she brewed two shots of espresso, executed beautifully.
Shopkeepers in New York will do this, too — “you can’t put Parmesan cheese on shrimp pasta,” or “chef won’t prepare a steak well done,” or “we don’t toast bagels, they already come warm.” I love someone who cares so much about their craft that they will put a foot down, hard.
Now I’m curious, please tell me: What’s your coffee order? Any recommendations? I’m still relatively new to coffee (I only started drinking it during the pandemic), so I’m always eager for tips. xoxo
Update: Many readers are commenting that they drink black coffee, which makes me think of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine scene where Jake and Charles are under cover as longshoreman. Jake, trying to be tough, orders, “Coffee — extra black, extra no sugar.”
P.S. Photos from our Paris trips, and two magical Paris itineraries.
Comments
149 commentsI really drink coffe in any form honestly, but at home I do either Starbucks brown sugar shaken espresso dupe, honey or maple syrup iced latte with cinnamon or cardamom, flaky salt, vanilla extract, and I work at a veggie garden and infused simple syrups are so good- sage, rosemary, etc… I’m pretty picky about my lattes- always without exception iced; if its just a mug of hot coffee then I’ll do it plain or with raw sugar.
For me, tea is my go-to. Black tea, sugar, a splash of milk if it’s around. But I drink coffee black with bagels or with a sweet dessert–a nice foil to rich or sweet foods. I use a drip coffee maker because that’s what my dad uses. Sometimes if I’m going full-tilt all day, I’ll get a coffee for morale more than for the caffeine–cream and sugar if I’m trying to be normal, light and sweet if I’m living dangerously.
Full disclosure snob here. I usually prefer to make my coffee than buying because my roaster is fantastic and most coffee shops don’t compare. If I’m at a specialty roaster, I’ll ask the best expression of the beans. Straight up espresso, cortado, or pour over. If it’s a dark roast European place, I’ll take a cappuccino and pray haha.
I kind of like it all… it depends on my mood. My daily is brew is plain ol’ drip coffee with half and half. On the weekend, I like to treat myself to a brown sugar and cardamom latte from my local coffee shop. It feels like cardamom is having a moment these days, and I’m here for it. The strongest preference I have is the vessel. For example, I won’t drink a cappuccino out of a take away cup. You can’t get all that lovely foam through a little sippy top. There is something so comforting about wrapping your hands around a big ceramic cup and knowing you are just meant to take your time and enjoy.
Also present for roll call in the Cardamom Moment Club! So glad you’re here!
SAME philosophy around a cappuccino! That’s a “for here” beverage!
Ex coffee roaster, barista trainer, espresso bar manager, geek: a flat white is not a latte with less milk, but less ‘head’ on the steamed milk. Lattes have big fluffy head, flat white have roughly half of that. Also my pet peeve was always people who demanded their coffee with steamed milk (latte, cappuccino, FW, cortado, etc) ~*EXTRA HOT*~ like it made them seem more hardcore or something… please know that all that does is burn the milk lol My order is usually a single shot FW because I’m cutting back on caffeine, a piccolo if they know what it is, or in summer a black coffee with ice and a dash of milk.
In jest, Italian here. Latte is just milk… Many years ago my sister was at a dinner with co workers and one ordered a ‘latte’. The Italian waiter looked at my sister in confusion and my sister said bring her what she asked for. Then proceeded to explain to her colleague what latte actually is in Italian. As I said many years ago.
I love when folks are passionate about the food they prepare and serve to a point, but as someone with food allergies and needs, I also feel pretty judged sometimes in these scenarios. I’ve been told gluten allergies “aren’t real” and once called a “glutard” for needing something celiac safe. And when nursing my daughter, I went to a cute coffee shop and asked for something decaf and the barista could not have been ruder about how decaf isn’t real coffee and they don’t even sell decaf because “it’s awful.” There’s a fine line between passion and snobbery, ha! (and since they were awful, I feel no shame about putting them on blast: Fox Run Cafe in Denver… avoid!)
Your decaf story reminds me of a time I tried a new coffee shop in my neighborhood. My morning go-to is a cold brew with half and half, and I’m VERY dedicated to it. They told me they don’t have half and half, as a policy. My only choice was milk or cream. I never went back. 😂
Thanks for writing this. I mainly drink decaf because of a heart arrhythmia, which is triggered by caffeine…I’d be irked if a barista said this! (Even without the arrhythmia I’d be irritated by the snobbery) also I looked up fox run and it seems to be closed! 😳
When my daughter was an infant I started drinking the day-old, black, room-temp coffee leftover from the day before. The desire to be absolutely silent in the house (not even a microwave button!) for as long as possible for ‘me’ time was far more important than the taste. That’s still how I drink it today.
In Australia, coffee is Serious Business – especially in Melbourne, where I live. People tend to be quite specific with their orders and baristas are generally really great with accomodating. That said, the range of possible coffee permutations does my head in a bit, and my usual order – a small, strong (extra shot) flat white with lactose free milk – is actually quite tame and boring compared to some of the order variations I hear!
Hi Sara, fellow Melburnian here. I’m with you on the orders some put in, takes longer to state what they require than actually making it.
When I want a cup of coffee, simple drip from a coffee maker or espresso from a stove percolator will do. Making coffee or tea in the morning is a quiet, mundane, life ritual that I feel grateful for. I like my coffee black or cortado with some milk, cream, or condensed milk (yum!), depending on my mood. I drink mostly tea of various kinds – if it’s black tea, piping hot with a splash of milk (oat milk these days) and a bit of sugar or honey. Brewed for just the right amount of time, 3-5 minutes, it’s absolutely delicious and so comforting to hold that cup while you sip. Green or herbal tea, I like hot or cold, unsweetened.
My fav coffee shop in town has converted me to be an iced espresso tonic girly, with blackberry, through and through. (Cannot wait for their seasonal blood orange one!!) Since it is not always available though, I usually prefer a cold brew, a nitro cold brew, or an iced americano with soy or coconut milk. If I am traveling, I am game to try something else that I usually do not get. Dreaming of that one cardamon cortado I got in Colorado Springs…..
my coffee order is a cappuccino with lavender and an extra shot. If I can’t get that, I don’t want it. But I am not a huge coffee drinker so I feel like once I found a drink I loved I had to stick with it. I also enjoy a breve or a cold brew with cream and lavender. Lavender is apparently key to my coffee enjoyment.
I feel like my entire life is shaped by coffee and so I absolutely LOVE it. I was a barista in the late 90s and this is when Starbucks was still, a “hip” coffee place and not, whatever it is today (no shade! it’s just different.) This is when I became addicted to coffee. And while I tried every coffee drink in the world, latte is my favorite to this day. When traveling; coffee is such a great way to see how locals live! In Italy – only espresso. They know what they are doing, why mess with perfection. Eastern European coffee shops are often random coffees that are mostly milk and mostly sweet. But I love it all. When I went to Florida and I was served, I think a Cuban coffee – full of sweetened condensed milk? I loved it so much, it became my Thanksgiving day tradition. I host a lot of people and make the turkey – sweetened coffee is not only a treat that day but the sugar and caffeine really help with the effort :) When my babies were toddlers we had a tradition on the one day off I had during the week – I would keep them home from daycare and we would walk to the local coffee shop. Those baristas were my friends in the chaotic early years of motherhood. Now, my teenager wants to be a barista this summer at that same local coffee shop and I just love it! I also hope to be the older woman now who meets her friends for coffee in coffee shops! Full circle!
That’s so funny. I once was in Paris and went to a brasserie for lunch, and I asked for an americano. They brought me a BOWL of coffee. They did not have a cup, so they brought me this soup bowl, that was like a whole pot of coffee. They said they don’t have coffee mugs except small ones.
Omg the cortado story!!! https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/nyregion/metropolitan-diary.html
Just coffee with a little milk or cream. And the same but iced if it is warm out or if it is the afternoon. Occasionally I’ll have a cappuccino! And if I had a really wild day at work I’ll sometimes grab an iced coffee with cold foam before I pick up my kids.
I love a good pour over coffee with milk. I think drip coffee has more flavor and notes compared to espresso based drinks.
I’m also a new coffee drinker—started at age 41 and now I get what I was missing all along! But I often feel like Julia Childs in Runaway Bride as she tries to figure out her egg preferences because what I love at home isn’t easy to find at coffee shops: a double shot of espresso with a tablespoon of maple syrup and foamy oat milk.
I’m a relatively new coffee lover. A few baristas have given me a dirty look for asking for cream in pour-over coffee that I order. But I simply like it that way and am not so hardcore that I must drink it black. I love your article btw. Thx!
I am a purist. I can only take my coffee and my tea as is. No sugar, no milk.
No coffee for me! Matcha is my preference! Anyone else?
I used to drink coffee every morning they I switched to tea and can’t believe how much better it suits my chemistry. I don’t get jittery. I love the taste from beginning to end. I have black tea with milk every morning and green tea in the early afternoon, but only on days when I need an extra lift.
I drink iced espresso with a splash of milk and a bit of sugar, all year! I’m with you- lattes have way too much milk and warm milk bothers my stomach.
I’m a cortado gal myself! And a quick note: in the original post, I’d consider subbing “he or she” for “they” instead–an easy way to be gender-inclusive! lgbtqia+ folks will notice and appreciate it, especially in ~these times~
I enjoyed this 645 and counting bee hive discourse over a freshly brewed cup of jo (e) today. Sumatra gold with cream. Cheeky cheers!
I can’t tolerate milk and I also get nervous if I have to work my way through a big hot mug of beverage. I have also learnt to really LOVE the taste of an Italian espresso. This means the dark chocolatey arabica roast – not the lighter lemony ones. So my order is straight espresso and in summer… espresso over ice. My husband, who IS Italian, loves all things milky foamy and frothy. I’m Malaysian. We confuse baristas.
I thought I wasn’t a coffee person – mostly because of the learning curve – but recently on a family holiday we found ourselves in an Italian-run cafe and I was mindful of what Italians think of milk in coffee before noon. So, I ordered a macchiato. And then I realised why I was never into coffee – too much milk (disclaimer: also Malaysian, also somewhat lactose intolerant). And black coffee seemed watered down and burnt at the same time. Espresso always seemed a bit too naked (there were morning-of exams where I washed down a teaspoon of instant coffee granules with hot water a la Mr Bean). That macchiato was Goldilocks-right. Not too sharp-black, not too blergh-milky. There really should be an option for condensed milk, but that is a Southeast Asian pipe dream.
I’m Canadian living in the Netherlands and the Dutch have an order for coffee with milk called koffie verkeerd, which literally translates to … wrong coffee. Its ratio is usually more milk to coffee. Love it
I do a ton of international travel for work and when the coffee queue is held up…it is a safe bet that it is an American demanding a recreation of some Starbucks concoction. You would not go to a random restaurant and demand a hamburger made like McDonald’s. Why do it with coffee?
I’m usually not a sweet coffee gal, but over the holidays (and as a treat for my pregnant sweet tooth) i ordered my usual oat milk latte w one shot of hazenut and discovered it tasted like a delicious roasted marshmallow! highly recommend!!
My husband recently treated himself to an espresso machine (10 years after a big job change we felt like he had earned it!) and the lattes he makes are *chef’s kiss* smooth perfection in the morning. He also does a killer coconut milk cold brew iced latte that slaps. I’ve probably spent less than $30 on coffee in 2025!
It’s the same when I get a haircut from my French stylist (in Geneva, Switzerland)! And I LOVE the honesty. I’ll show her a photo and she’ll just say “Non. Non, non, non.” Well, a lot of stylists in the past let me make huge mistakes — the woman in South Carolina who let me go strawberry blonde at 22 (no!!) and the man in DC who let me dye my hair walnut brown at 25 (why??). I appreciate her expert opinion.
I am Italian and living in Italy and I was recently at a large coffee gathering for breakfast, like 25 people! There were so many different orders that I really felt sorry for the poor guy who took our requests: macchiato freddo (a macchiato with cold milk and no froth), espresso, cappuccino, americano, in tazza grande (in a large cup), in tazza piccola (in a small cup)…he kept writing frantically (we were sat at our very large table) but in the end he managed to get everything right and got a huge applause from the whole table !
I am an American living in Milano and am continually delighted by all the ways to drink and to not drink coffee in Italy. Today my colleague asked if I wanted my flat white in tazza di vetro o tazza di ceramica and I said I didn’t care and she was horrified! Apparently i’m supposed to have a preference ha! I learn every day :)
In the UK and Denmark, I am a latte girl. Maybe because I had so many as a student, they taste very different to me compared to lattes I order in NY. Softer with a dose of nostalgia? In NY, I have diner coffee or a functional flat white!
A fellow CoJ fan in Denmark!!
Rain or shine I’ll always order a cold brew with a splash of heavy cream AND some mocha sauce. My absolute favorite coffee shop (Thatcher’s in Vancouver, WA) makes the most delicious mocha sauce. Right now they have an orange cardamom mocha sauce and it is dreamy 🤩
I live next door in Camas. Excited to try this at Thacher’s! Thanks for the rec!
I love coffee but really like getting take out coffee just for the joy of having half and half. In the Bay Area we have Philz and they make coffees with whipping cream and it blows my mind but I need lactose tablets for that!
When I lived in Tokyo for a year, in winter I would always go to this one cafe and have an afternoon coffee that was made with a shopt of grand marnier and topped with whipped cream. It was simple and so delicious!
At home I like my coffee from percolator (yes!) and oat milk. No sugar. And though I don’t order coffee out much, but every once-in-a-while as a treat I will order a cortadito, which is espresso with sugar and steamed milk. It’s short, strong, sweet and delicious. You can order them all over Miami, even at places like Whole Foods or even at the Nordstrom Ebar (their little coffee cafe). It feels special and tastes delicious. If I ever leave Miami, I will have to learn to make them at home. :)
French press coffee with MALK vanilla creamer. WOW!
I don’t drink sweet coffee but I’ve started getting oatmilk lattes because they’re creamier and have a slight nutty sweetness that feels like the best fluffy sweater on a crispy evening walk.
I was in Paris last year and asked for my order – a long black with a dash of milk, which I think is an americano? And the barista looked and me and said with a heavy French accent “No, because that is disgusting”. I loved it so much.
Baffling…but hilarious. Does everyone in Europe only drink espresso shots after 9am?
kate this made me fully laugh out loud. i am cackling!
At home, I make a double shot of espresso with some frothed milk. I always take a sip of the espresso before I add the milk! Some days I add a pinch of sugar. At a cafe, usually a latte without sugar or syrups. Kind of boring but I just like coffee with milk.
I love a latte, ideally with rich and creamy microfoam. My favorite two spots are the dairy guy at our local farmers market (the long line is always worth it!) and the tiny coffee shop 10 min from our flat where all the old men sit out and smoke.
This brings back memories of a trip to France in 1976…one afternoon we went to a cafe near St Germanin de Pres…I asked the waiter for a cafe au lait…and was told..No, cafe au lait was for the morning and it was now afternoon. Was there something else I would like…I stammered cafe and he brought me an espresso. Lesson learned…I made sure to have my cafe in the morning.
I have a first grader and a toddler, and am “home” to care for them. I have always been ambivalent about it… there times things I love, and times it feels like my identity is slowly being leeched away. When my first kid was born, a friend brought me a latte and there was something about an indulgent coffee drink–not too expensive, but not something I routinely bought myself–that just felt so special. Since then, I’ve counted that as one of my favorite gifts! So now, once a week, I take my toddler to our local coffee shop, and she plays with stickers while I have a mocha, and it just feels perfect. It’s also helps to be out in the world and chat with the barista or any neighbors I recognize in our small town. It’s become one of those times where I feel like I made the right decision for our family by staying home. The things a coffee can do, folks!
Ok, l’m going to start doing this :)
My daughter and I had many fun traditions like this while she was growing up. I did work part time evenings but I was home more often than not and would not have traded those times for anything. Even now that she’s grown when we get together random people look at us and say wow you guys are having FUN !! It all started with little outings like you described here. <3. We always did a lot o lot of thrift store outings…. We had itineraries/ routes for various towns. Anyway, enjoy your time at that coffee shop table with your toddler and stickers. Heaven.
This is the sweetest <3
Chemex pour over, whole beans ground fresh each morning. My favorite beans are from Sightglass, always drink black to enjoy the lovely flavors. Medium or light roasts, never dark. Living in SF has been a revelation in how coffee can taste. Once you experience good coffee, you’ll never go to Charbucks again (or any of those coffee chains).
My husband makes my coffee every morning. Last year for Christmas, I bought a nice bag of coffee beans and this poem, framed: “The Teapot” by Robert Bly That morning I heard water being poured into a teapot. The sound was an ordinary, daily, cluffy sound. But all at once, I knew you loved me. An unheard-of thing, love audible in water falling.
Love this Beth!
I love this so much, thanks for sharing!
I love this! Its so true and sweet :)
I love this so much. The morning my grandma passed away, everyone came to my parents’ house. All the men couldn’t take it and disappeared outside. I wandered into the kitchen and saw my boyfriend making coffee for my mom. I knew right then that I wanted to marry him.
Ok, I offer this suggestion while also grappling with Whole Foods/Amazon/Bezos (will definitely not be going there tomorrow during the blackout)…but the Whole Foods barista counter makes a date and cardamom latte that is perfection…sweet but not too sweet, with a little spice from the cardamom. My husband tried it and said that it was the best latte he’d ever had. It’s on the menu in the fall but they make it all year round if you ask. I do it with oatmilk.
Oooh my local cafe makes a drink that reminds me of this – a honey and cinnamon latte that I am obsessed with. It’s delicious both hot and cold.
As I’ve aged, my coffee order is like my wardrobe: better quality and simpler. If I’m out at a place that serves good coffee, a cappuccino or flat white. If I’m home, a pour over either black or with a bit of whole milk. I don’t want anything complex- no flavors, no nut milks, no toppings- but I do want high quality. Has anyone else simplified as they’ve gotten older?
Yes!!! You are so speaking to me. It sort of happened organically across all areas of my life. But what I didn’t expect was how amazing and freeing and confident it felt. It’s hard to describe. Saving quite a lot of money was a nice bonus too.
Yes! Fully agree. I’m simplifying many areas of my life as I age, coffee is just one aspect. It feels so good!
Yes simple with high quality is my preference for most things including coffee.
Bet I win for weirdness, lol: ANY form of brewed caffiene, (any color caffiene tea, including green, white or maté; coffee or coffee fruit {it’s a thing}), makes me unable to sleep that night. But I can get away with HALF a capsule of caffiene supplement with l-theonine (the green tea nutrient). At a coffee shop I order herbal mint tea or hot chocolate if it’s winter. Therefore, I almost never go to coffee shops anymore. It’s fine.
simple .. coffee with milk or cream. I have read cappuccino in the morning and espresso at night if that helps
Cafe allonge is the French equivalent of an americano and cafe au lait of the flat white but it would really be a breakfast drink only. My go to is an americano black with no sugar or the occasional cortado which basically is a flat white but with a bit less milk. It is all about ratios! If using almond milk you get a nice nutty flavor that works well with coffee.
I have been intermittent fasting for two years, which has done wonders for so many of my menopause symptoms and inflammatory issues, but is KILLING my morning happiness. Right now I’m drinking iced coffee, black, so boring. However, when I occasionally break with the diet, I’ll treat myself to a giant vanilla latte with oat milk and extra shots of vanilla. That has been my favorite drink since college (was regular milk back in the 90’s when oat milk didn’t exist) and it still reigns supreme.
Amy, you can add 1tsp-1tbs of Heavy whipping cream and it won’t break your fast! Gives plain coffee/tea a delicious mouth feel
Tell me more about intermittent fasting and menopause!. Peri-menopause is so hard for me right now!
Have you tried fasting for a different part of the day? The last 4 years have been brutal for me with perimenopause. I did IF in my 30s and loved it, but when I tried it again at 44 I couldn’t tolerate my fasting window in the morning anymore. So! I skip dinner! My fasting window starts mid afternoon, and I break it when I wake up and have my coffee with creamer. I found that my body doesn’t want me to eat past the late afternoon. When I tried to fast like I used to (skipping breakfast) I felt absolutely crappy (bloated at night and raging in the morning due to being hungry). But skipping dinner is amazing, and IF is easy again. I do believe a smaller eating window is best for me, but the window changes as my body ages. Just a thought!
yes, what Jen said!! that’s what I do and I second the ‘delicious mouth feel’
I’m a daily pot of black tea person, but my father loves coffee and is constantly drinking it. About 10 years ago I decided I would start drinking coffee, but only when I am with my dad. Now both the smell and taste make me think of him immediately. It’s one little way that I know I’ll be able to hold him close with me forever, even after he’s gone.
The way I’m clutching my heart right now!
This is so lovely!
There is an increasingly longer list of things I’m ashamed about being an American these days.. but the one thing I appreciated when I went to Italy recently was the abundance of cold brew iced coffee in the US!! For some reason I hate hot beverages and I cannot live without my cold brew! I ordered what I thought was a cold coffee but it was actually cold milk in hot coffee and it just tasted like coffee that was sitting out for a few hours lol
I feel you! I’m VERY dedicated to cold brew. When we visited my sister in England, I contemplated bringing cans from our local coffee shop in my luggage, but I was afraid they’d explode. I got a couple of iced lattes at local shops, but they were short on coffee and on ice. 😂
I can’t wait for warm weather when I can start drinking my homestyle dupe of Starbucks’ iced shaken brown sugar oat milk latte – hot double espresso shot shaken in a jam jar with brown sugar, poured over a huge cup of ice and then quickly followed with a healthy pour of full fat Oatly for the pretty swirls. YUM. Otherwise it’s a good black coffee or an Americano. Flat whites when feeling fancy.
OH, one of the last caffiene drinks I ordered (before realizing caffeine is not my friend, as mentioned above) was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted from a coffee shop. The Starbucks iced lavender matcha tea with cold foam but instead of iced, the barista made it hot for me, with cold foam. OMG. I learned to make the dupe at home because even though it was definitely dessert in a cup I just could not stomach paying $8 for a drink! I do not recommend trying it because it is very hard not to want one every day, for the rest of your life.
Of course in FRance you cannot order a flat white or an americano !!! We do not know that type of beverages… Coffee IS a serious thing here :) Expresso or if it’s quite early in the morning, a café crème eventually, nothing else :) And it’s even better at the bar (comptoir) with a fresh baked croissant !
I love this comment so much, Margaux! Of course, for French people, some things are just not okay. I remember many years ago, at a wonderful restaurant in Strasbourg, the owner eventually got us to stop ordering salad at the beginning of the meal among other things.
It’s always better at the bar, @Margaux! You are so right! When I lived in Zurich, it was my favorite place to order a coffee. Your comment took me right back!
I just got back to the US from Paris. We rented a flat in the 9th, and a little breakfast place nearby (Sazam) had flat whites on the menu! They were more like a cappuccino, but delicious. Right next door was a Korean coffee shop, and they also had wonderful coffee–strong for France, but it made us happy.
Black coffee, the heat of one thousand suns at home. At a coffee shop, Americano, black. I only put in Splenda or dairy-free creamer if it’s gas station coffee.
We have a joke in our family about my daughter ordering a chai latte with oat milk in Scotland and the barista replying in her beautiful Scottish accent “I’m sorry I but I cannot make a latte without milk.”
I wonder if they refuse on ideological grounds or because they do not understand how liquids work?
@ berry the barista misunderstood “with oat” as “without”
Hahah I had to say this in a Scottish accent to get it
Coffee.
*love*
My favorite at-home, “fancy” coffee drink: espresso, whole milk – frothed with a bit of honey + almost or pistachio extract. Or peppermint extract around Christmastime. (I LOVE extracts for flavor in coffee b/c you can control the sweetness with honey & it tastes less ‘fake’ to me than syrups). Served hot or over ice.
ooh, this sounds delicious!
We have our coffee dialed in. Trader Joe’s big container of their Wake Up Blend (it’s a yellow tin) is the best grocery store coffee, hands down. It’s not oily, it’s not stale, it’s balanced, smooth, and somehow fresh. It is also a superb deal at around $5/week for coffee for 2. We grind the beans daily in a Baratza grinder and then brew with a Moccamaster. I personally pour a bit of Chobani’s Original oatmilk in before I pour my mug.
I love a honey cinnamon oatmilk latte, half sweet. Such a treat.
I love a good NYC coffee cart brew. It’s Maxwell House to the MAX, with milk and probably too much sugar. On a cold, bright morning, that shit is dope. I knew I had reached peak New Yorker when my coffee cart guys saw me coming, reached through the back window, and handed me my cup for a seamless transaction. I was the envy of all the construction workers waiting in line. I had arrived.
First – “that shit is dope” – I can mentally feel it hitting my veins and the caffeine coursing through me. I know exactly what you mean. Second, you have arrived and that is absolute PEAK NY (and local) level. It is what I aim and strive for at my own coffee shop.
I love you.
THIS IS EVERYTHING. Like a freaking movie.
When you go to the bodega and say I want a regular and they know exactly what you mean.
this is bothering me way more than it should lol … it’s annoying and rude to refuse a (polite) customer their order. you can certainly make suggestions (gentle or even firm) but it’s not charming or “passionate” to make someone feel bad about their preferences. i am not in their house refusing their hospitality lol. i’m at a cafe ordering a coffee; it’s a transaction. nothing is owed to one another other than the balance + common respect/manners.
I think this is totally a cultural perspective. When you come from a “the customer is right” culture, the general understanding is that my money entitles me to receive the service that I request. However, I also think there are cultural perspectives that lean more into “the expert is right.” I.E. The producer not going to do anything that could potentially degrade their product (in their opinion) in order to appease the customer, payment regardless. I genuinely don’t think either is morally correct or incorrect. I think they’re just two different cultural customs and expectations. In the same way, what is considered to be a rude way of communicating in one culture might just be considered to be neutral but direct way of communicating in another. I can totally see a French (or German for that matter) communication style feeling rude to me, but they might not feel that way to each other. Just my unasked for two cents! :)
As someone who worked for nearly twenty years in the hospitality industry, I totally agree. Yes, there is and should be passion and you can recommend…but refusal? No.
If I could agree a thousand times to Joy’s comment, I would. Exactly :)
Joy, what a wonderful, thoughtful comment.
Well said, Joy. I get where you’re coming from, Pamela, but I think Joy’s comment sums it up well.
Ah ah as a french person I can tell you that being at a café or restaurant in France is not a commercial transaction, as a customer you’re more of a guest who is willing to pay for the experience that the place decided to give you. Weird but real…
It’s a cultural thing. In the US, the customer is generally considered to be right. Other places, not so much. If you travel internationally and insist on “being right,” (a) you create friction with the people hosting you (yes, this is true when the “host” is the proprietor of a restaurant or store, not just at someone’s home) and (b) you miss out on one of the great benefits of travel, learning how things work elsewhere. Speaking from personal experience, many of the most cringe-worthy moments I have seen when traveling involved fellow Americans INSISTING that something HAD TO BE THEIR WAY. It was massively embarrassing to watch. We can do better.
I think there are degrees of this – I feel like in a cafe where they already have espresso, water, and milk, this request could be honored. At a vegan restaurant if I ask to sub beef for the cauliflower steak, I would rightly be denied. For some things where I’m paying to get a service like a personal stylist or haircut, I certainly value the expert opinion but maybe my subjective taste says that the dress or haircut that the stylist says “isn’t flattering” is actually what I want!
I hear you, but i visited France once and my general impression was that they do coffee differently over there than coffee shops in the US do. Plus there is probably somewhat of a language barrier. I used to serve coffee at a job and if someone who was clearly visiting from another country and wasn’t fluent in English had come in and asked me for butter in their coffee, I probably would have said “I usually serve it with cream, how about that instead “… just saying! Also I wouldn’t expect anyone to serve me milk in my tea if it wasn’t a place where that’s generally done.
Their house (cafe/restaurant/store) — their rules. Freedom of choice means everyone can go wherever fits best. Or embrace the offering that is offered.
Hmm I don’t know, unless Americano was expressly written on the menu as an option why should she have had to make it? Fine if she was happy to, but yes I agree with Joy, any expectation beyond that feels very much like a particular cultural perspective.
This is the difference between America and Europe. In America, we treat it as “the customer is always right and gets what they want”. In Europe, it’s “the barista is an expert on their product and won’t serve you a bad version of it.” Plus, there are cultural norms in Europe that we don’t have in America (e.g. only ordering cappuccino at breakfast, cannot order later in the day). They do not have to adjust their culture to accommodate Americans. If you are traveling in Europe, get familiar with the customs and adhere to them! Plus, what is seen as rude as an American is really just Europeans being direct, as they are in their culture.
I think the differences evolved because the US is so huge, someone can ALWAYS easily go somewhere else. Maybe in Europe it is smaller so you have less option to leave for what you actually want, and that helped shape cultural perspectives. I like both experiences because it’s so fun to experience another frame of mind!
Mine used to always be a hot coffee with soy milk, but now it’s hot coffee with oat. Simple. If I’m going all out, my favorite is a black sesame latte or ube latte.
I’m slightly embarrassed to admit my go to order is… hot chocolate. Ideally a very rich, very chocolate-y one with whipped cream and lots of it. I love chocolate and avoid caffeine; I can’t drink coffee and love tea but these days hot chocolate just hits right.
I have never learned to like coffee, and frankly detest it, to the point where I won’t even have tiramisu. So I’m with you on the hot chocolate!
I love getting hot chocolate at my favorite local coffee shop because they do the thing with the milk that they do for coffee with the fancy design. I feel like that levels it up a notch or two.
http://www.criobru.com Have you tried brewed chocolate coffee? Ground cacao.
Does hot chocolate/chocolate have caffeine in it?
I prefer a café au lait! My first baby, when he was two, called it a café o~yay, and he’s seven now, but that’s still what I hear in my head, what I will always hear.
COJ hivemind, I need travel bag recommendations please! We’re spending a month in Italy with our 4 kids this summer, and I need a personal item for the plane. It needs to hold my stuff, snacks, 2 tablets, 2 headphones, and meds. My husband will be carrying stuff for our other 2 kids. I need it to be hands free, but I’m hesitant to bring a backpack because of pickpockets. We’ll be moving between cities and will also have 2 suitcases, so it needs to be reasonably light/not dig into my shoulder. I know that’s a lot of requirements. We’re considering having our 10 year old bring a bag too, but I don’t know if that will be more difficult in the long run. Help a girl out please :)
You could check out PacSafe backpacks. They have clips you can use to secure the zippers and the straps have lightweight cables that protect against the bag being slashed. Very thoughtfully designed for travelers!
I traveled with the Cotopaxi travel backpack for a similar trip and would recommend it: pros: lots of different pockets, some easy to access (for kids snacks, boarding pass, etc.), it has security features if you’re worried about pickpockets (hidden pocket for laptop, you can tuck the zippers in so they’re harder to access). Cons: no water bottle holder, not stretchy (you can’t overfill it, it will stay a personal item size)
I used the Everlane Renew Transit Backpack last summer to go to Europe with our kids. It was great for plane travel, and has a sleeve on the back to go over your luggage handle which was nice for longer walks from train stations to hotels. The foldover top would make it hard to get into. It has a water bottle holder, although I wish it had two. https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-renew-backpack-warm-quartz
Hi, Sara. I love the Baggallini Overnight Expandable Laptop Tote. While I’m not packing for kids, believe me when I tell you that I do not travel light and it holds everything I need comfortably. Go on hsn.com and look for the comment with picture entitled “This Bag Saved Me $$$$$” to see how much stuff it can fit :0 How heavy it is obviously has to do with its contents, but it does have a luggage handle sleeve for when you are towing your suitcases at the same time. Good luck and I hope you and your family have a wonderful, safe trip!
Sara, check out PacSafe and Tom Bihn bags.
We’ve traveled all over the world with our 3 kids with regular old backpacks and have never had a theft experience. I HAVE worn uncomfortable packs I would have given to a thief to quit carrying the load. I suggest trying several for comfort and worrying about theft 2nd.
I just don’t know how you get around a backpack if you need volume and hands free/ but an old trick is to wear it on your front (and have someone clip the chest strap across your upper back) when in areas where you are concerned about pickpockets. (In this case you could also have a baby carrier with baby on your back if needed, trusting that no one will nab them ;).
You all are the best!
I think a backpack is essential when traveling with small kids. I’ve gotten around the pickpocket issue with safety pinning the two zipper tags together. Or safety pinning the zipper tag to the fabric. If you have one of those locking diaper pins, even better. Pick pockets look for quick & undetectable and taking off a safety pin is too time consuming and attention drawing. That being said, I have two pac safe bags. They just have the safety pin built in. And I’ll throw in a rec for Lo & Sons and Dagne Dover for their amazing organizational pockets.
Messenger bag! And those passport/money holders that go around your neck, under your shirt. I was glad I had my money there when a pickpocket got chatty with me.
I am whatever the opposite of a coffee snob is. Diner coffee? Sure. Coffee from the break room at work? If it’s hot, I’ll take it. Dunkin drive-thru in a pinch? Iced coffee for me please! Weekends and WFH? Whatever is brewing in our hand-me-down Mr. Coffee coffeemaker. Sorry to all the Chemex loyalists and those with more refined palates, but it sure ain’t me. Literally do not care what it is as long as it has caffeine and doesn’t taste like mud.
My dad always called this ‘truck stop coffee’ …..even truck stops are too fancy now but you get the idea.
I am boring. I make myself a cup of coffee at home (hot in the winter [usually], cold brew in the summer) and add a tablespoon or two of milk. No sugar. If I am out at a coffee shop, sometimes I will get daring and order a coconut (light amount of syrup) oat milk shaken espresso, iced. Which I suppose is “fancy” but I don’t get that if the place is super busy. Also, does a creamy espresso martini count? LOL
I’d like to go on the record in favor of maple syrup as a sweetener for coffee. it’s a tiny bit interesting and it doesn’t need to be dissolved and probably won’t give you cancer
Since I had to move to a FODMAP diet, I switched to maple syrup too because it was an acceptable sweetener (my husband’s backyard honey wasn’t). It’s really great in my London Fogs, and I’m with you, Jordan: I don’t worry so much about what it is doing to my body.
Yes to maple with coffee! I make lattes at home and use a little maple syrup AND a tiny lil pinch of salt. Trust me on this!
i like coffee all the ways.
I rarely get coffee out, because I like/need it in such a weird and specific way. My husband leaves a shot of espresso on the stove for me every morning (love!). I cook up a tiny bit of water in the bottom of a small pot, add Haldi Doodh (turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper) from Diaspora Spices, then fill up the rest of the pot with lactose free milk, the espresso shot, and a little maple syrup. Stupidly foofy but so good!
Oh, my! I might need it in a weird and specific way now, too! Searching for that spice blend immediately. Thank you!
I want this! Even the lactose free milk part!
I took a screenshot of this because it sounds SO good!
may i ask how much of the Haldi Doodh you use?