I’m a barista – this is what we really think of your coffee order
You may think your predilection for a piping hot cup of java is just a preference, but your coffee order says more about you than you know. Just ask your barista. To these professionals, the quirks behind how we take our coffee may as well be windows to our very essence. Here barista and freelance writer Colette Fountain, 24, shares what you can tell about a customer from the way they order: "I’ve been a barista for seven years, and your coffee order is more revealing than you’d think. In fact, in one south-London-based independent coffee shop where I work, my colleagues and I have made a bit of a game of trying to guess what customers are going to order, just by looking at them. More often than not, we get it right. These are the most popular orders we get." (Photo: Getty).
Flat whites
Flat whites are a pretty universal drink these days – older generations order them, but oat flat whites specifically are popular among the London creatives. They’re a favourite among creatives. If a couple in their twenties order flat whites, I usually guess correctly that the man will get a regular flat white and the woman will get an oat flat white. Occasionally, you’ll get a specific type of coffee guy who thinks he knows what he’s ordering and wants to show off. Quite a few of them will order a “large flat white” and I’ve had so many back and forths of trying to explain to them that they just come in one size. You just can’t get through to them though, so I usually end up giving them a large latte and writing “flat white” on the cup. Another pro tip for customers of this ilk: A flat white with less milk is not a flat white, it’s a cortado. (Photo: Getty).
Skinny latte
The cafe I work in is quite a yummy mummy area. I hear a lot of “oh, I shouldn’t” or “I’ll treat myself” in regards to things like sweet treats and pastries. Over the years, I’ve developed a real pet peeve about comments like that. And more often than not, customers like these are likely to order a skinny latte. It’s a bit of a pointless order. You can tell how much diet culture has infiltrated people’s mindsets because it has people thinking that skimmed or semi-skimmed milk makes all the difference. To me, if you’re paying £4 for something you’re looking forward to, just enjoy it or don’t bother at all because you’re buying something that you won’t actually like the taste of. Ultimately, if you do care about calories, black coffee, or even just a dash of milk, is a better alternative. (Photo: Frank Lee/Moment RF).
Filter coffee
People who get this are usually very serious about coffee. It’s a richer flavour and more of an experience than an Americano (which is made by diluting espresso with hot water). They’re usually commuters in their thirties and very often men who ask specifically what coffee beans we have on filter. (Photo: Getty).
Alternative milk
There’ll be a study about how oat milk is bad for you and everyone moves away from it; then there’ll be another and everyone moves back. I love oat milk in coffees but prefer almond in matcha because it takes some of the bitterness out. Hot chocolates pair great with coconut milk while Americanos are delicious with whole milk. I only ever really cringe when people make really niche requests like rice milk or macadamia milk. Unless you’re in a specialised health shop it’s unlikely most cafes will have this and they likely already have a broad range of milks available – personal taste is important but so is practicality and it’s impractical to offer every type of milk. (Photo: Getty).
Matcha
Customers who ask for matcha are on two ends of a spectrum: either they don’t drink caffeine (because it makes them anxious or keeps them up at night) or health-conscious people on the way back from pilates with a yoga mat under their arm. You also get the odd syrup lover because of the success of coffeehouses like Blank Street in the USA. I get a lot of people asking what flavours of matcha we do as a result – but we don’t do “flavours” beyond the matcha itself. If you’re a matcha fan, you’re probably a fitness enthusiast, you’re probably under 30 and the odds are you’re also a woman. I did have a weird order the other day for a matcha espresso, which, to be fair, I haven’t tried, but with its mud-green hue, looked pretty grim. I suppose if you’re a really hardcore matcha and coffee lover then that’s sort of the perfect drink. (Photo: Getty).
Espresso
Most people don’t generally order espresso unless they’re really into coffee. They’re usually the sort of people to ask which beans we use and have a preference for knowing the origin of the coffee they’re getting. Espresso drinkers at chain coffee shops are a different beast, though. They come in all ages, genders and backgrounds and just want the instant caffeine hit. They’re definitely not drinking it for the taste. (Photo: Matthew Horwood/Getty).
Long black
Similar to filter coffee, long blacks (made by extracting espresso into a cup of hot water) are a lot more popular than double espressos because it kind of takes the edge off. A lot of baristas I know drink long blacks. If we run out of filter, usually, customers who are really into their coffee will go for this instead.
Cappuccino
Cappuccinos were branded as a new exciting drink in the 2000s. It’s an order that’s mostly popular among slightly older generations: people who are around 40-plus. They want a bit of sweetness with the chocolate on top, but they don’t necessarily want to put sugar in their coffee. We do our lattes and cappuccino the same way – which is a very Australian way of doing it. An Italian cappuccino is super frothy, whereas Australian cappuccinos have a tiny bit more foam than a latte. (Photo: Getty/Janina Steinmetz).
Mocha
A sign of a serious sweet tooth. My colleague’s order is an oat mocha with extra chocolate. I hate them – I’d rather have a hot chocolate followed by an espresso – but I do find that men are more likely to go for them. It’s a good way of getting caffeine if you don’t like coffee. (Photo: Getty).
Iced coffees and cold brews
These are generally for people who want to ease themselves into drinking coffee – or teenagers who want to seem sophisticated. TikTok has made them really popular, so it is usually young people with a sweet tooth, or people who have a lot of time to kill because they don’t want to have to worry about their coffee getting cold. (Photo: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty).
Babyccinos
Sometimes people get them for their dogs, which I’m not sure is a good idea – and some order them for themselves, I guess because they’re on a diet. I’ve had someone ask for a quarter-shot large latte once. At that point, you’re basically only drinking hot milk, which is what the babyccinos are for. If you have heart problems or can’t have caffeine, having a quarter shot makes sense, I suppose. (Photo: Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty).
