Your Guide to Ordering Coffee

If you go into a coffee shop and ask for a coffee, you’ll most likely be bombarded with a slew of questions as the barista tries to figure out exactly what type of beverage you have in mind. In order to get exactly what you want without wasting anyone’s time, you need to know the basics of ordering coffee.

There is a lot of coffee lingo – much more than most people need to know. However, you should learn some basic coffee vocabulary. Here’s a list of the most commonly used terms:

Americano: espresso and waterBarista: café equivalent of a bar tenderDrip coffee: good, old-fashioned brewed coffeeDry: more foamCafé Au Lait: drip coffee with steamed milkCaffe Breve: espresso and steamed half-n-halfCaffe Latte: espresso and streamed milkCaffe Mocha: espresso, steamed milk, and chocolateCappuccino: espresso and foamed milkEspresso Con Panna: shot of espresso with whipped creamEspresso Macchiato: shot of espresso with a dollop of foamSkinny: made with skim milkSteamer: steamed milk with syrupWet: less foam



Once you have learned the above terms, you should be able to communicate easily with the barista. Of course, each coffee shop has its own special drinks, so you will still need to look at the menu. If there is a line, you should look at the menu and decide what you want before you get to the front of the line. If you fail to do this – maybe you’re talking on your cell phone instead – you will greatly annoy the very busy barista, as well as the other people waiting in line.

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