The Art of the Coffee Order

When the players have it right, the dance at the coffee counter moves like a well-timed samba. The customer rattles off a 16-word order, and the barista has the espresso machine running and is making change without missing a beat. For novices, however, the exchange is as awkward as a junior high slow dance.

Although the uninitiated can refer to the side of a Starbucks cup for instructions on how to order, here’s a primer. The key is sequence.

1. special additions/caffeine amount

2. size

3. customization

4. milk type

5. drink type

The simplest order is size plus type of drink. You want a small coffee? Say “tall drip.” (Grande is medium; venti is large.) The name of the drink is always the last word.

If you want an iced drink, decaf or shots of espresso, that description goes before the size, and in that order, as in “iced decaf double grande cappuccino.”

You can also make your decaf order a fraction, as in “half-caf triple venti mocha,” meaning that of the three shots of espresso, half are decaf, half are regular.

Following the size come descriptions relating to syrup, milk and customization, also in that order. If you want to add a flavor like hazelnut, Irish cream, raspberry, etc., list it just after the size but before the drink name, as in “tall hazelnut drip.”

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The standard milk used is whole milk, so if you want 2% or nonfat, insert that right after the flavor, but before the drink name. Regulars simply say “percent” for low-fat. Thus, “double venti caramel percent latte.”

Finally, any other customization you’d like, such as extra hot, 140 (as in degrees), no foam, or half Equal goes just before the drink name.

Still feeling tongue-tied? Go to the slowest register and ask for help, suggested one manager. It just takes a little confidence before you, too, can say, “triple decaf venti nonfat hazelnut no foam caramel macchiato.”