Coffee Culture

Learn the language you need to order coffee

Could you order coffee in English or would you become tongue-tied? If you would, you might need a lesson in coffee language.

Size
If you order a small, medium or large coffee, they'll know what you mean. But you'll be considered an amateur. Instead, ask for a "tall," "grande" or "venti."

Coffee names
Espresso: a strong coffee made by forcing hot water through ground coffee beans
Espresso Creme: expresso served with an ounce of cream
Shot: a measure of espresso. You can add an "extra shot" to any coffee drink.
Cappuccino: expresso made with foamy milk on top
Cappuccino Mochaccino: cappuccino with chocolate
Latte: espresso made with steamed milk
Latte Granita: espresso made with frozen milk and sugar
Latte Mocha: latte with chocolate
Latte: espresso made with steamed milk
Latte Granita: espresso made with frozen milk and sugar
Latte Mocha: latte with chocolate
White coffee: coffee beans that aren't roasted as long as regular beans, resulting in a lighter coffee
Decaffeinated: no caffeine in your coffee
Skinny: espresso made with skim milk and sugar-free syrup

The next time you order coffee, use some of your newly acquired language. If you order a "grande decaffeinated cappuccion mochaccion," you're certain to sound impressive!

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: How Do You Take Your Coffee?
Just like when you order a cold drink at a tea stand, you need to answer a few questions when you order a coffee at a coffee shop.

Right. Because you'll likely be asked, "How do you take your coffee?" And that just means what you'd like to put in your coffee, if anything.

Do you take sugar, milk, or cream? If you're like me, you can say your prefer your coffee with cream and sugar. How about you, Ken?

I prefer nothing. Just give it to me black, so I can enjoy everything the bean has to be offer.

Then, you're a purist. Drinking it black is an acquired taste, and I for one haven't acquired it.

No worries. There are as many ways to take your coffee as there are kinds of people. Some people even take it with a dash of salt.

OK. Let's look at another frequently asked question when we order coffee.

Would you like regular or decaf?

In this case, regular means coffee that has caffeine in it, while decaf does not.

And, decaf is short for decaffeinated, meaning the caffeine has been removed from the coffee beans.

1.
Quesion: How do you take your coffee?
Answer: Blak, with cream only, or with cream and sugar.
2.
decaf: decaffeinated coffee

Grammar Gym
"If you order a "grande decaffeinated cappuccion mochaccion," you're certain to sound impressive!"
certain to
certainly or definitely
- If I show up late, I am certain to get in trouble.
- The company is certain to launch their new product next month.

Language Lab
amateur n.
/ˈæməˌtɚ/
1 : a person who does something (such as a sport or hobby) for pleasure and not as a job
2 : a person who does something poorly : a person who is not skillful at a job or other activity
- You can tell the girl is just an amateur by the way she sings.
professional (pro)
- Even though Claire is just an amateur, she acts better than many pros.

grind v. [grind-ground-ground]
to crush or break (something) into very small pieces by rubbing it against a rough surface or using a special machine
- Gloria had the coffee beans ground by the store.
- The smell of freshly ground coffee fills the kitchen.

foamy adj.
producing or consisting of foam
[foam]
a mass of small bubbles that are formed in or on a liquid
- We stood on the beach watching the foamy waves.
- My kids love a foamy bubble bath.

skim milk n.
milk from which all the cream and fat has been removed —called also (chiefly Brit) skimmed milk
skim n.
to remove a layer of something from the surface of a liquid
- Vivian drinks only skim milk to maintain her weight.
whole milk n.
whole adj.
low-fat milk
half-and-half

[note to self]
(Has the) Cat got your tongue.
Why are you not saying anything? (Often said by adults to children.)
A question addressed to someone who is inexplicably silent.