Dumb question how do you order cofee at the cofee shop ??

Hey @Islanders190!

That sounds like a good plan to get out more. To answer your question, I have a few things to say if you'll care to listen.

In general, one way to go about things is to know what you want and simply go for that. To me, it doesn't matter so much what the place has on their menu. I know I like a dark roast with cream. I can walk into any coffee shop and get that, or the closest thing they have to it, without much fuss in thinking about what they have.

Another tactic is that you could look up online what they have and plan out what you'll get in advance.

Furthermore is that if you plan to make this a regular thing, you can order things randomly in an attempt to try out the entire menu.

If you think you can swing it, you can also ask the barista if they could recommend a drink for you. Or, ask them to make you their favourite drink.

There's lots of different ways to go about it. Whatever suits you best!

 

Don't worry about it. I used to work in a coffee shop and they serve hundreds of people a week, they won't care. Some Starbucks now even allow you to order via an app so you can just collect it - no human interaction required!

The menus can look intimidating but as a brief guide to coffee, most coffee drinks are espresso based. There are hundreds of combinations based mainly on different syrups. Espresso is a small shot of very strong coffee. It's the Italian way of drinking coffee but for many people it's too strong. They can then make the drinks following based on espresso:

• Americano - espresso topped up with hot water. What most people call coffee (many coffee shops also do filter coffee)
• Latte - espresso topped with steamed milk and a small amount of foam
• Cappuccino - espresso topped with less steamed milk and more foam than a latte

There are lots of other drinks, they are all just a variation on the ratio of milk and espresso.

You can usually get soya milk or skimmed/low fat milk if you prefer (order "skinny" if you want low fat).

You can then add syrups to those drinks. Most coffee shops do vanilla, caramel and hazelnut but there are usually lots of other ones. Be careful with them as they do have a lot of sugar although some are available sugar free.

Be careful about asking the barista - they will probably try to upsell the expensive syrupy drinks.

My advice for most people would to go with either Americano if you just want a plain coffee or a latte if you want something a bit milder.

 

I remember going to a coffee shop my first time. I had no clue as to what I was doing. I was with a friend but I didn't exactly tell him it was my first time at a coffee shop. I just winged it. It worked, sort of.

The coffee shop was/is different then the regular star bucks. Star Bucks usually has a couple house coffees to order from; premade. This coffee shop grinded the coffee beans up, put the ground beans in a flitter, and poured hot water over them and let it drip into your cup. I guess he asked how I wanted my beans grounded. Fine, medium, or course. I choose medium at the time but now I do the fine. The filter catches all the grounds and I think it makes a better cup with the fine. Medium or course might be if your taking the grounds to go and want to keep them fresh but I still don't see the need. If your going that route might as well just take the whole bean and grind them at home.

I continued to stumble around the coffee shop. I like cream and sugar in my coffee. I wasn't sure how to open the cream. Plus they have skim milk too. So I was a little confused. Needless to say I was trying to pour the cream then skim into my cup. Finally my friend came over and saw I was having difficultly. Politely said, "I think their empty". Which they were. An employee came and filled them up.

I went to that coffee shop for several years (played lots of chess). No star bucks at that time. I guess, a problem you might run into is the names of the coffee. I tend to like a medium/bold coffee. Some like light, medium, or bold/dark. Espresso is a really, really, really strong shot of coffee. Personally I don't like the taste. I got one by accident once and got a regular cup of coffee. Put the espresso in the cup of coffee and I guess they call that a, "Black Cherry".

Most other drinks are just made with coffee and steamed milk. I usually don't drink those. When I go to star buck I just ask for a medium/bold cup of coffee. One, my eye sight is bad, two I can't pronounce all the dam different types of coffee roasts they have out now. I don't worry about the size names my self. At star buck they have fancy names for their size. I think it's Italian or French. Anyway we live in America. Since I'm still in the good ol' U.S.A I call Football, Football and Soccer, Soccer. Same with drink sizes. I want a small, medium, large, or extra large. The employee can say what they like. Personally I don't care.

And then we see the tip jar. I put money into that jar for some time. Sometimes a girl would smile a little brighter and/or add more conversation. Overall unless they bring you a cup of coffee to the table then I don't see the point of a tip. It's like tipping people at McDonalds. No tip jar their. Unless you have extra cash to blow I wouldn't worry about the tip jar. Make your own rule around that one.

I think it was stated above. Look online if your worried about it. I do that with all new places I go to. And be prepared to not be comfortable. First time you go. Grab your coffee and observe other people. People will become familiar with you being their. Some coffee shops have regulars at certain times but it's okay to be the "Newbie".

Anyway that's my experience with coffee shops. Do it to get out of the house. Not so much for the coffee. Order one cup and then order a glass of water. The water is usually free. Sometimes you can get a lemon in it to.

Take it easy and just go.

 

You walk in, look at the menu and sizes, then you tell the person who could care less what you want. They then charge you a high price for your beverage and you leave feeling soar in the wallet and with a bad taste in your mouth because their coffee sucks.

 

I'd find a local coffee shop, and not go to a starbuck's first because I even get anxious about ordering in busy coffee chains. Local shops tend to be more chill and inviting.

If you have never had coffee before, I'd ask for a latte. Or just try asking for a cup of coffee, small if they have it. And they'll probably ask if you want dark or light roast, and just try whatever you want. If you're really new the only way to learn is to try things.

Then again, if you have no idea what you want, I'd find a local shop and just ask the barista. Say, "Hey, so I'm actually really new to coffee, and have no idea what is good or what I like. What would you recommend?" and if it's a cute girl then that's a bonus. It's a great way to build up confidence and practice talking with strangers. I always feel happy after talking with bartenders and baristas about what to try or what they like best.

 

Although I have nothing to add to the given answers I want to point out that I like this question, it's not stupid. Sometimes the things that appear the most easy and natural are hard for a reason and we tend to forget what a complex structure even the shortest social interactions have.

Sometimes I feel odd when I pass strangers on the street, although I don't see the reason. But I've realized that many people have kind of a problem here, like they can't look you in the eye. I guess that most people have some kind of incertitude in harmless every day situations.

 

Just go in. There is no plan of attack needed. Stop caring about what others think of you.

 

This would sound like a good idea on paper. You should make it your goal however to order your coffee before you decide to leave. In my experience, approaching someone gets much harder if you yust sit down and wait for the best moment. That moment may last forever unless you gather yourself the courage to do it right away. Anyways, yust sitting in the shop and watching the people is a pretty nice experience in itself.

 

Yes, while it's still warm out. Sounds like an excellent idea. I enjoy ice coffee. I drink it at home all the time through the summer. It can be refreshing. I'm not sure if you plan to bring a lab top or not. I guess most places usually put the wifi code in plan site. I'm not familiar with that.

 

Maybe go with a friend. Or explain to the waiter what you want.
Like instead of trying to decode the menu you could tell:
I want something light, but a flavor would be good, like not bland, maybe lemon, and not much sweet.