Ordering at a coffee shop can be an overwhelming experience. While some people always get their usual drink without thinking about it, others go for what appeals to them at the moment. The thing is, taste is subjective, so the coffee you enjoy most may not be best for someone else. But there are some tiny tweaks that can have a big impact on your order.
“You don’t have to be a coffee snob to order a better cup of coffee,” explains Drew Pond, director of development and co-owner of Midwest coffee roaster Stone Creek Coffee. “You just need to know a few things that most people never ask. Once you do, it’s hard to go back.”
Here’s what the coffee experts recommend to up your game and get exactly what you want.
- Order the right roast - Most of us don’t specify if we prefer light, medium or dark roast, but that’s where we should start. Pond says roast isn’t about color, it’s “actually your flavor decoder ring.” For black coffee drinkers, he says light roast is a better choice, as it has citrus and floral notes, but if you're adding milk and sugar, dark roast is best, according to Kat McCarthy, specialty coffee trainer at Lavazza.
- Don’t overdo flavored syrups - Pond advises starting with half the usual pumps to “let the coffee have a voice.”
- Consider your cold coffee carefully - They don’t all taste the same, as cold brew is “slow-steeped, low-acid, and chocolate-heavy”, while iced coffee is brewed hot and flash chilled, so the flavor can be “thinner and more acidic.”
- Pick the right milk - These days there are a lot to choose from, so knowing the difference will help. Oat milk is naturally sweeter, almond milk is nutty and thinner and whole milk is the creamiest and smoothest in the foam of a latte or cappuccino.
- Ask how long the coffee has been sitting around - Drip coffee may be hours old and that can cause it to taste bitter or stale. If it was made an hour or two ago, order an Americano instead, as it’s an espresso diluted with hot water, so it’s brewed fresh.⠀
Source: Huff Post