Overheard a barista in Denver say they judge people by their coffee order

I was waiting in line at this little spot last Tuesday and the barista told their coworker, 'Anyone who orders a quad shot with a splash of oat milk is having a crisis.' I ordered exactly that. It made me laugh but also think about how we put meaning into tiny choices. Has anyone else had a coffee order get a weird reaction?

4 comments

4 Comments

parker_hall58d ago

Sethm58 is onto something with two cubes, but the barista sizing up your drink says more about them than you. I've watched baristas do this for years, and it's usually a way to pass time during a slow shift. The real tell is when someone orders a modified version of a drink that's already on the menu, like a vanilla latte with almond milk instead of oat. That gets them talking every time. They're overthinking it though, people pick what tastes good or what keeps them awake, not some hidden personality test.

sethm581mo ago

Got a full eye roll once for ordering a black coffee with two ice cubes. What's the big deal, right? It's just coffee.

the_robin1mo ago

That barista probably thought you were messing with the brew temperature. Honestly, adding just two cubes is a super specific way to cool it down fast. I get why it seemed odd, but it's your drink.

anna_price691mo ago

Oh man, that's too funny. I read this article a while back about how baristas have these secret codes for drinks that basically read your whole life story. A plain black coffee is a "no nonsense" person, but a super complicated custom order is a "high maintenance" alert. It's wild how a simple choice becomes a personality test. I always get a latte, so I guess I'm boring and safe in their eyes.