Lexis
Modern Coffee Shop Orders: Understanding Specialty Coffee Drinks
1. Basic Coffee Drinks
✓ Understanding common coffee drinks is essential for ordering confidently
The foundation of most coffee drinks is the espresso, a concentrated shot of coffee. An americano adds hot water to espresso, while a latte combines espresso with steamed milk and a small layer of foam. The cappuccino has equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam. A flat white is similar to a latte but with less foam and a stronger coffee taste. The macchiato is espresso ‘marked’ with a small amount of steamed milk.
Key Terms
espressoconcentrated shot of coffeeamericanoespresso with added hot waterlatteespresso with steamed milk and thin foam layercappuccinoequal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foamflat whiteespresso with steamed milk and minimal foammacchiatoespresso marked with a small amount of milk
2. Specialty and Cold Coffee Options
✓ Modern coffee shops offer various preparation methods and specialty drinks
Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for 12+ hours, while nitro cold brew adds nitrogen for a creamy texture. Pour-over coffee is made by manually pouring hot water over ground coffee. A mocha adds chocolate to a latte, and an affogato is espresso poured over ice cream. Frappé is a blended iced drink.
Key Terms
cold brewcoffee steeped in cold water for extended periodnitro cold brewcold brew infused with nitrogenpour-overmanually brewed coffee using hot watermochachocolate-flavored latteaffogatoespresso poured over ice creamfrappéblended iced coffee drink
3. Alternative Milk and Non-Coffee Drinks
✓ Many drinks can be customized with alternative milks
Popular options include oat milk latte, almond milk cappuccino, and specialty drinks like matcha latte, chai latte, and turmeric latte. For something different, try cascara tea, made from coffee cherry husks.
Key Terms
oat milk lattelatte made with oat milk instead of dairyalmond milk cappuccinocappuccino made with almond milkmatcha lattegreen tea powder with steamed milkchai lattespiced tea with steamed milkturmeric latteturmeric-based drink with steamed milkcascara teatea made from dried coffee cherry husks
💬 Typical Conversations
Choosing a Coffee Drink
Customer unsure about what to order
Jenny: “There’s so much choice! I’m not sure what to get.”Joe: “What kind of coffee do you usually enjoy?”Jenny: “I like milk-based coffees, but not too strong.”Joe: “Have you ever tried an affogato? It’s espresso over ice cream. Or how about a cappuccino? It’s a nice balance of coffee and milk.”Jenny: “The cappuccino sounds perfect, thanks!”Bill: “I’ll have a flat white, please.”
Alternative Milk Options
Customer asking about non-dairy options
Customer: “Can I get a latte with non-dairy milk?”Joe: “Of course! We have oat milk, almond milk, and soy milk.”Customer: “I’ll try an oat milk latte, please.”Joe: “Great choice! Oat milk makes a really creamy latte.”
📝 Key Vocabulary Recap
espresso→concentrated shot of coffeeamericano→espresso with added hot waterlatte→espresso with steamed milk and foamcappuccino→equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foamflat white→espresso with steamed milk and minimal foammacchiato→espresso marked with a small amount of milkcold brew→coffee steeped in cold waternitro cold brew→cold brew infused with nitrogenpour-over→manually brewed coffee using hot watermocha→chocolate-flavored latteaffogato→espresso poured over ice creamfrappé→blended iced coffee drinkmatcha latte→green tea powder with steamed milkchai latte→spiced tea with steamed milkturmeric latte→turmeric-based drink with steamed milkcascara tea→tea made from coffee cherry husks