Coffee Orders Baristas Secretly Dread Hearing You Request

Ordering at a café can be complicated. From knowing the differences between macchiatos to cappuccinos to choosing among the various syrups, powders, and milks, there are plenty of drinks on the menu and even more ways to customize them. Ordering lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos with specific flourishes to suit your tastes is one of the joys of visiting a café. 

However, there are a few ordering habits that can be a real pain in your barista's heel. It's not that they mind giving you exactly what you want, but if you want your coffee faster during the morning rush, it pays to know which drinks cause the most problems. So to find out some of the biggest no-nos in coffee ordering, we asked three experts for their most dreaded coffee order, and you might want to keep these points in mind when concocting your next order.

First, we talked to Darren Spicer, a coffee expert and co-owner of Clutch Coffee Bar, a coffee chain in the Carolinas. For Spicer, there are two main peeves that tend to impede his brew-craft. Spicer's already unsure of decaf, nonfat, and sugar-free orders, which he dubs the Why Bother? But when someone orders them blended, aka frappés, such as Starbucks' trademarked Frappuccinos, it causes a unique problem. He notes that it takes extra work to ensure blended drinks are made correctly to meet the customer's dietary restrictions. That's because blended drinks are often made with specific bases containing emulsifiers that give them their signature texture, but these bases may already contain ingredients like sugar, gluten, or even milk products.

It's not just these special blended drinks that get Spicer's goat. He also takes issue with overly intricate drinks, but not for the reason you think. He doesn't want you to avoid customizations, but Spicer notes, "Drinks that involve too many flavors can become challenging to execute correctly." He advises that you be mindful about overcomplicating your drinks. As Spicer says, "[I]t can get real tricky really fast and require some real fractions and math homework!"

Leo Yuffa, president and chief operating officer at Dazbog Coffee Company, seemed similarly opposed to intricate coffee orders, though for a different reason. Yuffa says that the main problem with intricate custom drinks is that they can be difficult for another barista to recreate, potentially leading to disappointment.

That doesn't mean Yuffa is totally opposed to adding addendums to your drink order. As he notes, "It's exciting to make them and see the customers light up enjoying the drinks." So if you're familiar with the barista at your local café and they know the ins and outs of your particular drink, feel confident ordering it exactly as you like it. Just know that this might not translate to another barista. 

That can be further complicated if you're ordering from a chain like Starbucks. Trust us, there's a whole list of tips to keep in mind when ordering your daily 'bucks. But mobile and in-app ordering can lead customers to order drinks that simply aren't feasible to make.

What does and doesn't irk your barista often comes down to the specific capacities of the café you're visiting. Our third expert, Marisa Zaremba, doesn't have a bone to pick with custom drinks. Instead, the founder, lead bartender, and barista at Sugar on the Rim, a drink cart business based out of New Jersey, finds hot lattes to be the source of her brewing woes, especially during busy periods. "I can make a great drink," Zaremba says, "but getting that perfect pour when there's a line watching feels like performing under a spotlight."

That's because Zaremba works out of a mobile cart rather than a fully decked-out café. So there's less division between barista and customer, turning coffee brewing into performance art. It also means there are certain limitations. For example, her mobile machines can't make espresso and steamed milk at the same time. "So if someone orders a cappuccino and the next person wants a latte, the second order just has to wait until the steaming is done." Keep that in mind if you're ordering from a coffee cart or mobile coffee station. If you're concerned about them getting your order out right and fast, you can always talk to your barista and ask for their drink recommendations. As always, communication is key.