I had a grumpy old man moment on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) yesterday:
It was my most popular tweet of the day.
And most agreed with me, just to prove that we can all be wound up by the small, as well as the big, things in life.
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Americano has evolved to replace Filter Coffee. To me this is a good thing. It means a long, not-so-strong coffee is available without the gamble of it being fresh and burning hot or old and stewed.
I think you’re right to grumble about the milk question. If one asks just for an Americano it should default to arriving without milk. But this is with the proviso that others should be free to embellish it however they want. I ask explicitly for ‘Americano with Milk’ as this variant is my preference, and I’m grateful for not having to drink filter coffee or any of the other too-milk-heavy options.
Cheers!
So long as ‘with milk’ is the option, not the default. 🙂
I agree Richard. I always silently curse when they ask, but my daughter worked at Costa for a while and said that a lot of people ask for Americano when they mean Flat White, so they get into the habit of asking.
Still bloody annoying
Especially when they leave room for mil when i have asked for it black
Forty years ago a colleague of mine was ramping up a row at an ice-cream parlour about being given the wrong flavour. Someone in the queue said “No need to start World War 3 mate”, which has been used to defuse arguments between us ever since.
Incidentally I always order Americano with cold milk on the side.
I didn’t complain to the barista
I just had a grumpy moment on Twitter that a lot of people agreed with
Richard, your grumpy old man moment was probably because you drink too many Americanos.
Huh……
Impossible
🙂
I agree with you, Richard.
Even if you ask for a black Americano some still ask if you want milk with it, as if you have forgotten what you like!!
Shouldn’t have to ask for a black Americano.
We agree!
It’s another area where marketing segmentation guff meets reality.
Coffee with milk/sugar please.
Coffee without milk/sugar please.
I love saying that to a Barista and then watching the confusion in their face as they qualifying my request with the industry standard options.
Simplicity.
That’s what the punter by and large wants, but we always get someone’s interpretation of that and it gets turned into a lifestyle choice.
If I (rarely) buy a coffee when I am out I have to describe what I want – a strong black coffee with a dash of cold milk, bigger than an espresso. I know what an espresso is (at least in Italy!) I know that a capuccino is not coffee, but beyond that I have no idea. In Spain I just get a cortado.
Try doing it sans caffeine – they all still want to give it the same name, but never sure if it’s coming black, or poisoned with caffeine. Why the names? What’s wrong with black decaff? Instead eschew those coffee shops and just do it at home. That must be what they want…
I use coffee shops to write.
I did so this morning.
I use caffeine to write ….
What a shower of wimps! One sugarless double espresso in the morning will set you up for the day and stop you twittering (use of lower case “t” deliberate).
Oh yeah, tough guy? Well my coffee of choice is a one-shot latte ….. but if pushed I would drink it, with curled lip out of used cup (….. inspired by Bob Hope).
And Richard, that is 50’s humour.
Do you know how to make latte?
Pour some hot milk into a cup and whisper: “Coffee” over the surface . . .
Nonsense, politely
Is the objection to a presumption that you want milk, or do you object even to being asked whether you want milk? I take an americano simply to be espresso diluted with hot water. If I order one, being asked whether I want milk with it seems completely analogous to being asked if I want milk after ordering a filter coffee (and so fine!).
The objection is to being asked a question that makes no sense
Americano is black
Add milk and it is something else
It might be a white Americano, if you want. Or a flat white.
But in that case, an Americano is black by definition and milk never goes near it.
So why do I have to explain that to cafe staff who should know?
Worse, why do they leave room for the milk I will never add, giving me two thirds of what I ordered? I then have to send it back, which is why I get really bored with this.
Perhaps the cafe staff know but are very used to dealing with customers who confidently order an Americano and then complain when there is no milk.
After a hard days work as a mining engineer I get out my pint mug and make a strong coffee with sugar, cream and some whisky.
I don’t often drink coffee so I don’t know what the OK terms for various types of coffee are and I only found out recently that the person who serves coffee is called a barista. I had the following conversation recently:
Me: A black coffee please.
Barista: Do you mean an Americano?
Me: Is that black?
Barista: Yes.
Me: I’ll have that then.
Barista: Do you want it with milk?
English tea tends to be undrinkable black – I have quite a violent reaction to even small quantities of milk. I have tried it with soya but it is not really satisfactory. What I would really like to find is a traditional Chinese tea shop where you can bring your own tea, preferably a good Pu Er, and they will brew it for you. I found a really nice one in Shikou in Guangzhou province back in the early 80’s but they don’t exist in the UK; I’m not sure they still exist in China either.
I drink English breakfast tea black
But I agree, good tea is hard to find
“Do you want it with milk?” 🙂
Coffee without cream please.
I’m sorry, sir we have run out of cream.
I usually drink coffee (Aldi instant… I’ll get me coat) but I’ve recently developed a taste for vanilla chai tea with just a touch of honey.
“I’ll have a half double decaffeinated half-caf, with a twist of lemon.“ (Steve Martin, LA Story)
🙂
Be careful on those Costa americanos, they are very strong. Not equal to filter coffee in terms of caffeine content!
I used to ask for a white Americano, but apparently that is not a thing in some places, and I was derided for it by a (white) Canadian guy one day, and now feel like a racist if I don’t say “with milk”. Cultural sensitivities abound.