I’m not sure if it’s a talent I was born with, or if it’s a skill that can be built from working at a coffee shop. I don’t even know when it happened, but sometime between last May and this November I realized that I can find the perfect drink for someone without them having to say a single word. 

A single dad of three after church? A black brewed coffee or an Americano. A really pretty girl with glasses? An iced matcha latte (iykyk). A student with their lack of sleep showing through their dark undereyes? A cold brew (one of our most caffeinated drinks, in case this is you).

It honestly makes my day when people come in asking me to recommend them a drink. Unlike a lot of baristas, I don’t just ring up my favorite drink. I take a good look at them and ideas just pour into my brain. There is a good chance I already had an idea since I enjoy guessing what someone will order before they even reach the register. 

 And even if I don’t guess their regular, they’ll 100% like it if I can get them to try something new. Sometimes, though, there’s stubborn people who stick to the same drink, even though I obviously know what’s best for them and I know their drink is not ok. 

 Like how every kid who comes in the store orders a frappuccino, like the 24 kids came in the other day ordering frappuccinos in 50 degree weather. A peppermint hot chocolate would be so much better. Not to mention the fact that we only have one blender and they all stood with their sticky hands on the counter watching me make every single drink. I don’t mean to sound like a scrooge, but this order is simply unacceptable.

It is funny though when frat boys come in alone late at night and quietly whisper across the counter that they want a vanilla bean cream frap with extra whip. I honestly enjoy making it for them so I can yell their order across the cafe and see them look around before snagging the cup. But for the kids ordering fraps I simply don’t get this fun factor and it’s just annoying.

And for the people who customize their drinks into the most disgusting, complicated, ANNOYING drinks possible.They can put however many pumps of syrup they want (apparently the max is 99), when/how to pour the milk, what milk to use (or milks if you’re like the guy who ordered a drink with half an inch of every single milk we offer), the exact temperature of the drink (for the guy who decided our extra hot setting on the milk frother wasn’t good enough and needed his drink to be exactly 181 degrees), how many ice cubes to put, and so, so, so much more.

The ones that are crazy specific are almost always mobile orders, people too scared of saying their specifications out loud, or ashamed to see the look on the barista’s face. But the craziest, strangest drinks are ALWAYS delivery orders- people too scared to even show their faces. People like the milk lover.

 Next time you see someone you should try to figure out what they would order- would they quietly order a frappuccino or do they go for a plain latte everyday? I promise you you’ll be able to find the answer in the way they dress and their personality.