Your coffee, your way

Today we tackle coffee lovers’ worst nightmare: ordering your coffee when you’re abroad. It might seem a mere mundane matter, but don’t let appearances fool you. We all want our coffee our way. So how do you order a coffee in English?

First and foremost, you need to let the waiter /barista know you want a coffee. Here you have some suggestions:

• Can/Could I have a coffee, please?
• I’d like a coffee, please.
• Just a coffee, please.
• Hi, a coffee please.

If you simply ask for a coffee, the barista will probably start grilling you with quickfire questions about the coffee blend, size, temperature, milk, sugar, syrup, shots, extras… but fear not. Ordering your coffee will be smooth sailing thanks to our tips.