Why I Still Order the Coffee I Already Know

I love coffee, but I have a confession: sometimes, the coffee menu scares me.

You sit down expecting to order a simple latte, and suddenly you’re looking at flat whites, cortados, long blacks, macchiatos, pour-overs, cold brews, single origins, blends, and drinks with names you’ve never heard before.

Then there are all the variations.

Hot or iced. Oat milk or regular. Light roast or dark roast. Washed or natural. Single origin or house blend.

At some point, I just think, I’ll have my usual.

And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for years.

I tend to stick to the classics because I know what I’m getting. Give me a good latte, flat white, or iced coffee and I’m happy. There’s something comforting about ordering a drink I’ve had dozens of times and knowing I’ll enjoy it.

But I also know that I’ve probably missed out on plenty of interesting coffees because I was too intimidated to ask.

Sometimes, I worry I’ll choose something I don’t like. Other times, I don’t even understand enough about the drink to know what I’m ordering. And when everyone around me seems to know exactly what they’re talking about, admitting that I don’t can feel a little embarrassing.

The irony is that I’ve written about coffee for long enough to know that I shouldn’t feel that way.

That’s actually why I ended up writing my beginner’s guide on how to read a coffee menu without feeling lost. I wanted to break down some of the terminology that used to make me hesitate, because I realized I couldn’t be the only person who quietly defaults to the safest option.

I’m still not going to pretend I’ll suddenly order a completely unfamiliar drink every time I visit a café.

But now, when I see something unfamiliar on the menu, I’m a little more willing to ask what it tastes like.

Maybe that’s progress.

I don’t need to become a coffee expert to try something new. Sometimes I just need to stop being afraid of ordering the wrong thing.

And if it turns out I don’t like it?

There’s always a latte waiting for me.