Coffee Etiquette: Manners at Coffee Time

Even coffee has its ground rules, which make the drinking a more enjoyable experience.

Coffee culture has gone mainstream, that’s a fact. If you live in or around any major U.S. city, chances are you've been to a couple (or more than) local coffee shop These artisanal shops can coexist in harmony even if they’re right next to a fancy Starbucks, there’s a coffee shop for every style of customer.

Manners, nonetheless, are universal, even if they seem to change from region to region, there are many global ways of being polite, the very existence of the words ‘’good morning’’ and ‘’thank you’’ are a proof of this.

Classic Etiquette for drinking coffee

Politeness know no timeline, and today, we’d like to list some practices that any educated coffee lover should apply.

1. Don't leave your spoon in the coffee cup/mug while holding it or drinking; place it on the saucer or a plate instead.
2. Don't use ice to cool a hot drink, it is an offense to the one that made your brew.
3. Don't dunk doughnuts, biscuits, or anything else in your coffee unless you're at a casual place where dunking is the norm (such as certain shops).
4. Don't extend your pinky finger when drinking from a cup, this in an obsolete fashionthat died with the Victorians.
5. After used, Crumple the cream or sugar empty packages and place them on the edge of your saucer or butter plate.

Social Norms That can be applied at any Coffee Shop

Manners are not a thing of the past, all the contrary, they adapt into social norms and expressions of politeness that we could all use to make the coffee experience a nicer, better one. These are some showings of politeness and social manners that you can apply whenever you decide to have a cup of coffee.

1. Be polite when ordering, the Barista is not a robot, say ‘’hello’’ and thank you when ordering.
2. Do not use your cellphone when ordering, take that call later or make that Instagram Post after you have your coffee.
3. If by the time you’re in front of the line you still don’t know what to order nor have your paying method ready, then please, let other people order, some of them might be in a hurry or just want to order a simple espresso and be good to go.
4. Be patient if you ordered more than two brews, specially if they are different kinds.
5. Don’t leave unexpected messes such as spills after you’re done at the table, passing a napkin over the spill will do you no harm.
6. Don’t sit on a big table if you’re on your own, and if you ever do, then let people sit on the same table (they have to ask you first, of course, but should be considered as well)
7. Don’t abuse the local wifi, sure, it’s there for a reason, but at least justify it ordering something worth the time you’ll spend on the computer.
8. If you pop up your laptop at the coffee shop, it’s okay to hear music if you’d like, but be considered with other customers and bring a long a set of headphones.
9. If you have to take a call, don’t be loud, people don’t need to overhear unwanted chattering.
10. Be respectful to the barista, don’t throw away some coffee on the trash bin for adding milk when you can just say to him/her ‘’please, leave room for cream’’ when ordering.
11. Don’t get mad or make a fuzz if they don’t get your name right on the cup, coffee shops can get loud when crowded, most names have many variants and most important, the coffee will taste all the same, so what’s the harm?
12. If you use the coffee shop as a workspace and decide to bring some food, make sure it’s something the shop doesn’t actually sell, you can bring a snack if they don’t sell any, but buy something to go with it.

As you have seen, dear readers, these simple manners can make a huge impact on the barista’s and the other customers day, turning a simple idle time at the coffee shop or a work meeting at a local Starbucks a more enjoyable and civilized experience for all of us, If you have any comments or want to add another social norm, please do so on the comment section below, and don’t hesitate in subscribing on our That Coffee Roasters Networks.

Only on informal occasions, it is acceptable to dunk food into coffee in public. Otherwise, it's seen as tasteless.

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