Baristas Don't Tell

According to a Reader’s Digest story (published on “Shine”) on 13 things baristas won’t tell customers, there are some barista secrets we all might want to search out. Knowing some of these secrets may help us to better order our coffee shop or coffee stand brews, and some might convince you to save the cash and prepare more of your own coffee at home. Most people wouldn’t expect their barista to warn them about harmful health effects of certain coffee drinks, like the high sugar and fat coffee beverages. Likewise for the all vegan cakes: though they lack animal ingredients, sugar is much more harmful and these cakes pack them in. These are some things we might be expected to figure out for ourselves. The most disturbing secret is that there are times when independent coffee/espresso carts give you cheap coffee instead of the respected brand they are supposedly selling you. If you can’t tell, you’re just paying more than necessary. If you CAN tell, complain and ask for a refund. You can always ask point-blank what coffee they’re putting in your cup, and you’ll have to decide if they give you the honest answer or not. It would also be nice to know that just because you order the bigger size, you can’t assume there is more coffee in it. Most likely, there is the same number of shots as the smaller drink, but more milk. It used to be that the barista would ask if you wanted an extra shot when you ordered the larger size, but personally, that hasn’t happened in a long time. So you have to ask the barista to put in an extra shot if that’s what you want. Only you can judge whether or not your favorite barista is giving you your money’s worth. If you notice your coffee has tasted weaker or missed something in the flavor, it could be you should change to another barista or coffee shop. Or, you might want to invest in a great coffeemaker and sample all the unbeatable exotic or gourmet coffees available at ROASTe’s marketplace, becoming your own barista. Then you can keep your own barista secrets.