so.. this is so silly.. but..
in my experience as a mormon child/teen, i obviously didnt drink coffee. I also didnt associate with a whole ton of people, since most of them were non members, so im pretty much terrified of people (i hide it pretty well since, you know, i want a social life :) but i never really got to do a whole lot of social activites, so things that are everyday things to other people really intimidate me sometimes.
have a coffee date with a long lost friend tomorrow (she wants to make up with me after hating my guts.. lol), and im a little freaked out. only a little. social anxiety... kills me :p
so.. what do "normal" people get when they go out for coffee? at home i like it sweet and white. i just dont speak Coffeehouse..
help me out guys? im mostly just freaked out about ordering.. suggestions for something yummy and inexpensive? we're going to a local place, not starbucks

Well, if you're not doing Starbucks (a good idea, by the way), then the typical Starbucks-speak might not help.

Here's what I suggest: tell the barista/waiter you'd like something "sweet and white," and ask what they suggest as their own speciality.

And relax :) Have fun.

haha i know i should just relax. its so much more fun that way.. as soon as i figure out the coffee system i can relax :D

i love vanilla and mocha soy lattes, and chai tea lattes are the best!

Yes, the latte suggestions are good and ask them to add sugar or simple syrup (liquid sugar). I like caramel lattes.

Order whatever you like. Who cares what they think. That's what ordinary people do.

lol the problem isnt that i give a shit what they think. the problem is i dont know what to get :) things like latte dont mean anything in my brain.. i do know what a frappe is tho :D

Say to the barista "I've never been here before. Do you have any recommendations? I prefer something mild". Then she'll give you some choices. You can even ask your friend what she's getting. Frappes are good. Caramel macchiato is good, nice and sweet. Breve is good, it's half milk I think? A mocha breve is delish. Look up what different coffee drinks are and what's in them.

I know I felt intimated at first going to coffee places. Didn't know what any of those drinks were and didn't want to look stupid. It's ok though, lots of people don't drink coffee, so if you don't know what's what it's not a big deal.

thanks for understanding, twistedsister. and good to know that not everyone drinks coffee. im a student, so everyone i know chugs the stuff like its goin out of style lol. didnt occur to me that not everyone drinks the stuff.
caramel machiato is kinda what i usually land on when i find myself in a coffee situation. yummy, sweet, caramely, what could go wrong. good suggestion! haha unfortunately thats the only kind of drink i know. ill look up breve :) you said its milky? i like that sorta thing :)

When you order, just say "I want a large black and strong...(pause)...just like my men"

I kid, I kid

I always say strong and black...like my soul.

If I go to a coffee shop, I usually get a latte or a medium roast, black. You can always add flavours to either.

bahaha thanks pineapple XD

Pick something like a mocha if you like chocolate. They are sweet. Pick a latte if you like milk and espress (essentially it is just stronger coffee). A cappuccino is a latte with foamy milk on top. If you just straight up love the taste of coffee, just get coffee (dark roast, light roast, whatever) or an americano.

What do people normally get? It depends on what they like. For me, I dislike anything that tastes sweet, and a love the taste of coffee, so I usually go for an americano.

good to know. i like milky coffee, and milk froth on top is even better! yum! now i know, a cappucino would prolly be a good choice :) so uh.. excuse my ignorance, but do they just give you milk-frothy coffee and expect you to sweeten it yourself to taste?

Yeah, you'll have the ability to sweeten a cappuccino with sugar. If you want something else, they'll likely have multiple versions of cappuccinos but with chocolate or caramel syrup. Chocolate is probably the most popular syrup, but I think caramel tastes the best in coffee.

My Mom drank coffee until I was 10 when she drank the KoolAid and Dad dunked her.....but we always had coffee in the house for the farm hand who took his meals with us and for guests. I always loved the smell (percolator...no drip back then)...and I drank my first coffee in 1966 in grade 12...with waaaay too much sugar...but I was hooked. It was a real m'fer the next fall when I went to the no coffee, no fun atmosphere of Ricks.

Ron Burr



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2014 12:12AM by Lethbridge Reprobate.

haha yeah i stayed home for the summer with my TBM parents, and man, going without coffee was brutal

Is this a thing that Mormons and new exmormons worry about now? Would this bother those people like, "let's meet for a drink to discuss it." back in the 80's and 90's meeting for a drink was nothing; but now meeting for a coffee is now just that.

It's an ice breaker. A chance for a pre-liminary to a business meeting or a date or to schedule a future get-together. To meet for coffee, you could have soda, tea or water or coffee.

Remember back in the 80's or 90's if someone said let's meet for drinks, you didn't worry about what you were going to drink, but why you were meeting up and what you were going to talk about. Same here...meeting for coffee, isn't about the coffee.

lol. i dont think its a "thing". but as someone who grew up in a bubble, and has pretty bad social anxiety, if i dont know what im doing ahead of time, and make a plan ahead of time, i get anxious about looking stupid. yeah, its a little illogical and silly. and yeah, ill grow out of it. but.. ya gotta remember, the time spent in a bubble for me is 9 times more than the time ive spent outside of the bubble :)
its anxiety. like a phobia. im scared of people and public interactions. doesnt make sense. but its the way it is for now, and im trying to get over it :)

My daughter has severe social anxiety. So I understand. I have been drinking coffee for 40+ years and I don't know all the coffee language. Plus I don't care for Starbucks.

A flavored latte with a flavor you like should be pretty easy to order anywhere.

Enjoy your time with your friend.

True, you can get anything to drink when going out for "coffee". Hell, you can just order a sandwich instead for that matter.

I think the issue is, being a new exmormon, the world of coffee is completely foreign and you don't want to look like a fool fumbling around with your order when other normal people have been drinking coffee forever. I had just slight anxiety ordering coffee off a big menu, not knowing what anything was and having to guess and feeling stupid because other normal adults all knew this stuff since they were probably teens.

exactly. i just feel like im in a foreign world when it comes to coffeehouses and bars (not 21 yet, but i will be very soon!)
got Bartending for Dummies free online as an e-book, and ive been marking the things that look yummy :)
maybe i should try that strategy with this coffee conundrum

I SO felt that way the first time I went to Starbucks. I was so clueless about what to order and honestly, I have a few favorites I stick to even now because it confuses me.

My two current favorites are Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos and Oprah's Chai Latte. Tell them you want it made with all soy milk, no water. It will cost you about 50 cents more but it is so delicious. It's tea, not coffee but it's worth the money. Crap, now I am craving one and it's too late at night to go. :)

Thanks for understanding CAgirl. when i go to starbucks, i have a couple favorites too. cause i dont know wtf the other things on the board mean lol.
slowly learning through google tho :D
never tried pumpkin spice. ill have to soon, cause its fall!

"a cup of medium roast, leave room for cream"

You can then make it as sweet and white as suits you. Candy should be bought by the box, not by the cup.

thats kinda along the lines of what i was thinkin?
thanks for the suggestion.
i dont mind plain old coffee as long as its sweet and has cream

If you're going to a restaurant, just ask your server for some creamers. Sugar should already be on the table, but if not, ask for that too. If you like a lot of cream in your coffee, be sure to let the server know so they can bring extra. You might also wish to get a treat, muffin, pie, or whatever, or ask your friend if she'd like to split an appetizer.

If you go to someplace like Starbucks, you can tell the barista how you usually drink your coffee and ask what they recommend.

You would probably like vanilla cappuccino.

is there such thing as a caramel cappuchino? i have a thing for caramel.. and frothy milk :)
when i end up in a coffee house situation i get a milk steamer sometimes. those are pretty good. but id like to graduate to actually understanding what stuff is what, regarding coffee.
and good suggestion :) sounds yummy...

A caramel macchiato at Starbucks is pretty much a latte with vanilla flavoring and then caramel on top. You should be able to get a cappuccino with caramel flavor at most coffee shops but it might be flavored with the clear flavored syrup instead of the thicker caramel syrup you are thinking of. Still probably tastes good, and they may have some thicker caramel syrup they could drizzle on for you. I love warm steamy, thick milk as well in my coffee but I prefer lattes. When I have ordered cappaccinos they tend to be half steamed milk and half foam so the flavor of the espresso is much stronger. Lattes are usually lots of steamed milk with some foam on top.

I like Starbucks because once you figure out the lingo it makes it so easy to order exactly what you want anywhere in the country pretty much.

ah.... reading the starbucks website helps quite a bit... (obvious conclusion lol)