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How To Order The Coffee Drink You Want Without Sounding Like A Tool

You shouldn't ever feel nervous about ordering a cup of coffee.
Steamy Cappuccino
FogStock/Alin Dragulin via Getty Images
Steamy Cappuccino

With all the options out there in the coffee world ― triple, venti, half sweet, non-fat, caramel macchiato it’s time you learn the difference between your cappuccinos and your flat whites, your Chemex from your French press. The world of coffee is vast ― with more than 38 kinds of coffee drinks in existence ― and if we want to drink the stuff we should probably know it.

Even if you don’t have plans to get fancy with your morning cup of joe, it’s still a good idea to know what’s what, just in case one day the desire for something tall, frothy and milky should strike.

In honor of National Coffee Day ― which lands on September 29 this year ― and out of respect to our favorite drink, here’s a guide to help us all order that morning cup with confidence.

For milky espresso drinks...

If you want something milky, foamy and equally caffeinated, order a cappuccino. If you hate foam, but love milk you should just order a latte, which is a shot of espresso and steamed milk with the teeniest, tiniest amount of foam (to get specific, we’re talking just 2 ml of foam compared to the 300 ml of steamed milk this drink gets). If you love the sound of a latte but are the type of person who needs chocolate in your life, go with a mocha. But if you do like foam, only you wish it was more velvety and not so stiff, order a flat white. It’s like a latte, but made with velvety, steamed micro-foam milk. Yes, it’s fancy.