When I started working for Starbucks (both licensed and company operated stores) I did not think twice about whether it was ok or not to add milk or sugar to coffee. I have always enjoyed straight brewed coffee or espresso, and have never habitually consumed lattes or brewed coffee with additives. However, I thought it was normal and perfectly acceptable for consumers to “doctor” up their coffee and alter it to their particular preferences, regardless of how many pumps of syrup or how many ounces of milk went into it. At this point, I have committed an error in thought. At this point in my coffee career, I wasn’t showing coffee enough respect, approving of any additives in any quantities is borderline offensive.

Later on in my Starbucks career, as I became more knowledgeable and passionate about the final product of brewed coffee, I began to have these thoughts that coffee shouldn’t be messed with, regardless of the purpose of consumption. Coffee is a final product and should be treated like one.When a customer orders a 20 oz brewed coffee and add 4 oz of Raspberry syrup, 8 packets of sugar and 4 oz. of half and half, it is hard not to become angry. (This was the actual daily order of one of my old regulars… I couldn’t make this one up!) Because of a certain “just say yes policy” and the availability for these customers to add unnecessary amounts of milk, sugar, or syrups to coffee or espresso based beverages, I did begin to develop this disdain for the addition of these products polluting an otherwise perfectly fine beverage. As I transitioned into a new way of thinking as a Barista and Roaster at Cartel, I certainly developed a further loathing of additives, not only because I felt as though our product was/ is above such additives, but also because our options for additives were much slimmer, solidifying my personal opinion.

Here is where I committed another error. When I changed my mind and began to think that regardless of why the coffee was being consumed everyone should be held to the standard that coffee shouldn’t be messed with, I committed the error of being too rigid 0n the whole. Can additives be used? Of course. Are there limits to what and how much should be added? Yes. There is no reason for me to assume everyone drinks coffee for the same reason that I do. This got me thinking about the whole debate on whether or not additives are appropriate or not.

Personally, I generally drink coffee by itself, without additives. Not because I think that it is the “best” or “only right way” to consume coffee, but because it is the most enjoyable experience for me. I take in my surrounding atmosphere, who I am with, what I am talking about, and the aromas and flavors I am experiencing. It is an all encompassing sensory experience. I love to constantly train and develop my palate and using milk or sugar would somehow throw that off balance and although it would still be enjoyable and probably very tasty, I wouldn’t be able to experience it in the same way. Now, I still enjoy a capp every now and then, and I obviously am not condemning the practice of adding milk or syrups, or else I would be a hypocrite for loving to work on bar and pour latte art as much as I do. However, I generally try to make a point to experience coffee by itself for a specific purpose.

Have I enjoyed coffee beverages with milk, sugar or syrups? Yes, a number of times. Do average consumers regularly do the same? Yes, every day, all day, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Why then, do we as an industry question something that a large majority of consumers prefer and even a large number within the coffee industry enjoy? To that, I want to point out why people use additives in the first place.

1) It tastes good! I will admit that if high quality additives are used, brewed coffee or espresso can be delicious with a little bit of milk in a cappuccino or an iced flavored latte (maybe even a dirty chai!).

2) Not every coffee is roasted correctly and therefore it is necessary for some to use additives to mask these unpalatable and undesirable flavors. Sometimes the only way people can get up in the morning is with a cup of coffee, and many times it is far from what I know to be coffee.

3) As it has been pointed out many times, additives are cultural. In the middle east it is not uncommon for sugar, cardamom, or even eggshells to be added turkish coffee. In New Orleans, chickory is not an uncommon ingredient. The list goes on and on…

So now that we have discussed the purpose behind additives, I think that we should look at the purposes of coffee consumption. In an (my) ideal world, coffee is to be enjoyed for culinary purposes only. Unfortunately, much like some beer/wine/alcohol is used for people to get drunk rather than to appreciate the beverage, a lot of the time coffee is used to wake people up and keep them up. Caffeine is a wonderful chemical that blocks certain messages of exhaustion or dwindling focus from the brain, telling it to be more alert and awake. The coffee plant just so happens to use this same chemical to ward off pests, insects and undesirable neighboring plants and is a natural insecticide/pesticide. Because of this, coffee has 2 main purposes for its consumption and there are a million combinations of these purposes that make up an average consumers total reason for drinking coffee. (Something that may play another large role in consumption decision making, but I will leave out for future discussion is monetary cost of consumption.) Let’s look at 4 examples of consumers and their purpose of coffee consumption.

1) This is the consumer that doesn’t care where it came from, who grew it, they probably don’t know that coffee is a plant in the first place, and they prefer it with lots of cream and sugar to mask its burnt, bitter flavors all in search of attaining the holiest of stimulants, caffeine. (100% Caffeine, 0% flavor experience)

2) This is the consumer who may or may not care where it came from, who grew it, they may or may not know that coffee is a plant, and they may or may not like to use additives with their coffee. It doesn’t always have to be poor quality, but their main purpose for consumption is to wake up or stay awake, with only a slight appreciation for the natural wonder that is coffee. (80-90% Caffeine, 10-20% flavor experience)

3) This is the consumer who probably knows a good amount about coffee sourcing, roasting and brewing. They may or may not like additives, but they tend to search out specialty coffee almost 100% of the time. They are more heavily influenced by the nuances in the cup and pay particular attention to what they are drinking, tasting, smelling, experiencing in the cup and in the shop. They also like the fact that when they drink this particular beverage, it has positive effects on their productivity, but is not the sole purpose of consumption. (80-90% Flavor experience, 10-20% Caffeine)

4) This is the “pretentious a-hole” who only drinks coffee for the culinary experience. They are very knowledgeable about coffee and its respective sourcing and processes. They rarely use additives and tend to prefer coffee on its own, appreciating each coffee for its unique aspects whether it be body, mouthfeel, balance, brightness, or flavor profile. Caffeine is an afterthought and has no weight on the purpose of consumption. (100% Flavor experience, 0% Caffeine)                                                                                      (This is me, by the way. Judge me all you want, but I can seriously barely even drink an 8 oz cup.)

The history of each consumer is different and absolutely unique to each person’s past experience with coffee, amount of exposure to specialty coffee, culture, their job, even social status. There are so many variables, it would be impossible to determine all of them. I would also argue that it is very important to look at the correlation between the purpose of why the beverage is consumed and the type of shop that is appropriate for each consumer. For 1 and 2, your local gas station, diner, grocery store, consumer shop or restaurant coffee is totally fine and maybe even be the preferred watering hole. For 3, finding specialty coffee (or something close to) is important and so specialty or consumer shops are frequented as much as possible. For 4, only high quality specialty shops are frequented and because this person is probably already within the industry, they seek out like-minded shops to frequent. I would say that Cartel has regular customers who are in the 2, 3 and 4 groups but those who are in the 1 group find it unnecessary or only come once or twice, generally speaking. I would say that because it is probably out of their way, if they only care for caffeine they probably want to find it for cheaper and they probably would balk at the lack of ability to “doctor” our coffee up.

Now that we have covered all of that, I want to shift gears a little bit. I think it is important to take the purpose of consumption into consideration in determining whether or not additives are appropriate. If you fall within the 1 range, it is acceptable, preferred and encouraged to add milk, cream, sugar or chemically created flavors to your coffee and to consume in “Big Gulp” quantities. If you were to go to a shop where there was no milk, cream, sugar or syrups to add or sizes over 12 or 16 oz’s, this group would probably be annoyed and continue their search for their fix. If you are a 2 and walked into the same shop, you might be annoyed with the circumstances, but perhaps if the barista was cute enough, there was free WiFi or if you liked the atmostphere, you might stay and try their product, with plenty of skepticism, ofcourse. There are people who are 3′s who would be annoyed and those who would get very excited upon entering this hypothetical establishment. Both groups in the 3 range would probably get something anyway. Those who are annoyed might complain, but a number of diehards would dig the joint if the coffee was good enough. Those who are 4′s are now experiencing “coffee heaven”. They would be surrounded with like-minded people who “get it”. This type of shop is the epitome of the coffee-as-culinary experience.

Herein lies the reason for why I am writing this. I love the idea of James Hoffman’s “Penny University” or Aaron Blanco’s “Brown Coffee Co.” Everytime I tell someone that I think this idea would be a fun thing to do, I am always met with a heavy dose of skepticism, annoyance, and often times emotionally charged responses of why this idea is stupid and I’d never last if I tried it (even my own Mother is in this group). I think that every establishment has a purpose for why they serve coffee. If we are talking about diners or gas stations, it’s probably because they know their clientele of 1′s will pay for it and not care what it tastes like. They also have to encounter certain expectations of their clientele, if a 2, 3 or 4 goes into that same establishment, their expectations may or may not be met and therefore they may or may not consume that coffee. Just the same, a high quality shop like Cartel serves coffee because we, the roasters, barista’s and barbacks love it. We love it from origin, to process, to product.

It is hard to write about the idea of milk or syrup additives and not take a side on which is better or the “proper” way, especially in a context that is often polarized on the subject. I think just like we in the industry find diner or gas station coffee to be laughable and almost insulting, consumers who aren’t 3′s or 4′s could easily find the idea of such an establishment (coffee shop with little/no milk, sugar, syrup) laughable or even insulting. How is that insulting? I would not be offering my customers the ability to consume the beverage in their preferred context. Now, I completely understand where they are coming from. They are used to experiencing coffee in a certain way and with a specific purpose, even if they don’t recognize it. And, as a producer of this product, I would be doing them a disservice by not allowing them to enjoy my product to their fullest potential. I very well may be, but I, as the producer, also have a purpose in why I am serving my coffee.

Just as gas stations and diners can call their tar-like sludge “coffee” and sell it to the public without even a flinch of consideration for sourcing, processing, roasting, brewing, or how it will be tailored, so too can a shop exist on the opposite end of the spectrum. The only thing a shop with little/no additives is guilty of (other than controlling what can and can’t go into the final product) is caring too much. They care too much for the sourcing, processing, roasting, brewing and how it will (or won’t be) tailored. Instead of saying, “this is how coffee is supposed to be, or has to be, enjoyed!”, I feel like these shops are saying, “this is how coffee CAN be enjoyed, please come try it in a new context, that may be unfamiliar to you.” The purpose of these shops is to question consumers purpose for coffee consumption and offer a new way to look at coffee. Not that coffee has to always be enjoyed in its pure state, but what kind of wonderful experience, taste, aroma, atmosphere, conversation, friendship, or passion can be created because of this experience?!

What would the world look like if no one made others question their habits? If no one sought to experience the familiar in new ways? Sure, shops like these aren’t for everyone, nor are they for anyone 100% of the time probably either. I feel that we, as an industry, could become better producers of our product if we recognized the purposes for why we serve our product, and why our customers are consuming it.

- Seth Mills

When I think of the word ‘commodity’, I think of things like oil or coal. I think of a commodity as a necessary product, serving a specific need or function. I like to use the example of gasoline.

When we buy gasoline, there are few variables that may play into where we go to purchase it. Some people may choose based on location; it is nearby work or home, or is convenient and easy to get to because it is a right hand turn or the parking lot is simple to navigate. Others may choose based on the availability of other items that can be purchased at the same location and possibly even the prices of these items may affect overall where we choose to go.  The cleanliness of a gas station, or the friendliness of employees may be other factors. Mainly, we choose where we go based on price, wherever is cheapest is where we’ll go, usually. This thought process is really what comes to mind when I think of something that is a commodity. The quality of the gasoline itself is an afterthought, if anything. We don’t typically make our gas purchases based on the fact that is a ‘higher quality’ and we definitely aren’t willing to spend more to get gas that may be considered ‘higher quality’. We don’t know the difference. We can’t really tell if the gas we use is better for the environment or our vehicles because it would be difficult to measure (at least for the average consumer). We aren’t concerned, generally, about the ethical sourcing of oil, or the wages that those who work on oil drills make. We don’t read about where our gasoline is sourced from and there are no romantic stories of oil drilling of the coast of Alaska on our neighborhood pumps. You can pretty much see where I am going with this.

If we truly categorized coffee in the same realm, wouldn’t we all be headed for the nearest Krispy Crème location and buy a 20 oz. cup for an advertised 25¢? Now given, many consumers look at coffee as one thing, a vehicle for caffeine and nothing more. They equate coffee to be equivalent to energy or a pathway to a heightened awareness. This is obvious because places that serve “commodity coffee”, a beverage that doesn’t even resemble what I know to be coffee, still exist, and thrive. Is this because they serve other items like pastries or food? Is this because they also offer excessive amounts of sugar and milk to hide the bland or bitter vehicle of energy? I think that this type of coffee would be like taking decorated cardboard to cover up your broken down car with dents, scratches, paint damage, missing hubcaps and broken windshield. Now, don’t get me wrong, as it has already been pointed out to me, many of our customers do enjoy milk and sugar as complimentary flavors to coffee. I am not denying it. But this isn’t about what we are adding to our coffee, I am really focusing on the quality of the coffee beneath all these layers.

There are most definitely ways that even the most uneducated customers can tell the qualitative difference between coffees that go for 25¢ and those that are $2.00 for the same volumetric amount. This is done by taste. We all have our own tastes, likes and dislikes. Even with all of these unique and personal preferences, there are particular things about coffee that can be generally accepted as being more desirable or more preferred. Bright coffees, high acidity, clean and refreshing finishes, fruit notes, chocolate notes, prominent flavors, complexity, silky mouthfeel. These are all things that are generally considered to be desirable attributes. On the contrary, coffees that are too acidic, dirty and (undesired) lingering finishes, bitter, fermented tastes, burnt notes, blandness, one-dimensionality, and gritty mouthfeel could all be considered to be generally undesirable in coffees. What I am trying to get at is that if two coffees are compared side by side, all things being equal, and one coffee has more traits that are desirable and the other has traits that are undesirable, one is obviously a higher quality than the other. And you don’t need to be a coffee expert to say so.

Something that most consumers are unaware of is where this quality is ultimately derived from. There are a number of variables at the farm, the mill, the roastery, and the coffee shop that can affect the quality of the final product. There are so many opportunities during the roasting process where the roaster can either accentuate a coffee’s natural goodness or mute it and kill any potential the coffee could have had. There are many chances for the coffee to be stored well or terribly. It can be ground correctly at the right particle size or badly, producing inconsistent grinds. The coffee can be perfectly extracted at the right temperature for the proper amount of time, or it can be over or under extracted, resulting in a bitter or sour taste. These are all important variables that affect how the coffee will taste, but it’s only the second half of the overall equation. So many people overlook the part of the process that happens overseas, at origin.

The factors I mentioned above are very important and can make or break an awesome coffee. However, without taking the proper steps at origin, none of those even matter. If you start out with a poorly sourced green coffee, you can’t improve it in any of those steps here on home turf. You must source high quality coffee from origin in order to even have the potential to serve high quality coffee in our shops. The varietal (or species), the soil, the climate, amount of rainfall, altitude, density, harvesting method, sorting process, processing method… These are the factors that really differentiate bad coffee, from good coffee, from great coffee. Yes, we have the ability to control variables after a coffee is shipped from origin to our roasteries or shops, but we can only serve high quality coffee if we start out with high quality greens.

If you are the consumer that really doesn’t care how you get your caffeine fix, you can pretty much doctor up any coffee, regardless of price or quality, to go down easier. However, a large number of consumers do make an attempt to make somewhat educated coffee purchases based on quality. The success of the Third Wave is proof of this. If we didn’t have customers who understand, or make an attempt to understand, that quality is an important aspect of coffee, then we wouldn’t be where we are today. We are in a unique position not only to continue serving high quality coffee to our regular customers, but also reach new customers and educate them on this process we are so passionate about.

So, can we consider coffee a commodity? Similar to the wine-model market, the specialty coffee market contains high quality coffees that cost different amounts depending on what coffees you get. You can get an amazing coffee from the Finca Villaure farm from Guatemala for $12.00, an amazing coffee and a steal for the price. Or, you can spend $19.00 and buy the same size bag of Finca La Ilusión from El Salvador. (Prices based on Cartel Coffee Lab’s offerings.) I definitely prefer the La Ilusión because it has a nicer mouthfeel, it is brighter, its flavor profile is much more pronounced, and it exudes blueberries at every stage whether it is dry fragrance, wet aroma, or in the cup.  To me, this coffee is qualitatively better, and therefore is appropriate to cost more.

I am really just trying to drive home the fact that specialty coffee rises above the commodity stereotype. Sure, if your purposes are solely to imbibe this magical elixir for its energy-giving properties, seek no further than your cheapest and closest purveyor. However, if your appreciation for coffee reaches the level of a pleasurable sensory experience or culinary science, make the extra effort to find high quality coffees, and not just another commodity.

Here is where the conversation begins.

What do you think? Do you think that all coffee can be characterized as still being in the commodity market? Can we separate lower quality coffee from specialty coffee and classify the lesser as a commodity? With places like Starbucks that actively advertise as being “specialty coffee”, should we still include them as specialty coffee purveyors? Must “Second Wave” shops meet certain criteria to be considered specialty coffee? Is specialty coffee limited to just third wave roasters and coffee shops?

I am truly interested in understanding your thoughts and opinions. Let the conversation begin.

- Seth Mills

Now, even I can understand and appreciate the attractiveness of having options available to a consumer. I too am guilty of ordering a double-double, animal style with no tomatoes, add mustard. However, it is only because it is an item that In N’ Out offers. It may not be on the menu, but they certainly have a specific button for charging me for all of these modifiers, and it is completely acceptable to do so. I don’t ask for bacon, because I know that they don’t serve it. I don’t request Dijon mustard rather than yellow, because I know it also is not an item that they serve.  A dirty chai is not on our (Cartel Coffee Lab’s) menu. But we make it, because we understand that a number of our customers enjoy the combination of espresso and chai, and that this combination is not a completely outlandish request. It also does not compromise the quality of either product.

At Cartel, we are known for having a very selective menu with only a few minor modifications available. These “rules” are not to hold over a customer’s head nor are they designed to exude pretension. There is a purpose to it and it is a simple one. Quality. Whatever we do it is for the sake of quality. We are a quality driven coffee shop that strives to provide our patrons with only the highest quality products that we can serve. Whether it is a cup of coffee, an espresso, a chai or an iced tea. We pursue this quality with awareness that it can only be achieved by ensuring that we don’t compromise any of the ingredients. Now, you’re probably wondering why I entitled this blog, “the prideful patron.” Well, if you didn’t read my last post, stop here and head on back and read my first posting entitled “the humble barista”. Once you do so, come back here and continue onward.

Throughout that post, I romanticized the idea of this ultimate barista. One who takes the higher ground and seeks out relationships with every customer. Digs deeper than the small talk, and finds out what the customer is truly asking for.  Then, using his/her wide knowledge of the subject, recommend an existing beverage, which they know, knowing the likes and dislikes of the patron, the customer will enjoy. If a sour situation were to arrive, they would do everything within their abilities to right any wrong and strive, not only to serve the customer what they want, but make it an educational experience as well.

Something I failed to mention in the previous post is that not all of our customers share this humility. In fact, a large number of them think that not only are they always right, but that they know better than we do. If we are to challenge their knowledge, they are quick to defend themselves and stubbornly continue without openminded-ness or a willingness to learn. This, my friends, is pride.

Coincidentally enough, I recently encountered a situation in which I had the opportunity to practice what I so boldly preached just two weeks ago.  On this particular occasion, a customer requested that I make him a latte with no foam on top.  Without asking the reason for this request, I immediately jumped at the occasion to educate the customer. I informed him that in order for the milk to become sweet and to compliment the espresso, I must aerate the milk during the steaming process. This would create a creamy micro-foam layer on top of the milk that he would probably find to be very different from “foam” (read as bubbles) elsewhere. I continued to explain to him, however, that I would be more than happy to aerate his milk so as to produce as little foam on top if he preferred, but I would not use a spoon to separate the milk from the foam. The underlying reason, quality. At this explanation, he became defensive and scoffed as he said, “I didn’t know it would be so difficult to order a latte.”

Here is where the moment arrived. I thought back on my post just weeks ago and realized I must take 1 of 2 different routes. I could also become defensive and act like a total tool, or I could attempt to salvage this situation. He was with his girlfriend and I could over hear him make quiet remarks about pretension and never returning again, as I continued to prepare other beverages in line. As I tamped the espresso for his latte, I collected myself and tried a different approach. I apologized. Or tried to at least.

“You know sir, I’m sorry you felt I was being pretentious. I did not intend to at all, I was merely attempting to educate you why we do what we do….” Interrupting, “Yea, I’m tired of always getting a pretentious attitude when coming here. I never got this when I ordered them in Europe.” “That’s completely understandable. I would feel the same way.  I was only trying to explain to you why we don’t use a spoon. And the latte is an American creation. It’s a larger version of the cappuccino…” Interrupting again, “Thanks for the history lesson, but your wrong. I lived in Italy and I had lattes there all of the time.” “Yes, I don’t doubt you did. But I….” At this point I realize that bringing up the topic was a mistake and that I was getting nowhere. I continued my apology, “I would be more than glad to make you a latte with as little foam as possible, but…” Interrupting for the third time, “Who the hell do you think you are? Giving me a history lesson, a wrong one at that, you’re just a barista in Tempe, Arizona. You don’t know what you are talking about. I’m the f***ing customer and I don’t deserve to be treated like this.”

At this moment, I felt two things. A fierce anger, and deep hurt. Not only am I making no progress in salvaging the situation, but he felt the need to make it a personal issue. Like I was somehow restricting his natural God-given right to “have it [his] way.” Up until this point, this was completely about the transaction. He paid $3.75 and expected me to fulfill the transaction by serving him a beverage exactly as he wanted it. Unfortunately he felt the need to verbally abuse me, and make me feel like I was less than human. At this point this was no longer a professional discussion between an employee and a disgruntled customer. This was one human being degrading another out of unjust anger. I bit my tongue and refused to speak. When I did, I said that the conversation was over because he personally insulted me and I requested that he never come back. I put his drink on the bar and said, “Have a good one.”

Now, given that I may or may not have handled the situation in the best possible way, I did fulfill what I described to be “taking pride in my work without being prideful in it.” I attempted to educate, I attempted to dig deeper, and I attempted to salvage the situation with a humble attitude. I also attempted to apologize, but was cut off so that he could belittle me. Anyone who is passionate about what they do invest a great deal of themselves in their work. They spend countless unpaid hours furthering their education and understanding, perfecting their passion, diving deeper and deeper until they are completely immersed. They have an emotional connection to what they do and get much of their drive from the subject itself. I know, because this is how I feel about coffee.

Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how humble you are or how much you try to do your job as best you can. There will always be that prideful consumer who wants to compromise the quality of your product. Then, there are some who even go as far as to make it personal.

I guess I have two points here.

#1. As a coffee culture, things need to change. We live in this world where the customer is in charge and what they say goes. We need to go by their rules. To me, this is unacceptable. Why should they be the ones making the decisions? If they feel that way, there is a Starbucks ½ a mile away that they can DECIDE to go to. As for me, I will continue to strive for quality over compromise and educating the customer over simply meeting their demands.

And #2. I was pretty hurt by this situation. As I become more and more engrossed in this industry, I am realizing that there will always be those who will try to break your spirit and douse your passion. I hope never to have to encounter a situation like this in the future, and I hope no one else has to either. Unfortunately, pride is a malicious parasite that attaches itself to everything it can. When it can attack, it does. Always be on guard and try to thwart it whenever possible, as a patron or as the barista behind the bar.

-Seth Mills

Is it even worth all the hours and hard work spent hand picking, sorting, processing, and roasting the coffee in the utmost care, if you just look at what you are doing as a job and nothing more? No. It isn’t worth the effort and that is why so many “baristas” and coffee companies fail at what they do. Somewhere along the way the connection to their product is lost, either by focusing on quantity over quality or by simply not caring.

On the other hand, a different kind of pride can ruin a perfectly good barista. Any barista who has worked behind a bar and takes pride in their work is guilty of (at one point or another) having an attitude with a customer who is simply misguided or ill informed. Take, for example, the customer who just doesn’t know what the hell they are talking about. Here is where the customer either feels like an idiot because the douche bag behind the bar has no communication skills or they themselves become defensive and are just as prideful and stubborn and continue as if they knew exactly what they were talking about. Either way, it’s a lose-lose situation. If the barista approaches the situation with anything but open-mindedness and understanding, it is a recipe for a customer service disaster.

Taking this kind of attitude with a customer is not only uncalled for, it is downright rude. In no other circumstance would it be ok to make another human being feel lesser of themselves because they weren’t completely knowledgeable about a subject. Would it be ok for a chef to walk out of the kitchen and ridicule your order to your face because they know it won’t taste good? No, if you order something that makes sense to you, but doesn’t make sense to the waiter taking your order, they ask questions to get down to the nitty-gritty of what you truly are asking for. In this sense, this is the job of the barista, and all too many fail in this aspect. When someone asks for something that doesn’t make sense such as an iced cappuccino, we shouldn’t laugh in his or her face, but rather use it as an opportunity to educate our customers.

Unfortunately, after spending lots of time around a familiar subject, we forget that at one point or another we too were once illiterate in the world of coffee. We didn’t always know the difference between a macchiato and a caramel macchiato.  Or understand why you don’t pour shots of espresso directly over ice. Or what the difference between a fully washed and a full natural coffee is. It is unrealistic to expect every customer who walks through the front door to be a coffee connoisseur.  For something as subjective as personal taste, it is a pretty bold move to judge anyone for something that they enjoy. Now, I’m not saying that we should put whatever a customer wants in a cup and allow them to go on with their lives as if they didn’t just commit a horrendous crime against coffee. This is where we need to show our knowledge and ask those prodding questions to get down to the nitty-gritty of what the customer really wants. Do they really want to overpower their coffee with sugar and milk? No. Unless it’s shitty coffee. Then they probably don’t want to consume it at all.  What I am trying to say is that we can take a situation that could easily turn sour if approached with a bad attitude and arrogance, and use it to our advantage, get to know them a bit, create a solid relationship, and find out what they really want.

The connection we have to our coffee and the connections we have with our customers are our biggest assets and strengths. Only if we utilize both can we truly reach our potential as liaisons between specialty coffee and our customers. We owe it to them to make sure that every drink we hand out is one that we are proud of and wouldn’t hesitate to take credit for. We also owe it to them to get off our high horses and learn to be humble behind the bar. The long and short of it is that we need to be proud of what we do, without being prideful in what we do.

-Seth Mills