In case you didn't know this already: some people are insane when it comes to their coffee preferences. Dueling coffee snobs have recently taken it to the internet.The blog And I Am Not Lying posted a rant on July 13th about his battle with a barista over the iced triple espresso he wanted:
I just ordered my usual summertime pick-me-up: a triple shot of espresso dumped over ice. And the guy at the counter looked me in the eye with a straight face and said "I'm sorry, we can't serve iced espresso here. It's against our policy."
"Okay," I said, "I'll have a triple espresso and a cup of ice, please."
He rolled his eyes and rang it up, took my money, gave me change. I stood there and waited. Then the barista called me over to the bar. I reached for it, and he leaned over and locked his eyes with mine, saying "Hey man. What you're about to do ... that's really, really Not Okay."
Then the customer threw a fit. (Too much caffeine, kid!) Then he posted about it on his blog, where it got approximately a gajillion comments, some supporting him for getting what he wanted, some chastising him from his jerkiness, and many others excoriating surly baristas who think they know better.THEN BoingBoing posted the Murky Coffee owner's measured response:
The other thing that's worth mentioning is that David, the barista in question, contrary to what many seem to believe, was NOT voicing his objection to the espresso over ice per se. He was admonishing him for his poor behavior toward the barista at the register, and toward our policy.
The blog guy posted a response to that, and there were more comments, expert witnesses, etc. This is one of those yell-y internet clashes that take up tons of time and energy and have no effect on the world other than to make us really crave an iced coffee.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. This might be a stupid question, but why would anyone have a policy against putting ice in an espresso? It is one thing to just not waste space and leave it off your menu, but why would you not allow it? It is summer. It is hot outside. I don't drink coffee, but if I did, I would understandably prefer something cold over something hot. It isn't as if the man was asking for something that would have caused a chemical reaction and caused the coffee shop to explode. He just wanted some ice in his coffee. I can understand chastising the customer for having a bad attitude against the barista and being a dick in general, but there should have never been an issue in the first place. I can't imagine that the customer was the first person that walked into the coffee shop and wanted ice in their coffee. If I had been the person at the cash register, my first suggestion to the customer would have been that while we don't offer it iced, that he could purchase the hot version and also purchase a cup of ice. I mean seriously, they have a policy??? How is that even the kind of issue that you even need to make a policy over? Do they have a problem with people wanting something cold to drink, but to also get a coffee fix at the same time? That is just so bizarre. While I don't condone the customer's behavior, I can understand how exasperating that must have been for him to try to wrap his head around why he was being told that putting ice in coffee was "against their policy".
Natalie at 7:00PM on Jul 23rd 2008
2. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I don't know how much of a faux pas this is, but if someone wanted ice with a 82 Bordeaux, any salesperson in their right mind would try to stop them.
Bill at 7:59PM on Jul 23rd 2008
3. Obviously this was a 5 star Michelin rated espresso dive, with Corinthian leather seats, gold bidet and valet parking nest-ce pas?
What a load of hooey!!!When your customer makes a purchase, of which you should be grateful, you pleasantly ice HIS espresso and talk about him vehemently when he LEAVES! 20 years in the service industry tells me that these schlepps were amatures. TOTALLY!!
Kit at 9:16AM on Jul 27th 2008
4. i'm with kit. if someone is willing to give you money for something, you let them have it. talk about them later if you MUST talk about them at all.
Devynn at 10:20AM on Jul 24th 2008
5. So, you walk into this crack house and rather than smoke the rock you just bought, you liquify it and shoot it intravenously or just eat it. Does anyone care? NO. They might look at you like you've got three heads but the idea that they would refuse to sell it to you would never cross a dealer's mind.
My point? Coffee is a drug and those who sell it are dealers. They know this and try to put themselves above that negative image by dressing it all up in some kind of fru-fru ritual. Calling their servers 'baristas' and forcing us to order in 'Fritalian'. The sooner we as a society learn that nobody is 'better' than anyone else, the better off we'll be.
Keith J. Mohrhoff at 1:06PM on Jul 24th 2008
6. This is the main thing coffee shops object to when it comes to putting espresso over ice:
The reason most customers do this has nothing to do with taste preferences and everything to do with cheating the coffeehouse out of being paid for a latte. This is because what will usually happen is that customer will pay less for the espresso over ice and then top off the glass with half and half at the condiment counter.
Needless to say, this is seen by most owners as an abuse of the system. With milk prices being as high as they are now, I wouldn't expect these owners to feel much happier about this tactic.
Dutch Hedrick at 2:19PM on Jul 24th 2008
7. Dutch,
You make an excellent point. I would be tuning up my violin strings for the baristas and their employers except for the fact that they are making a phenomonal profit on their coffee. It's thrilling to me that capitalism is alive and well AND that folks figure out how to beat the system.
Signed,
WhiteChocolateMochaDon'tEvenAskMeAboutSoy
Josiejo at 5:54PM on Jul 24th 2008
8. I once received from my grocer a coupon for a free menu item at Starbucks. as I am unfamiliar with the esoteric jargon, I informed the girl at the counter (barista?) that I enjoyed a good cup of coffee and would appreciate her choosing something which might be appropriate for me. The concoction I received tasted like liquid sugar and the only sip I took nearly made me vomit.
Natural Puppy at 11:55AM on Jul 25th 2008