Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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What does "black" coffee mean to people here? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by hphmaltacc
The other day a customer asked for a black pike, but with vanilla syrup and I think some honey. I thought black meant plain coffee, so I was a bit confused and didn't know if they wanted one plain (black) pike and then another pike with the syrups in it, or just a singular coffee with syrups. So I asked, "wait, was that drink a black coffee, or coffee with [syrups]?" The customer seemed annoyed, and one of my coworkers also seemed a little frustrated listening to the conversation and told me "syrup doesn't change the colour of the coffee, it's still black coffee". I felt kind of dumb after, obviously I know clear syrups don't change the colour so my coworker must've thought I was pretty stupid in the moment. That's just not what I thought black coffee was.
Does black really just refer to the colour of the coffee? I thought it referred to the ingredients but I don't want to come across as an idiot who doesn't even know what a black coffee is when I work at a coffee shop. I've worked here a bit less than a couple months.
If someone orders coffee with 10 pumps of three different syrups and the drink is only 20% coffee and 80% sugar, that's still black coffee?
Or are there different regional definitions for what constitutes "black"? I've lived in Canada my whole life and always understood it to mean no additions. When someone orders a "black iced coffee" I always double check "so none of the syrup?" and they always say yes, none. Am I just a dumbass?
Does black really just refer to the colour of the coffee? I thought it referred to the ingredients but I don't want to come across as an idiot who doesn't even know what a black coffee is when I work at a coffee shop. I've worked here a bit less than a couple months.
If someone orders coffee with 10 pumps of three different syrups and the drink is only 20% coffee and 80% sugar, that's still black coffee?
Or are there different regional definitions for what constitutes "black"? I've lived in Canada my whole life and always understood it to mean no additions. When someone orders a "black iced coffee" I always double check "so none of the syrup?" and they always say yes, none. Am I just a dumbass?
CBukowski808 209 points 9m ago
Just coffee. Nothing added. At least that’s how I interpret it. I love the customers that say they “want a black coffee…with 6 sugars and extra cream”. Bud that coffee ain’t black anymore. It’s almost as white as clouds.
Darius_Acosta 31 points 9m ago
"Make sure its 2/3 cream extra whip cream. Extra extra Carmel. And Vanilla Foam."
CBukowski808 23 points 9m ago
“Oh and 3 Splendas. I’m trying to watch my weight.” 😂
ezranilla 3 points 9m ago
"But it's still a black coffee. Did you ring that up correctly? Last time I had to get my drink re-made"
Socko-The-Sock 156 points 9m ago
I thought black was generally accepted as just the coffee. No sugar, no cream etc.
Noah_PpAaRrKkSs 49 points 9m ago
I think this is the most correct answer.
However, I’ve taken enough orders similar to OP’s to allow for some wiggle room. Clearly some people see it as purely describing the color of the coffee regardless of how much sugar they put in it. I’m not gonna correct someone who says Megan Dragonfruit either, I’m just gonna ring it up.
However, I’ve taken enough orders similar to OP’s to allow for some wiggle room. Clearly some people see it as purely describing the color of the coffee regardless of how much sugar they put in it. I’m not gonna correct someone who says Megan Dragonfruit either, I’m just gonna ring it up.
buffrants 13 points 9m ago
either way op you shouldn’t feel dumb, the other ppl getting angry have the issues. would much rather someone take an extra 5 seconds to confirm what i want then make something i don’t
uwumoment 6 points 9m ago
my least favorite customers are the ones who are so particular about the color of the coffee, like at that point make it yourself
emmymariex 2 points 9m ago
or you can order a short cup of the milk on the side
sweatshirtsweatpants 2 points 9m ago
Agree with you about how dumb the people getting angry at OP are the ones with issues.
hphmaltacc [OP] 6 points 9m ago
Yeah, I would definitely phrase my question differently if I could do it again. Wasn't my intention to sound snarky or anything but I know everyone interprets things differently. In my mind it was similar to someone ordering a "strawberry dragonfruit refresher," 2 different drinks in one, but at least now I know it's not necessarily a contradiction and just a different definition. Always learning something new.
SunBusiness8291 2 points 9m ago
Agree with this. Black coffee is traditionally just coffee, but it's not unusual to say black coffee with 3 sugars. In that case, they're saying no cream. Easiest just to roll with it.
violaaesthetic 44 points 9m ago
Lots of times people say “black” to mean “no milk or cream” regardless of if they want sweeteners. Not usually, but sometimes. Usually you’re right and black means nothing in it. I always ask to confirm, though
Galactic_9 12 points 9m ago
Same, whenever anyone asks for something "plain", but it normally gets a certain syrup, I make sure they mean add nothing. So black coffee is an example of that.
Customer: "Can I get a black iced coffee?"
Me: "Sure, now just double checking, do you still want the Classic?"
Customer: *confused face*
Me: "It's like a plain liquid sweetener we use by default."
Customer: "Oh oh, no sugar thanks" (sass levels vary)
That's usually how it goes. But it's always safe to double check anytime a customer uses a shorthand. I always double check when I hear "Skinny", "Black", "Unsweetened", and "Plain". I never want to make the bar partner have to remake a whole drink because the customer didn't know the actual meaning of a "Skinny iced caramel macchiato made upside down"
Customer: "Can I get a black iced coffee?"
Me: "Sure, now just double checking, do you still want the Classic?"
Customer: *confused face*
Me: "It's like a plain liquid sweetener we use by default."
Customer: "Oh oh, no sugar thanks" (sass levels vary)
That's usually how it goes. But it's always safe to double check anytime a customer uses a shorthand. I always double check when I hear "Skinny", "Black", "Unsweetened", and "Plain". I never want to make the bar partner have to remake a whole drink because the customer didn't know the actual meaning of a "Skinny iced caramel macchiato made upside down"
jazzysoranio 37 points 9m ago
Can I have a black coffee with no coffee, extra Frappuccino, and sweet cream cold foam.
GoldennTrash 12 points 9m ago
i’ve actually had someone say “can i get a caramel frappuccino with extra frappuccino?”
she said it by accident lol, but it was still pretty funny hearing
she said it by accident lol, but it was still pretty funny hearing
Garrickrelentless 2 points 9m ago
I like reinterpreting what they say as if it were correct, even if it's obviously a gaffe. My response to this one would probably be something like this:
"So you want two of those?"
"So you want two of those?"
Responsible_Snow7109 16 points 9m ago
If ur giving ur money to a place...like ur just leaving money at the place........wouldn't u cooperate with the employee when they try to ask questions to clarify what u mean/want? I do not understand why they become so offended when we ask ANY questions. Like please just be nice and answer my question so that I can help get you the correct drink and not waste your time waiting for a remake especially since every single drink costs a ton
sweatshirtsweatpants 2 points 9m ago
💯 👏
SNES182 10 points 9m ago
Black coffee means black. Nothing else added. You’re right, the customer and your coworker (who was grossly rude) are both wrong.
Elmo_the_Dragon 9 points 9m ago
You're right, a black coffee is just a plain coffee with nothing else in the cup. I think what you said is fine, confirming that they did, in fact, want something in that. Whenever someone orders a coffee I will always ask what roast they want (assuming we have more than one brewing) and if they want any cream and/or sugar in that. More often than not people will order "black coffee" but not know what that means. Occasionally someone will ask for a black coffee when they mean a dark roast.
Only once did I have someone try to explain to me that a black coffee means nothing in it. To which I replied that I know that, but 90% of people who order that do not. They were shocked that people didn't realize what they were ordering and we had a laugh about it. So even if someone tells me that they want a black coffee, I will always ask if they want cream and/or sugar.
I think what you said is totally fine and a normal clarifying question. I don't understand why customers get upset when we try to clarify and make their drinks correct. Like, would you prefer I make this wrong and you get something you don't want? Because I can make that happen. It just baffles me sometimes.
Only once did I have someone try to explain to me that a black coffee means nothing in it. To which I replied that I know that, but 90% of people who order that do not. They were shocked that people didn't realize what they were ordering and we had a laugh about it. So even if someone tells me that they want a black coffee, I will always ask if they want cream and/or sugar.
I think what you said is totally fine and a normal clarifying question. I don't understand why customers get upset when we try to clarify and make their drinks correct. Like, would you prefer I make this wrong and you get something you don't want? Because I can make that happen. It just baffles me sometimes.
jams1015 8 points 9m ago
98% of the time, they mean completely plain, nothing added.
The other 2% of the time, they're wrong.
The other 2% of the time, they're wrong.
5AV1OR 6 points 9m ago
To me black coffee is always plain coffee I think you handled it just fine! I would recommend asking something like “okay and just the one coffee” rather than “is it black or with syrups” as they might have felt you were telling them they were ‘wrong’ for saying black which they kinda were but it can make them annoyed or frustrated to feel wrong if that makes sense?
Assiqtaq 5 points 9m ago
It depends on the area, from what I understand. For some black coffee can be sweetened, for some it cannot. If it makes you feel better, I will knee-jerk ask people if they want cream and sugar even if they say black, because habit, but also because people will order black coffee and be surprised when there is no cream in it because people can be dumb. Next time you can just say, "I'm just making sure, you wanted one coffee, correct?" Or however it comes out.
interyx 5 points 9m ago
So yes, if someone says "black coffee" to me they're getting a hot coffee with no cream or sugar. But I think people do this for clarity for a couple reasons.
1) They're trying to express they want a brewed coffee and not a latte, Americano, etc.
2) Iced coffee is secretly sweetened by default. If there is nothing on the sticker it has sugar in it, which is actually pretty annoying from a customer standpoint. By saying "black" first they're starting with a baseline of no secret surprises in the drink and then modifying it from there, because maybe other drinks have automatic sweeteners.
3) Sometimes there's just regional differences and they'll assume it has sugar in it even though the color is literally black. The flip side of this is when people order a coffee "light and sweet" and my coworkers interpret it as "lightly sweetened" putting a little bit of sugar instead of extra cream and sugar.
It's just terminology and all English so I try and keep an open mind. Try to give them what they want instead of getting hung up on the words to order it. Someone ordered a "caffe breve" today and we figured out it meant a Misto. Usually you hear that one as "cafe au lait." All the same thing.
1) They're trying to express they want a brewed coffee and not a latte, Americano, etc.
2) Iced coffee is secretly sweetened by default. If there is nothing on the sticker it has sugar in it, which is actually pretty annoying from a customer standpoint. By saying "black" first they're starting with a baseline of no secret surprises in the drink and then modifying it from there, because maybe other drinks have automatic sweeteners.
3) Sometimes there's just regional differences and they'll assume it has sugar in it even though the color is literally black. The flip side of this is when people order a coffee "light and sweet" and my coworkers interpret it as "lightly sweetened" putting a little bit of sugar instead of extra cream and sugar.
It's just terminology and all English so I try and keep an open mind. Try to give them what they want instead of getting hung up on the words to order it. Someone ordered a "caffe breve" today and we figured out it meant a Misto. Usually you hear that one as "cafe au lait." All the same thing.
Odd-Seaworthiness544 5 points 9m ago
No milk or sweetener= black coffee to me
mypoopoosmelly69 4 points 9m ago
no sugar no coffee. dunno why other customers say black coffee with cream, i doubt they know about dark roast but i think theyre just saying it to look cool ngl 😐😐😐
shatteredauthor 4 points 9m ago
Pike with nothing in it.
sweatshirtsweatpants 3 points 9m ago
Black coffee has nothing added to it. The people you are around are misinformed. We would make fun / vent about customers who thought and communicated black coffee with syrup. If you correct the customers, they always get annoyed, about this. There was a sidebar conversation on this topic on another post in this subreddit.
rlb1415 3 points 9m ago
Also what’s funny to me is when someone orders a coffee unsweetened with 3 stevia or 5 Splenda. I’m like… so sweetened..???
Brgnbo 3 points 9m ago
I treat it as black coffee nothing in it at all. But I’ve learned to just not ask when people say black coffee with whatever in it because it’s not worth the energy. A lot of people have no idea what they’re talking about or just say words.
sheep_heavenly 3 points 9m ago
I assume nothing because it's never right.
Black coffee, to my customers, seems to be synonymous with drip coffee. It will be a black coffee with 15 sugars, a black coffee with one Splenda, a black coffee with cream. It's fine.
Occasionally a customer gets unreasonably irritated by a simple "cream or sugar?" but it's better than the 9 people before them getting upset because they didn't want plain coffee.
Black coffee, to my customers, seems to be synonymous with drip coffee. It will be a black coffee with 15 sugars, a black coffee with one Splenda, a black coffee with cream. It's fine.
Occasionally a customer gets unreasonably irritated by a simple "cream or sugar?" but it's better than the 9 people before them getting upset because they didn't want plain coffee.
RaidiationHound 2 points 9m ago
Coffee language is the most pain in the ass language, you didn’t do anything wrong and your coworker shouldn’t have been an asshole, however I will add my regions coffee lingo if it helps anyone else
Black coffee: just coffee with no cream, can include sugar
Straight black coffee: no cream no sugar
I just had to start running on the assumption that customers don’t know what they want and help them out, but it sounds like you did that so I don’t know why your coworker so rude
Black coffee: just coffee with no cream, can include sugar
Straight black coffee: no cream no sugar
I just had to start running on the assumption that customers don’t know what they want and help them out, but it sounds like you did that so I don’t know why your coworker so rude
Allopathological 2 points 9m ago
Black means no cream or milk where I’m from. Hence the black color of the coffee.
You can have a black coffee
You can have a black coffee with sugar
You can have a black coffee with vanilla syrup
You can’t have a black coffee with cream or milk because then the coffee isn’t black anymore.
So around here it’s “black two sugars” or “just black nothing in it”
Adding sugar doesn’t change the color of the coffee so I don’t understand why anyone would think a black coffee can’t have sugar in it.
*edit
Why are you goons downvoting me this is how we talk where I’m from
You can have a black coffee
You can have a black coffee with sugar
You can have a black coffee with vanilla syrup
You can’t have a black coffee with cream or milk because then the coffee isn’t black anymore.
So around here it’s “black two sugars” or “just black nothing in it”
Adding sugar doesn’t change the color of the coffee so I don’t understand why anyone would think a black coffee can’t have sugar in it.
*edit
Why are you goons downvoting me this is how we talk where I’m from
hphmaltacc [OP] 2 points 9m ago
I'm really curious, where are you from? Since I made this post I asked some of my coffee-drinking friends and family and they all agreed black has nothing in it, so I'm starting to think it may be a somewhat of a regional thing 🤔
Historical-grey-cat 2 points 9m ago
I'm from the UK, black coffee here is just any coffee without milk, atleast that ive experienced. You can add syrups or sugars to it, and if the coffee still looks black you'd call it black coffee, just a vanilla black coffee..etc 🤷♀️
Allopathological 2 points 9m ago
The northeast
[deleted] 2 points 9m ago
[deleted]
-Ana-- 2 points 9m ago
For me personally I always default to just plain coffee, but there is the odd customer who orders it like: "venti black pike with 3sugar" meaning they don't want any cream 🤷🏻♀️
psionicillusionist 2 points 9m ago
It should mean, nothing at all but coffee.
MrsClaireUnderwood 2 points 9m ago
I agree with your coworker in this case, but whether or not black means no sugar either could be regional. For example, I've heard in the Caribbean a "black coffee" gets sold with sugar in it.
nonogender 1 points 9m ago
what black coffee actually means is coffee without cream/milk. i used to ask people if they wanted sugar after saying black coffee but they got annoyed so i just went with whatever customers said and didnt complain. most people agree with you that black means plain but it technically just means no milk.
selkieflying 1 points 9m ago
Black coffee is just coffee. Plain. Nothing in it. Ppl are dumb.
Revolver-OwOcelot 1 points 9m ago
pretty much any coffee that doesn't have espresso, apparently
Joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh1 1 points 9m ago
Black coffee is plain coffee, no cream no sugar of any kind, anybody who says otherwise is wrong
rlb1415 1 points 9m ago
At this point I assume when people say “black coffee” they want a drip coffee with either nothing or cream and sugar. To me black coffee is black coffee, but I’ve noticed that when customers order black coffee it’s always drip coffee with sweetener and cream or some variation.
Electrical_Project35 1 points 9m ago
I’d consider black to be just plain unadulterated coffee, however if I told you I haven’t had people come in and say “I’ll take a venti pike black with some cream and sugars” I’d be lying because that happens a lot. You’ve gotta realize that not everyone is a barista and that a lotta the time people come in not wanting to look stupid so they say the most basic thing they know without truly knowing what they’re getting. For example I and my coworkers always make sure that when they order a cappuccino that the customer knows that it’s foam and espresso and not that they really want a latte, we do it because we have had one to many people pick up their drink and then complain “this is nothing but foam” (which btw always seems to happen when you make the perfect light and foamy cappuccino) so yeah to sum it up just remember you most of the time know better than the customer and can make executive decisions.
ezranilla 1 points 9m ago
um, actually coffee is brown so if someone orders a brown coffee it's just coffee nothing added. Black coffee has sweetener. Obvi. Hope this helps for next time! /s
Necessary_Low939 1 points 9m ago
It means nothing in the coffee. Whoever says otherwise is stupid.
OneRoseDark 1 points 9m ago
I've come to understand that people think "black coffee" means "brewed coffee" because they don't know that it's called "brewed coffee"
"black coffee" actually means brewed coffee without anything added. but people don't know that.
"black coffee" actually means brewed coffee without anything added. but people don't know that.
SADGhoulie 1 points 9m ago
I've come to accept "black coffee" to mean there's no cream but may or may not be sweeteners just from how many people order it like that around here. I always double check. But oh my lord we have this one regular who alwayyssss asks for a black iced coffee with cream. At this point everyone knows what he means but helpful green beans (including myself the first time I dealt with him) always learn the hard way that if you try to explain that black coffee means no cream... he turns into an asshole. Aint nothing like a local musclehead cop puffing up his chest at a minimum wage worker at 5.30 in the morning over some dairy product lol
star_pants 1 points 9m ago
Black coffee = coffee with no additives
That being said, a lot of older customers like to order coffee like (start with a) black coffee, with cream and sugar. That unheard comma drives me nuts
That being said, a lot of older customers like to order coffee like (start with a) black coffee, with cream and sugar. That unheard comma drives me nuts
floofxs2 1 points 9m ago
Nothing in it. But if they said black coffee just sweetened I guess it could work as no milk but then it’s modified black coffee.
mysteriousjuror 1 points 9m ago
Black Coffee = Just plain coffee, no sugar or milk.
Don’t get me started on customers who say a “regular coffee” like wtf??? Do I know you?? Please stop assuming I know what you want. When ppl say that, I just ask, okay, so what is your regular? How do you want it? And they get annoyed with me… alrighty then. Sorry, short lil trigger ahaha
Don’t get me started on customers who say a “regular coffee” like wtf??? Do I know you?? Please stop assuming I know what you want. When ppl say that, I just ask, okay, so what is your regular? How do you want it? And they get annoyed with me… alrighty then. Sorry, short lil trigger ahaha
franglaisedbeignet 1 points 9m ago
They probably just say regular as in not espresso, but brewed coffee. Not using regular to mean their particular preference. Like hey I’d like regular, plain old coffee. Also I like to think black is coffee without milk. And some people want black coffee so they can modify it themselves, not realizing Starbucks isn’t keeping the sweeteners and half and half out for their personal use.
WhistleStop999 0 points 9m ago
Customers never know what they want, and also a lot of people are stupid. But black coffee does mean the same thing here as in Canada if you know what words mean
Low_Committee_1312 0 points 9m ago
Yeah just assume when they ask for a black coffee then start listing stuff in it that they aren’t asking for a latte, or anything that hot bar could possible make.
Latter-Guava-4734 0 points 9m ago
Definitely is supposed to just mean plain coffee, nothing in it. However I have seen customers who think sugar doesn’t count I guess since technically the coffee is still black. I even had one person say they wanted a black coffee with cream and sugar though. Overall I don’t think some people even know.
wafflesncheeze -1 points 9m ago
Plain & black= no cream or sweetener of any kind
Black=no cream, possibly some creamer
Black=no cream, possibly some creamer
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