Be Better Blog

Complex Cafe Edition:

I’m a fancy girl.

I like my shoes to hurt, I like lots of animal skin and fur in the winter, and I like cocktails that have 5 ingredients or more. It’s just who I am. 

But when it comes to coffee, I suddenly go all Little House on the Prairie and just order super simply…iced or hot PLAIN coffee. The truth is… when people order complex coffee drinks, two things pass through my mind. 1) You sound like an asshole. 2) What in the world did you just order and I feel dumb because I have no clue what that is. So this Fall/Winter…I’m going to dip my toe in the world of fancy coffee drinks. But you still aren’t ever going to find me drinking a f*cking frappacino. Vom.

Here’s an attempt at some coffee terminology…

Coffee Dictionary:

Americano: This one’s easy and one I can handle. Shot of espresso with hot water to make a drip coffee-like situation. 

Cafe Au Lait: Strong/Bold coffee (occasionally espresso) mixed with equal parts steamed milk. 

Cafe Latte: Espresso + Steamed Milk…with a little foam on top. 2 parts milk to 1 part espresso.

Macchiato: An Espresso with a dash of foamed milk…It’s like a baby cappuccino but is much stronger and more aromatic.

Doppio: A Double shot of Espresso

Cafe Breve: 1 Part Espresso and 1 Part Steamed Half & Half

Redeye: 1 Additional shot of Espresso added to regular coffee

Blackeye: 2 Additional shots of Espresso added to regular coffee

Greeneye: 3 shots of Espresso added to regular coffee (if you drink this, you need to maybe see someone about a better work/life balance)

So there we are people. Now we can all sound a little more obnoxious when ordering our morning brew. 

My favorite New York Coffee Shops:

Gorilla Coffee-Park Slope : My favorite cup of joe on the go in the hood. Super casual, and consistently good. People swear by the Maple Latte.

Stumptown Roasters-NYC : Love the Ace hotel where Stumptown resides, great vibe, good coffee…though a bit overpriced.

Ninth Street Espresso-NYC: Great espresso, meh location in Chelsea Market.

Blue Bottle Coffee-Williamsburg : Super cute and delicious coffee. An obvious go-to spot in Williamsburg

Cafe Regular Du Nord-Park Slope: Best ambiance of any coffee shop in Brooklyn. Residential street, refined French-inspired interior, you’ll have to remind yourself you are still in NYC.

xo Chinae