Revealing your coffee personality

(Graphic by Kate Turner)
(Graphic by Kate Turner)

Coffee has become a drink that is as commonplace in people’s lives as breathing. Some cannot start their day without having their morning cup, others have it as an after-dinner drink, and some simply love how it tastes. If you look at how someone chooses to drink their coffee, you get a glimpse of who they really are.

Drip Coffee
Many coffee purists say the best way to enjoy coffee is to take it black, the only way to really appreciate what makes the drink so enjoyable. These are also the kind of people that want to know the details of what exactly makes up their cup of Joe: they want to know what region the coffee beans come from, how dark or light the roast is and what sort of undertone flavors are infused with the beans. To add anything like milk or sugar would be to diminish what defines that particular roast.

This type of coffee drinker could be seen as pedant. They are excessively concerned with all of the little details and with displaying signs that they know what they are drinking. Much like someone being a computer nerd, these drinkers are nerds of the roast. They take pride in what they are, with a high level of appreciation for the coffee. On the opposite spectrum, you have people that add a splash of milk or a teaspoon of sugar, and to those that go above and beyond, the lovers of the double-double and ghastly triple-triple.  Whatever your preference of alteration, it comes down to people who do enjoy the taste of coffee to varying degrees, but want to cut the heat and natural taste of the drink.

Americano
This drink is made by adding hot water to espresso, with the strength of the cup depending on the number of shots of espresso added. The type of person who would order this is one that wants something different than the more familiar drip coffee.

Compared to all other drinks listed, this one is the most likely to attract hipsters. These drinkers are more than likely trying to be trendy and different from those around them. They are not worried about the functionality of their drink, but the vogue qualities that translate into expressions of individuality and distinctiveness. It’s something different than what many want from coffee and not something you would find most people bringing in a travel mug on the way to work or school.

Latte
A latte is considered any coffee drink that is made from espresso and steamed milk. The latte drinkers are people who are going for a very particular taste from their coffee. Drinks such as Starbucks’ pumpkin-spiced and gingerbread lattes,  the cappuccino and flat white are all examples of the personal touch some people want from coffee. A lover of lattes is a lover of specifics: what their coffee tastes like is exactly what they wanted to taste like.

These people are all about the particulars. They have a clear sense of what they want and how to get it. They can also be quite expressive, conveying exactly what they mean. They know unequivocally that they want a fat-free, sugar-free, no whip, double mocha with a shot of sugar-free vanilla.

Liqueur Coffee
This is an overarching term to describe any coffee drink in which alcohol is added. There are two types of drinkers who enjoy these types of drinks.

The first are those that want a little more from their coffee than just a caffeine boost. Not alcoholics by nature, they do however enjoy the extra kick that comes from the spirits. They are somewhat adventurous and unafraid to mix the power of caffeine with the power of alcohol. Not to say these people are venturesome, though they are willing to be excited from a buzz and a boost.

The other type of person is one that enjoys this drink after a well-prepared meal at a fine-dining establishment.  Following a delightful meal, they would order this type of beverage the same way someone might order a scotch or tea. As an after-dinner drink, this shows a sort of class the drinker might possess. Ordering this in a restaurant offers a stylish, elegant and gracious image of the drinker.

It presents a sort of variegated understanding of how to mix different things together in order to create something that suits their mood and style. It’s a statement ordering liqueur drinks that can complete one’s whole sense of style.

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