An Open Letter to LA’s Barista Community: Lattes

omg thank you christine! kids these days....

My god...that is the uggliest looking latte I've ever seen. Come on over to Peet's on Larchmont, and I'll make you a latte that'll make you smile.

-Cela

Non-fat? And you feel entitled to tell other people how to make a latte? Make your own bullshit psuedo-lattes yourself.

This is an absolutely awful piece.

I don't have the patience to address every piece of nonsense in it, but I'll touch on the salient points.

Being a coffee drinker does not make you a coffee expert. Condescending to the community of bartenders who approach this as a craft indicates otherwise.

Froth is what emanates from my dogs mouth when I run him for an hour. It is also what emanates from the mouths of coffee professionals when they read pseudo-journalism from people posing as coffee experts.

Most coffee professionals do not work with "espresso wands". An espresso wand is what the fast-food worker at Starbucks waves at that large bucket of liquid they're handing you. It is what makes you think you're getting an espresso drink, in defiance of any culinary logic.

Nonfat milk? Really?

Perhaps cafes in Little Italy, Socal, use Pottery Barn mugs like the one depicted in your photo, but it's not "correct". Which I wouldn't bring up, except that you have taken it upon yourself to tell us what is.

Enough already.

I'm a Starbucks barista. You can hate on me, I can take it.

No matter what you're paying, when you order a drink from Starbucks, you should get it exactly the way you want it. If there's anything not to your liking, the barista should happily remake it...I know that's not always the way it goes and I apologize on behalf of all of us for bad attitudes. As a Starbucks employee, I BEG you to not leave your Starbucks until you're happy with the drink you have in your hand. We have been trained into the ground that customer service comes first, and anyone who gives you attitude is not doing their job.

When I make a cappuccino, I ALWAYS ask the customer as I hand it off "is that dry enough for you?" If they prefer it drier or wetter, I remake the whole drink. Starbucks's relatively new cappuccino standard is that all capps must be free-poured...that is, as soon as milk is done steaming to temperature, it should be poured immediately on top of the espresso shots (which are less than 10 seconds old). I don't know if this is how they do it in Italy, or Intelligentsia, or LA Mill, or what-have-you. I know I personally like the capps made this way. If you like them made differently, let me know and I'll do it exactly how you want it.

As far as nonfat goes? Well, if YOU like your capps made with non, then you should get a damn fine nonfat capp. However, Rocktageous is, in my experience, dead on. Starbucks serves nonfat, 2%, whole, Silk soy, half-and-half, and heavy whipping cream (yes...you CAN get your drink made with heavy whipping cream if you so desire, and YES people have ordered it). I've found that 2% really does make the best capps, followed by whole, and then soy (if you can drink it fast enough before the foam loses its frothy structure and the milk separates). Of course, if you've got someone on bar who doesn't know how to foam milk correctly or doesn't really take pride in what they're doing, none of that really matters. But I guarantee you they'll try harder if you ask them to remake it.

As for a latte, the Starbucks standard is mostly milk (which should never be flat, should always be vaguely fluffy and aerated) topped with a layer of foam. If you prefer more of a solid head of foam, please ask for extra foam. If you hate foam, ask for no foam, and check your drink before you leave. Correctly steamed milk should always be somewhat foamy--the barista needs to let the milk and foam separate for a little longer than usual to make a latte that's truly "no foam," and some baristas feel the pressure of speed over quality and will pour the milk too quickly. They won't top it off with foam, so it LOOKS "no foam" when they put the lid on, but by the time you open the lid, the aerated milk has separated and now you have foam. Simply hand it back and ask for a new drink.

And Manthri, I'm really offended by your vitriol. I am not a fast-food worker. True, Starbucks used to have a 3-minute policy (no customer should spend more than 3 minutes after entering a Starbucks before they have their drink in hand), but recently this was rescinded. The company found that attempting to appease the fast-food culture was sacrificing quality. We've now been instructed to always put drink quality ahead of speed. Unfortunately, this frequently leads to very angry customers, because a lot of our customers actually WANT fast coffee. I'm really sorry our attempts to appease this contingent of our customer base has affected your experience.

To that end, on a selfish note, I ask Starbucks patrons to expect to spend 15 minutes getting your coffee. Sometimes it only takes 3 minutes. But most of the time it takes more. We're NOT McDonald's.

Also. If you go to a Starbucks just for drip coffee, and you have to wait for them to re-brew because the coffee expired, your drip coffee should be on the house. That is official Starbucks policy. Demand this.

Honestly, I work at Starbucks instead of a restaurant because I really like making a difference in your day. I want to make your drink just the way you like it, and I know your "simple nonfat cappuccino" isn't simple at all. Not to you. And not to me.

Oh, Christine, you have opened up a can of worms! Some of us don't like all of that foam - it is empty filler taking up valuable space that should be filled with caffeine, and it makes it almost impossible to mix in sugar. And people would riot if they were handed a skim latte without being asked.

I have a feeling I know what will be at the top of the "most commented" list all week...

Thank you. Any tips on places with consistent cappuccinos? I have yet to find one. So annoyed with 3 dollar caps that are some other creation of something...

whole milk all the way baby...