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Note: This is an informational guide. Some links are affiliate links. 🥛 Fake It Til You Make It — Part 9 How to Pretend You Have Strong Opinions About Milk Milk has become unexpectedly controversial. The choice between whole milk, oat milk, almond milk, soy, oat barista, coconut and half a dozen other options…

Note: This is an informational guide. 💬 Fake It Til You Make It — Part 8 What to Say When Someone Asks How You Take Your Coffee “How do you take your coffee?” is a deceptively simple question that most people answer badly. “Just milk” or “I don’t mind” are non-answers that reveal nothing…

Note: This is an informational guide. Some links are affiliate links. 🔢 Fake It Til You Make It — Part 7 What the Numbers on Coffee Bags Actually Mean Coffee bags are covered in numbers — altitude in metres, grading scores out of 100, roast level scales from 1 to 5, screen sizes, moisture…

Note: This is an informational guide. 🇮🇹 Fake It Til You Make It — Part 6 How to Order Espresso in Italy Without Embarrassing Yourself Italy is the birthplace of espresso and has extremely strong opinions about how it should be ordered, made and consumed. The good news is that these opinions are consistent…

Note: This is an informational guide. 📋 Fake It Til You Make It — Part 5 The Coffee Shop Menu Decoded — What Everything Actually Means Coffee shop menus have become increasingly arcane. What used to be “small, medium, large” is now a list of Italian words, Australian imports and specialty terms that assume…

Note: This is an informational guide. 👅 Fake It Til You Make It — Part 4 How to Taste Coffee Properly (Even If You Think You Can’t Tell the Difference) Most people taste coffee the same way they taste everything else — they take a sip, form an overall impression, and move on. This…

Note: This is an informational guide. Some links are affiliate links. 🫘 Fake It Til You Make It — Part 3 How to Choose Coffee Beans Without Having Any Idea What You’re Doing Standing in front of a wall of coffee bags, each with its own origin, processing method, tasting notes and roast profile,…

Note: This is an informational guide. 🗣️ Fake It Til You Make It — Part 2 How to Talk About Coffee Like You Know What You’re Doing Coffee has developed a specific vocabulary — words and phrases that, used correctly, signal insider knowledge and, used incorrectly, signal the opposite. The good news is that…

Note: This is an informational guide. Some links are affiliate links. ☕ Fake It Til You Make It — Part 1 What to Order at a Specialty Coffee Shop (So You Don’t Look Lost) You walk into a specialty coffee shop. The menu has no pictures. The board lists coffees by farm name and…

Note: Some links in this article are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. 🎓 Fake It Til You Make It — Series Pillar The complete guide to sounding like you know what you’re talking about in any coffee situation Here is…