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CoffeeSpeakby Brian Martell Every culture has its own slang, from the sub culture of marginal Soho bars in London to the pervasive rap culture across North America. While far from being the defining feature of a culture, possessing a unique lexicon usually means that a culture has advanced to the state of some permanence, especially when it starts to get accepted by the mainstream. In England, grandmothers will use the term naff to describe something that is undesirable or not in style; having no idea that the term originated from a perverse acronym for a pejorative term denoting straight males. If you have or know teenagers, they probably can tell you what a boo or a shorty is, especially if they are into rap. Doubtlessly anyone reading this will question that coffee has evolved its own culture, replete with its own slang and sayings. What is fascinating about coffee is that its breadth and depth of integration in almost every major society means that it has a whole sub species; spawning a colourful adjectives native to the country or region. The following are some interesting examples of coffee speak in use in the English speaking world. In Great Britain, if you were born within earshot of the bells of St-Mary-le-Bow in East London, you would qualify as a cockney. As such, the terms for almost anything must be a rhyme of something else, and then truncated just in case someone other than a cockney starts to figure out what you are saying. For example, the cockney slang for feet is plates, because plates of meat rhyme with feet (don’t try to understand it, just go with it!). The cockney slang for coffee is Everton, because the brand name Everton Toffee rhymes with, yes - you guessed it. Outside of our home and native land, most people would have no idea what a double double is; and yet it has made it into the Canadian version of the Oxford English Dictionary. And about 20 years ago, New Yorkers once used a similar expression before the age of self serve Starbucks. In Seattle, where there are still some independent coffee houses outside of the town’s famous son (Starbucks), they use the term cake in a cup to denote double double. Other coffee terms that are particularly North American are surprisingly taken from Italy’s coffee culture: Venti – Italian for 20, meaning any coffee that comes in a 20-ounce cup. Macchiatto - Stained or marked, as in a caffè macchiato (a coffee with a touch of milk or foam) or latte macchiato (steamed milk with a ristretto of espresso). Ristretto – Highly concentrated shot of espresso. The Italian thing goes on and on, so much so that baristas (those who prepare espressos in a coffee bar) will learn Italian from working in a coffee house. So for those of you thinking of signing up for Italian lessons at Berlitz, put your money away and get a job at Starbucks! Some other colourful coffee talk that has taken root is: On a leash or with legs – Coffee to go Skinny – Lattes made with skim milk Shot in the Dark – A regular drip coffee with a shot of espresso, also called a speed ball, redeye, boiler house or a depth charge. Quad – two double shots of espresso Harmless – Decaf of any description, also referred to as unleaded. While the list goes on as to how we describe our beloved beverage, I am reminded of an exchange between a savvy coffee consumer and a server in an up scale coffee bar: Patron – I’ll have a venti unleaded skinny latte with twin. Server behind the counter to the barista – One order of “Why Bother!” © 2005 Brian Martell Questions or comments? Reach Brian at Brian@heritage-coffee.com
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