Piping Hot Coffee Stories

From Redditor u/ditchthatdutch:

I work at Starbucks as a barista. I handle most customers well and I get good at starting conversations and spotting when someone wants to move things along.

While working the register, two older men ordered. One said, “a coffee, black.” I asked to confirm the size and the roast (blonde, medium, or dark) before speaking to his friend, rudely:

“Nou zeg, niet de slimste meid die hier werkt, hè? Ze zouden en beetje kunnen leeren om hun hersenen te gebruiken”

That is Dutch and means roughly:

“Wow, this is not the smartest gal that works here, huh? They could learn to use their brains a little”

The man then ordered a medium dark roast. I nodded and then replied in Dutch, asking the standard questions to finish the order (anything else to eat or drink today? What was your name for your other drinks? Do you have a Starbucks rewards card?). I stayed pleasant and smiled throughout the transaction, but I conducted it in Dutch.

He answered the questions in English, but his eyes looked huge. His friend seemed worried but laughed when they left.

I realize this look might not suit someone on the service side. My coworker asked what it was about. I explained, and she seemed confused about why I did it.

I do not think it was a bad move because I remained nice to the customer. But I did call him out and made it clear I understood what he was saying. Still, maybe I shouldn't have, given my position in customer service.

AITA?

From Redditor u/Dependent_Scheme_370:

My 26-year-old nephew (5) copies me. I am not sure why. Perhaps I am the closest older male relative he has. His dad is alive but left my sister (30) for someone else and only sends child support. He never shows up.

My sister insists I set a good example, which I accept. I do not smoke and only drink occasionally. I talk about events like weddings. I do not drink too much. I also prefer healthier food like fish and vegetables. I only stop eating potato chips when the kid is around.

Yesterday, my sister and I were at a cafe. I ordered a large hazelnut latte, something I always get. This was my first time going with my sister and nephew. My sister frowned and told me not to drink such sweet things (the place likely puts a lot of sugar in their drinks because they taste that way). She got upset because I drank it in front of my nephew, saying she does not want him to want drinks like that since he sees me.

From Redditor u/Glitterzzila:

Another woman and I share an office. We brought coffee, creamer, spices, cocoa, and more. The coffee lady in the shared kitchen only makes black coffee. We both love all kinds of coffee. We have a kettle, two spoons, and two mugs.

Several days ago, a co-worker came to our office. He has a higher rank. He saw we brought these things. Mina, the woman, offered him a cup of coffee. He took it happily. Days later, he burst into our office. He almost ordered Mina to make him another cup because the first one was great. Mina agreed, made it, and took it to his office.

A couple of hours later, he came in again.Make me another one.Mina was not happy. She was working. She said, "OK."OK.She made it and delivered it again.

An hour later, he returned and asked for half of the same cup. Mina looked disturbed and annoyed but said okay."I'll be in my office.", he said, closing the door. Mina looked at me and said,The third time is too much. I don't know how to react. This is not my job.I told her to make one more coffee. Next time, tell him he can have that special coffee when he visits us.

Two days ago, I was alone. He came back demanding coffee. I hesitated. I couldn't believe he demanded it. I told him I did not know what Mina made. Then he explained,one spoon of this, one and a half of that.... I stared at him, amazed. This is not a café or a restaurant. I am not a coffee lady. I smiled and politely offered to call the coffee lady for him. Then he asked:''She can use your coffee and spices and kettle and all...?''. I replied:''Umm... She can?''. ''Okay, call her'', he said. I saw he was shocked. I refused.

To make things funnier, as I grabbed the phone to call the coffee lady, another co-worker entered. Without asking, he grabbed our kettle andMina's personal mug and started making coffee. She said nothing. I was confused, so I asked:''Um... Are you making coffee for yourself?'' Then she said,no, she makes it for the co-worker (whom I refused to make coffee 15 seconds ago). I asked: ''But why you...? Isn't the coffee lady supposed to do that?'' With visible upset on her face, she said she knows and it is better not to say anything.

What? He is not even our boss. Demanding is rude. We do not have a duty to make him special coffees. We can, but that is goodwill, not duty. So... AITA?

From Redditor u/throwawaytired01000:

My boyfriend (28 M) and I (26 F) moved in. Health issues make me tired; I struggle for energy. Thus, I drink a few cups of coffee daily to stay awake.

The last few weeks, my coffee failed. This worried me; I thought my health was getting worse. Why wouldn't it help? I told my boyfriend my worry. He swapped all my coffee for Decaf, claiming it was healthier for me.

I am upset with him. He did not tell me his thoughts; instead, he changed my coffee without telling me. He calls me dramatic, saying it is just decaf. I question if our relationship should continue. It feels broken that he thinks this is normal.

Redditor u/throwRA-fhfsveyary:

I work weekends at a coffee shop. My coworkers who work weekends are:

James, the owner's son, goes to my school. He manages shifts, though it is not a formal role. He is a friendly guy.

Danielle, a college student who sometimes works weekends too.

Sometimes customers get angry over small things. They blow up about nothing. I wonder if they are already in a bad mood, looking for someone to blame. It is sad that a grown man takes his anger out on high school and college kids.

James and I joked about having fun with them, hoping to get them off our backs.

One day at work, a guy got angry because we did not make the coffee hot enough. I could not fix it; I gave it to him straight from the machine.

James came in and asked, "Sir, is there a problem here?" The guy started yelling at him too. James then said, "OP, this is unacceptable, you're fired."

I acted very sad, saying, "No, please don't fire me. My family needs the money. I need this job, please."

The angry guy backed down, saying, "It isn't that big of a problem. You don't need to fire her over it. I didn't mean it." James responded, "No, we pride ourselves on the best customer service."

After all that drama, I kept my job. We were just acting. James storms in and "fires" us whenever a customer loses temper with Danielle or me. Almost every time, the angry person apologizes, saying they did not mean it. This feels satisfying; it makes people see their actions have results.

I told school friends about this. Some thought it was a mean prank, letting someone go thinking they got fired because they needed money.

AITA for this joke?

From Redditor u/giveusallyourinspo:

I never drank coffee. I never got into it. I do not grasp how people drink it. They claim you learn the taste, but I tried it once; I thought it was gross. I never sipped it again. I drink mostly water. I do not need to get up early for work because I never built a need for it. My whole family drinks coffee, and most friends do, but I never made it myself.

I lived with roommates, but now I have my own small rented house. I live here alone; there is an extra bedroom. When family visits, they stay with me, which I like. I enjoy having a house with extra room. This happened a few times with guests, but I will use the most recent one for this post.

I still live where I grew up, but my parents moved to Florida because many parents without kids have. They stayed with me for four days recently, and it was great. I lack a coffee machine, which they consider a crime. They say I should have one and buy coffee, which I find ridiculous. I have enough to keep guests comfortable; they could drive to a drive-thru for coffee. My parents are the type who are 'dead without coffee' in the morning, and they brought it up every day. A cousin stayed with me once; one morning, they asked, 'Where's the coffee?' and got upset. My parents bought coffee fast and kept it out. Then, one morning, my parents asked me to make them coffee. I have no idea how. They think this is rude; everyone should know how to make coffee. I told them it is like wanting smoothies and being mad about no blender. My parents, my cousin, and my aunts (twice) stayed over and commented on the coffee. But my parents acted like it was a slight against my character.

I do not drink alcohol, but no one has complained because there is no beer in my fridge.

From Redditor u/aitacoffeepurchase:

I have recently started enjoying better coffee than I usually drink.

I brew it at home, so we do not drink $7 drinks daily.

I chose a $12 bag from the grocery store instead of a giant bulk bag of Kirkland coffee. That bag lasts about a week or two. That is less than $15 for five weeks.

My wife does not work. I work from home. A medical condition stops her from doing much around the house now. I pick up most of the housework while she rests. This situation has lasted six months for the household.yearsfor the job.

She has depression; she is getting treatment for it.

I try hard to do what I can. Often, I ask her several times to help with simple tasks to share the load. We talked about how Iknowshe is working on the issue, but I cannot handle everything alone.

I earn enough so my coffee is a treat. She once mentioned the cost. I told her, “It fits the budget, and I like it. It's fine.”

I brought home another bag recently. She remarked, “You spend too much on this fancy coffee. You need to get back to other things.”

After doing other chores that morning, I got angry during the grocery run. I told her, “The one with the job chooses the groceries. Work again or help with the house, and then you can decide what we buy.”

She called me a cold-hearted a**hole and left the room.

AITA for my reaction when she called me out about buying coffee?

From Redditor u/coffeeaithrwy:

My wife and I are in our 30s; we married two years ago. My wife often drinks coffee in the evening, over two hours before bed. I see this makes her settle into bed slower.

I told her this many times. Her chronic pain condition, likely affected by caffeine, makes routine tasks harder. This leaves me covering the work. When I mention it, she says her doctor disagrees; caffeine does not affect her condition. My point is her overall health suffers from less restful sleep.

This week, I made the household coffee-free. I threw out the coffee machine and pods. I told my wife that if she wants coffee, she should get it from the cafe on her way to work (this is not a money issue, and I rarely drink coffee at home).

My wife has been angry about me 'policing' a habit she finds harmless. I saw she goes to sleep more smoothly since the coffee left. But because she remains angry and short with me, I question if I went too far. AITA?

From Redditor u/LittlePurplePig:

My friend traveled outside the United States to Europe and brought gifts back. My friend knew I like coffee, so he got me a dark roast with no roast date, meaning it is not fresh.

I put it back in the bag gently and politely explained why I do not drink that type of coffee.

He and his friends claimed I was ungrateful and rude, saying I should not have put the coffee in the bag, which I did not.

AITA for not taking a gift I wouldn't use?

From Redditor u/laundry_noise:

I live near a coffee shop that uses a cart. It is a small shop, usually one person works there, sometimes two.

The cart sits on a restaurant's property. The restaurant owns the cart, though it looks slightly different. I dislike the restaurant, but the cart coffee tastes like some of the best I have ever had.

They work from 8 AM to about 3 PM. I usually come around 2:50 or 3, but sometimes much earlier. Today, I arrived at 3 and saw the barista still serving. I joined the line with a group of women behind me. As she steamed the person ahead's drink, she told the line they could get coffee from the restaurant because the cafe stopped serving after 3. It was about 3:01, and I likely joined the queue right at 3, or maybe a few seconds before.

The restaurant coffee is not good. Waitstaff, not baristas, make it. It is not what I seek. I am very health conscious and avoided restaurants during the pandemic just to get coffee. The women behind me probably did not mind; they went inside. I asked for my usual, though. The barista turned to finish the person ahead and did not look at me. I know her well; I come here often. She knows my usual, always smiles and talks. I even asked her for treats; she said she wrapped them up for the night earlier but apologized and offers me treats every time.

The person looked at me as she left. I ordered my usual. She said, “I’ll just ask you if you could order inside since I’ve gotta close up out here.” I asked if she would make an exception since I am Covid conscious. She said just this once, but she seemed off. I thanked her for serving me. She said no worries. As she closed up, I sat in the outdoor area on my laptop. She did not look or smile at me, unlike usual. She barely looked my way, even though it was 3:05 by the time she made my order—two minutes late if I hadn't ordered.

People talk about going to a place at closing time. I was in the queue just in time. She would have happily made an exception for me if it weren't for the group behind me. She only asked us all to go because three or four people were there. I wonder if I missed something because she acted happy serving me one minute, then became colder than usual.

TLDR: I asked a familiar barista if she would serve me past closing (2 minutes). I needed to avoid going inside during a pandemic to order worse coffee. I got in line just in time. She first resisted, but after a big "please," she agreed. Then, she seemed much colder than normal while closing; I sat near her on my laptop.