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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on July 18, 2010 at 8:06pm

Well I guess I'm out of it on this one. The dial thermometers I have are not adjustable.
Joe


Chris said:

Steve said:

Try living in Arizona where its 114 right now and the customer wants it extra hot.........

Just hold it outside the drive-through window for twenty seconds when you're done steaming it!

Joseph Robertson said:

Can you describe your calibration procedure for me?

You could freeze some ice, crush it up, and add just enough water to create a slush, and adjust the gauge to read 0C or 32F. Use as pure a water as you can get.
Then boil that same water and use the smallest container that you an get it to boil in. Once it's boiling. cover it to trap the steam, and wait for the steam to displace the air under the lid. Adjust the gauge to read what passes for boiling point in your neighborhood (altitude adjusted). Somewhere in there you should bet fairly accurate results.
I prefer the feel method myself. If it isn't hot enough that the steaming pitcher is uncomfortable to hold, it isn't hot enough. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to drink, as a general rule of thumb.

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Permalink Reply by Chris on July 19, 2010 at 12:39pm

Joseph Robertson said:

Well I guess I'm out of it on this one. The dial thermometers I have are not adjustable.

Are you sure? If you look at where the dial and the probe meet, most of them will have a hex shape, or at least two flat sides that oppose each other. Place these flats (or hex) in the appropriate sized open end wrench and turn the dial the opposite direction from where your indicator is 'off'.
Even the cheapest Starbucks discards that I have are adjustable in this manner.

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Permalink Reply by Dave West on September 13, 2010 at 3:12am

Indeed - I think some people just ask for something because it makes them feel sophisticated or satisfied in some other way. I recently had a lady make me steam a whole new pitcher of milk because she wanted more milk in her capp. I added what must have been about a half tablespoon, and she said "OK, that's percect!" I actually stared at her until she walked away, thinking "that could not have made any notable difference to your drink in texture, temperature, or flavor. And I hate you."

Chase said:

I work at sbux. We get the 200 every now and then, I just look at them and shake my head. Hell, they are coming to sbux - they obviously don't care about what they are drinking.

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Permalink Reply by Joona Suominen on September 13, 2010 at 5:18am

There are a few people wanting their drinks hot here too.

The plain old power of suggestion is a priceless technique for these kind of situations. People can't drink liquids that are over 70 degrees without injuries so the perceived hotness while drinking must be based on the temperature of the cup itself.

I usually just warm a cup properly with the hot water tap, foam the milk as usual and pretend it's slightly warmer. It's easy to make people believe they are drinking a latte that is extra hot. I've asked feedback many times and without an exception it's been "just the right temp".

It's also somewhat interesting to think about the motives lying behind such a seemingly innocent requirement.

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Permalink Reply by Phoebe Aceto on September 13, 2010 at 8:26am

For the extra hot, I would never scald the milk, but I pre-heat the cup (unless it is in paper) I will fill it to the top with the machine water first. (usually i just put a little water in to pre-heat). For optimum nilk sweetness, it will vary depending on what milk you are using, get ready for a milk lab with baristas, it's fun!

BoogeyClat said:

This topic gives me the chance to ask at what temp do must of you think your milk reaches its optimal sweetness. I have read all different temps up to 160 but I swear by 135-140. I feel anything over 140 doesnt taste sweet. Also I cant use my hand to gauge anything over 140. I can get 140 almost everytime by touch. Have to check now and them however b/c my hand is losing its sensitivity. So to go "extra hot" I just steam a couple extra seconds after I cannot touch the pitcher any longer. Then I ask them why so I can try and explain why we usually steam them at 135-140...

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Matthew Bugg on September 14, 2010 at 2:23pm

I once had a customer pull out a thermometer and take the temperature of their "200 degree" I tried to pass off as 200 degrees when it was maybe 165 degrees at the most.

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Permalink Reply by Steve on September 14, 2010 at 8:14pm

Here's a good one.....I hired a guy who i thought could "get it" we trained him and he insisted on not listening. After giving him one last warning......a day later i walk in to see him smelling a milk pitcher, I ask..."what are you doing" he replied "just smelling to make sure the milk is not burnt" my reply....... insert Donald Trump comment here!

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Permalink Reply by luke hudek on September 14, 2010 at 8:37pm

I have a friend who insists on letting his coffee sit and reach room temperature before taking even a sip, which I think is strange....

Not latte related, but customer related, many years ago I worked at a Wendie's (haha make fun) and we used to have a repeat customer ask us to..../shudder...DUNK his beef patties in the grease runoff before serving them to him, and also they had to be super well done.....

I am pretty sure I helped kill that man if hes not still alive.

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Permalink Reply by Laura Campbell on October 21, 2010 at 7:51pm

I also heat the cups as other people have suggested, but the other thing you can do in that respect is heat the handle of the ceramic cup. This increases the illusion of hotness! Then I just make the coffee as normal.

At work, we pour in hot water from the machine to extra-hot a takeaway. Some people get extra hot for the leather tongue, others because they want it to 'last longer'. Often customers will ask for extra hot if they're taking it to someone else's office or something. I figure that if they're in it for the burnt tongue they don't care if the coffee's a tad more watery, (and besides, espresso has water in it already!) and if they're getting it for long distance then they'd probably rather have their coffee hot than 'undiluted'. Besides, the amount we pour in is small- maybe 20ml.

If a customer complained about the water we'd of course instantly make it again and burn the milk. Most of them however don't know and/or don't care, It's a nifty wee trick!

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Permalink Reply by Aeryn! E on February 28, 2011 at 4:53pm

there is always a woman who orders a 200 degree dry cappucino no matter how many times i tell her why we cant /and or shouldnt make it, some people want what they want know matter the good sense behind the opposite. but on that note, i like my coffee hot. more than 145 hot. i know its sweeter and all around better when its not "hot". but.... by the time i get to actually drinking it ( i work! there fore are too busy to  langour over my expertly made cup) it is usually straight cold if i get it normal, so 160 is great for me... just sayin, there is a reason behind the "hot please" statement :P

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Permalink Reply by Ian C. on August 14, 2011 at 12:26am

I've never gotten the request, but when we make cafe con leche, we steam to just under 200 degrees to scald the milk.

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Permalink Reply by Erik Hefta on August 14, 2011 at 12:07pm

I have a customer that consistently orders a large hazelnut latte at 210 degrees.  As much as I would love to educate and get this lady to understand she has been ordering the same drink for years and my owner runs under the "let people drink and order what they like their coffee to be".  I understand that to an extent but when it ruins the drink (literally) it is very hard to make.  I have gotten the milk to 210 just once... no aeration at all, and a larger pitcher than would normally be needed so that the milk would not scorch my hand if it exploded.

 

Another idea is that the customer wants it ex. hot just so that the temp lasts longer.  This allows them to drink longer.  I don't agree with ex. hot at the slightest.  

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