Hey Guys,
Don't you hate it when people order their drinks "extra hot" ?

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No, because we don't make lattes extra hot. We will let the customer know our reasons for doing so (which I'm sure everyone on here already knows and doesn't need another reminder of) and they usually understand. Also, it's amazing to throw in the simple, "Well, it's not going to be as hot as brewed coffee... there's milk in there you know." Sometimes that simple comment seems like it makes a light go off over their head.

Don't kill your milk's sweetness... it's just a start down a slippery slope. At our shop our "extra hot" is around the 160-165 range, and that's really pushing it for the relentless customers.

-bry
light go off... light go on? you know what I'm getting at.

-bry
I've told customers that it's a safety hazard, since overheated, quickly swirling milk could do some real damage to my hands if it splashed out of the pitcher. 200 degree latte customers are rediculous.
Brendon Parsons said:
I've told customers that it's a safety hazard, since overheated, quickly swirling milk could do some real damage to my hands if it splashed out of the pitcher. 200 degree latte customers are rediculous.

Wow, 200? Really? Like you've had customers ask for 200, or you're just throwing a number out there...? My idea of extra hot is 175. I've never even attempted to take milk to 200. I wonder what that tastes like... *shivers.*

-bry
Shuddering to think of what that would taste like.

Our "extra hot" is 165-170... starting at the 165 end when this request is first received and not exceeding 170 (then only if the first try at "extra hot" was not acceptable).

The only exception I've ever made to this was a customer that INSISTED that I steam her skim milk to 180. She and her whole family were good customers and she was one of the technicians at my orthodontist's office... so I was concerned about the ramifications of pissing her off. I had tried unsucessfully to pass off 160, 165, 170 degree drinks as being 180... each would be sipped then handed back with a fairly stern "I said 180". I could get away with 175 if I blasted the to-go cup with the steam wand first. We discussed the whole milk sweetness thing, but 180 was what she liked. Very strange. I now believe that she was actually an android with a Scace device in her throat :). Good customer though.
I have an extra thermometer calibrated 20 degrees hotter than normal, then after I finish the drink, I stick it in there, show them, and say "A perfect 180!"

Just kidding.

We have a couple of insistors. All you can do is educate them, then make a choice if you want to keep them as a customer or not. I'd keep them as a customer and just keep educating them with peer pressure.
I gave a customer an extra hot latte the other day, she sipped just the foam on top, and proceeded to hand it back to me and ask me to warm it up in the microwave because it wasn't hot enough...it took everything I had to keep my jaw from dropping...

...don't worry, it did not make it into the microwave...
I worked at a Starbucks when I had this particular customer. Nuff said.

Bryan Wray said:
Brendon Parsons said:
I've told customers that it's a safety hazard, since overheated, quickly swirling milk could do some real damage to my hands if it splashed out of the pitcher. 200 degree latte customers are rediculous.

Wow, 200? Really? Like you've had customers ask for 200, or you're just throwing a number out there...? My idea of extra hot is 175. I've never even attempted to take milk to 200. I wonder what that tastes like... *shivers.*

-bry
Bryan Wray said:
No, because we don't make lattes extra hot. We will let the customer know our reasons for doing so (which I'm sure everyone on here already knows and doesn't need another reminder of) and they usually understand. Also, it's amazing to throw in the simple, "Well, it's not going to be as hot as brewed coffee... there's milk in there you know." Sometimes that simple comment seems like it makes a light go off over their head.

Don't kill your milk's sweetness... it's just a start down a slippery slope. At our shop our "extra hot" is around the 160-165 range, and that's really pushing it for the relentless customers.

-bry
Bryan Wray said:
No, because we don't make lattes extra hot. We will let the customer know our reasons for doing so (which I'm sure everyone on here already knows and doesn't need another reminder of) and they usually understand. Also, it's amazing to throw in the simple, "Well, it's not going to be as hot as brewed coffee... there's milk in there you know." Sometimes that simple comment seems like it makes a light go off over their head.

Don't kill your milk's sweetness... it's just a start down a slippery slope. At our shop our "extra hot" is around the 160-165 range, and that's really pushing it for the relentless customers.

-bry
milk gets scorched above 162F (that's 73°C), in fact pastorisation is done at that very temperature, if your customers like a 200 extrahot they should know that that's maximum brewing temperature for coffee and tea and that final drink could be at most 180-185 : above that is burned overextracted and just undrinkable
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.
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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