Barista explains why not to order a 'mocha' just before a coffee shop closes

A barista has revealed why ordering a mocha just before a coffee shop closes may not be the brightest idea.

It’s fair to say we Brits love our coffee, especially as the British Coffee Association said in 2021 that the UK alone drunk roughly 98 million cups of the stuff per day.

To keep your hot beverage intake pleasant and without any awful surprises, some expert baristas have handed out words of advice.

Getty/Tara Moore

One of which is Bartho Saayman, the director of food and beverage at Carpenter Coffee Bar at the Carpenter Hotel in Austin, Texas.

In an interview with HuffPost, the coffee aficionado told readers to avoid the combination of espresso, chocolate and milk - better known as a ‘mocha’.

He said: “I personally don’t understand the appeal of mocha.

“Many good coffee shops use a great base product [espresso], only to overpower the beautiful delicate flavours of the coffee with a cheap chocolate syrup.”

Saayman also claimed that stirring chocolate into the espresso also ‘completely ruins the crema’.

Elsewhere, another expert said that customers are best not ordering a mocha if they spot a barista trying to close down their station.

Getty/Luis Alvarez

Adam Keita, co-owner of coffee and wine bar Daughter in Brooklyn, New York, explained: “Let’s say that [a shop is] closing at 5pm and someone comes in at 4:59 pm and orders a mocha.

“Then that becomes a slight inconvenience because it requires using the espresso machine and multiple ingredients, followed by more cleanup."

One person who would probably agree with Saayman and Keita and urge others to avoid the extravagant mocha is Nick Robinson.

Earlier this year, the Wiltshire man was visiting Great Western Hospital when he treated himself to a large mocha from a Costa Coffee.

Getty/Catherine Falls Commercial

However, upon taking his first sip, the property maintenance worker discovered there was something not quite right with his hot beverage.

Speaking to the Swindon Advertiser, Robinson said: "I ordered and paid for a large mocha from GWH's Costa but the issue was that when I went to have a sip, the cup seemed to go up quite far as I waited for a sip.

“I took the lid off and realised it was only just over half full, so you can pay for a large and you can possibly get a medium.”

Regarding the incident with the hot beverage, Robinson said he was ‘hacked off’ and questioned why he should continue to ‘fill’ the chain’s pockets if they ‘can’t even fill a cup’.

When contacted by LADbible, a representative from Costa Coffee said at the time: “We were sorry to learn that Mr Robinson was disappointed with his coffee and have asked that he get in touch with us directly so we can resolve the situation and look to ensure it doesn't happen again.”