Ordering Coffee in New York w/ Real-Life English

Morning Joe in the City That Never Sleeps ☕️

Dive into the heart of New York City's morning rush with a classic dialogue that you might just hear next time you visit NYC. In our scene, Jordan orders a hot black coffee to get his day started… I hope you’ve also got your coffee in hand and are ready to learn!

Welcome to a typical bustling NYC café, where the coffee is strong and the pace is fast

The Dialogue

Read it as many times as you need, try to feel the characters, you can even ask a friend or a family member to read it with you and role-play ❤️

Jordan: "Morning! Can I get a large black coffee, please?"
Barista: "Sure thing. Do you prefer our house blend or single-origin today?"
Jordan: "What's the difference?"
Barista: "The house blend is smooth and balanced, great for an everyday cup. The single-origin is more aromatic, with unique notes depending on its origin—today's is from Ethiopia, with a hint of citrus."
Jordan: "I'll try the single-origin, sounds interesting."
Barista: "Great choice! Anything to eat, or just the coffee?"
Jordan: "Just the coffee today, thanks."
Barista: "Alright, that'll be $3.50. What's your name for the order?"
Jordan: "It's Jordan."
Barista: "Thanks, Jordan. We'll have that right up for you."

Key Vocabulary:

• Morning Joe: This term is a colloquial way to refer to a cup of coffee, with "Joe" being an informal, endearing term for coffee. It's rooted in American culture, with several theories about its origin. One popular theory is that it originated from "Joe" being an average, everyday man—implying that coffee is the common man's drink, essential for kick-starting the day.

• Black Coffee is personally my favourite coffee for sure— I had to use this type of coffee in this dialogue because it reflects the no-nonsense attitude that New Yorkers have

• House Blend is a coffee shop's standard coffee mix, usually designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes.

• Just the coffee: in this context means that the speaker wants nothing more than the coffee. He wants ONLY the coffee, it's a way to politely decline additional offers or to clarify that no further items will be added to the order.

• Right up is a phrase often used in service settings to indicate that an order will be prepared and delivered promptly/quickly. Saying "We'll have that right up for you" reassures the customer that their request is being handled quickly and efficiently.

Listen to the dialogue

Me and Ania recorded our voices to bring this dialogue to life for you! I did my best to emulate the NY accent, especially on the word ‘coffee’ and Ania did her best too! Listen to the dialogue and try to see what you can learn from listening to the conversation 🚀