When it comes to the etiquette related to both serving and receiving coffee, there is a way to be able to do so while maintaining our elegance. Maintaining elegance while navigating coffee etiquette is vital as that is what is expected from a lady.
The etiquette rules for coffee were developed for formal meetings and gatherings. However, following the same etiquette when we are in more casual surroundings is important for two reasons. Firstly, it shows that we are ladies and expect to be treated as such. The second reason is that we should use every opportunity to practice our coffee etiquette as it will help ingrain good habits.
By knowing and practicing these unwritten rules of coffee etiquette you will be able to avoid a social faux pas. We all know that creating a good impression is all important – both socially and especially in business. Here are my tips for a formal meeting that you can apply equally in an informal setting with friends. We will be looking at what to do when we are offered coffee as well as when we want to serve coffee.
Choose The Correct Cup For Your Coffee
Espresso is served in a small thick-walled porcelain cup. To avoid the coffee cooling down too quickly, the cup should be warm (heated) but not hot (it would burn lips). The thicker walls of the espresso cup help it to retain heat for longer.
Cappuccino and latte are served in porcelain cups ranging from 150 up to 180 ml. To serve these drinks in glasses, or for that matter mugs, is far less elegant.
The Subtle Are Of Offering Or Asking For Coffee
First of all, from the perspective of a hostess, coffee should be offered. If we are guests, we should wait to be asked what we would like to drink. Only once we have been offered something to drink, are we free to ask for a coffee. In order to avoid misunderstandings and maintain a good impression, you should name precisely what kind of coffee you are thinking of, and be sure to pronounce it correctly.
Correct Coffee Service
The coffee spoon should always lie on the saucer, on the right side of the cup, with the handle towards the guest. It should also have contact with the surface of the saucer. Do not leave your spoon in the cup after using it nor should you put it across the saucer or cup. A lady will never lick the spoon, nor will she use it to taste the coffee or to cool it down. When you have used the spoon for stirring your coffee, return your spoon to the saucer, to the right of the cup, with the handle pointed toward you.
Usually, a coffee will be served with something sweet, however, this should not be something like a sponge cake. Cakes are too sugary and insipid tasting to combine with the bitterness of coffee. Coffee pairs with a dark chocolate square or a biscuit as long as it is a spiced or amaretti almond one.
It stands to reason that a lady will never dunk the biscuits in the coffee, even if she loves to do so. It is a secret pleasure reserved only for the privacy of her home. However, I will advise all ladies to refrain from doing so even at home as we do not want to practice any bad habits.
Irrespective of the season, espresso is always served with a small glass of water on the side. We sip the water to cleanse our palate from any other tastes so that we can fully enjoy our coffee.
Occasionally, coffee served at a meeting was prepared earlier and is waiting in a thermal carafe. To best enjoy it, you should stir the coffee before pouring it into your cup or multiple cups. The invisible coffee molecules settle down to the bottom of the carafe. If the coffee is not stirred, the first cup/s will taste watery while those at the bottom of the carafe will be too strong.
This also applies to coffee made in a large Moca Pot. Stir the coffee in the pot prior to pouring so that all of the cups have the same full coffee flavor.
When it comes to coffee drinks different than espresso, Italian coffee etiquette dictates that one should not order coffee with milk after 12 noon, though in some regions of Italy, they won’t order coffee with milk after 11 am. The reason for this is simple. They want the milk to be fully digested well before lunchtime so that your lunch doesn’t cause the milk to curdle in your stomach.
How To Hold Your Coffee Cup Elegantly
If you are like the vast majority of people, then you probably grab the biggest mug of coffee that you can and try to get that coffee into your body as quickly as possible. What’s more, you likely do this with no regard for how you hold the mug as long as you accomplish the task of getting coffee into your body.
Again, here is an opportunity to practice the correct way to hold your coffee so that it can become instinctive the next time you are in a formal setting.
The correct way to hold your coffee cup is like this: Loop your index finger into the handle and keep your thumb on top of the handle. Your remaining three fingers (middle, index, and pinkie) are tucked into the palm of your hand.
This means that wrapping your hands around your steaming hot mug of coffee on a chilly winter day is not quite the done thing. It doesn’t look ladylike at all.
My final etiquette has the potential of saving you from a very embarrassing situation. The handle of your coffee cup should also remain at the 3 o’clock position at all times. When you do this you will only leave a lipstick stain on one spot rather than marking the whole ring of your cup. By keeping your lipstick stain on one spot on the cup it also means that there is no chance that your lipstick can transfer back to you leaving you with the embarrassment of smudged lipstick across your face.
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