Coffee Shop tips
Teneko
Posts: 314 Member
Hey all,
Cross-posted from another low carb forum I'm in. Hope y'all don't mind seeing double (for those of you in both).
The best coffee is surely the one you make at home, right? But what do you do when you're on the road or just want a quick something-something while you're out and about?
As a coffee (and tea) lover, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned.
IMPORTANT CONTEXTUAL INFO: I am currently in the US and living in Austin, TX. Currently doing keto diet and my daily max carbs are set to 15.
First tip is to be courteous and make your first trip to a new coffee shop when they are not busy, and you have time to walk inside. This will allow you to converse with the baristas / servers without them trying to rush you out or having angry people waiting behind you.
Second tip is to avoid all the fancy drinks on the menu. It doesn't matter how "skinny" they say they are or "sugar free", there are almost always more carbs / sugars hidden in the additives than the baristas realize. Had one convince me to have a "skinny mocha" using some sugar free mocha mix they had. Once they got the box down, I realized the carbs on the packet were still about half my daily allowance. I sucked it up and had my treat and just had 0 carbs the rest of the day, but I have to say it just tasted Meh and didn't really feel like an indulgent treat.
DRIP COFFEE is your friend. If they already have it pre-made, try to find how long it's been sitting. The fresher the better.
If they don't have a good drip coffee / pre-made coffee / "pour-over" available, then ask for an Americano.
Espresso shots are fine, too.
When it comes to adding your "milk", this is where it gets tricky...
#1 preferred drink is Heavy Whipping Cream. Pourable, delicious, no sugar added..."zero" carbs, and full of wonderful fats. Try asking a person at a coffee shop for a drink with heavy cream, though, and they will either fill your drink with half and half, or top it with sweetened whipped cream. On a tight carb budget like mine, that will never do.
To try to get them to understand, try asking them, "Do you have pourable unsweetened heavy cream?" Ask to see the container if possible. This has worked for me EVERY TIME. One coffee shop server rolled her eyes at me and said she knew was cream was, then showed me a container of half and half. I told her no thanks, took my coffee black, and never went back. So much for supporting a local business.
FOR MEASURING YOUR CREAM:
Most coffee shops do not have actual measuring spoons, but they do often have plastic spoons for oatmeal or other treats. A plastic spoon is typically 1 teaspoon. 3 teaspoons = 1 Tablespoon.
I usually have 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream in my coffee, so I ask them to measure out 6 of those plastic spoons. Sometimes they will hand me the cream container and the spoon. Use your best judgment if you want to ask them to let you do that or not.
*FOR NUTRITIONAL INFO:
Starbucks uses Borden's brand heavy cream. Its nutritional info for 2 Tablespoons is:
90 Calories
10 g Fat
0 g Carbs
0 g Protein
For comparison, 2 Tablespoons of Borden's brand half and half is:
40 Calories
3.5 g Fat
1 g Carbs
1 g Protein
That extra carb is why I push for Heavy Cream instead of half and half!
If you want to try to push for a latte of some sort, you might check to see if they have UNSWEETENED almond or coconut milk. It's pretty rare for any coffee shop to have either one period, much less unsweetened, but it's worth a shot.
If you want to fancy up your coffee and cream a bit, most coffee shops carry the Torani or DaVinci syrups. They also make them sugar free, and many will have at least sugar free vanilla. These might be an option for you, too, as they are sweetened with Splenda IIRC.
For those in Austin, you are LUCKY!
There are 2 places in Austin that I know of that serve bulletproof-style "Butter Coffee":
Cuppa Austin
Whole Foods
Many Starbucks (both chain and "serving sbux coffee") as well as Whole Foods with "Allegro coffee" counters inside have heavy cream available.
Many small businesses do not.
Anyways, I know this is a really long post! I hope folks find it useful.
* Keep in mind that nutritional info allows for rounding. As @KnitOrMiss pointed out in another thread, there may be some carb creep in there...however, Heavy Cream still > Half and Half for lower carbs and higher fats.
-T.
Cross-posted from another low carb forum I'm in. Hope y'all don't mind seeing double (for those of you in both).
The best coffee is surely the one you make at home, right? But what do you do when you're on the road or just want a quick something-something while you're out and about?
As a coffee (and tea) lover, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned.
IMPORTANT CONTEXTUAL INFO: I am currently in the US and living in Austin, TX. Currently doing keto diet and my daily max carbs are set to 15.
First tip is to be courteous and make your first trip to a new coffee shop when they are not busy, and you have time to walk inside. This will allow you to converse with the baristas / servers without them trying to rush you out or having angry people waiting behind you.
Second tip is to avoid all the fancy drinks on the menu. It doesn't matter how "skinny" they say they are or "sugar free", there are almost always more carbs / sugars hidden in the additives than the baristas realize. Had one convince me to have a "skinny mocha" using some sugar free mocha mix they had. Once they got the box down, I realized the carbs on the packet were still about half my daily allowance. I sucked it up and had my treat and just had 0 carbs the rest of the day, but I have to say it just tasted Meh and didn't really feel like an indulgent treat.
DRIP COFFEE is your friend. If they already have it pre-made, try to find how long it's been sitting. The fresher the better.
If they don't have a good drip coffee / pre-made coffee / "pour-over" available, then ask for an Americano.
Espresso shots are fine, too.
When it comes to adding your "milk", this is where it gets tricky...
#1 preferred drink is Heavy Whipping Cream. Pourable, delicious, no sugar added..."zero" carbs, and full of wonderful fats. Try asking a person at a coffee shop for a drink with heavy cream, though, and they will either fill your drink with half and half, or top it with sweetened whipped cream. On a tight carb budget like mine, that will never do.
To try to get them to understand, try asking them, "Do you have pourable unsweetened heavy cream?" Ask to see the container if possible. This has worked for me EVERY TIME. One coffee shop server rolled her eyes at me and said she knew was cream was, then showed me a container of half and half. I told her no thanks, took my coffee black, and never went back. So much for supporting a local business.
FOR MEASURING YOUR CREAM:
Most coffee shops do not have actual measuring spoons, but they do often have plastic spoons for oatmeal or other treats. A plastic spoon is typically 1 teaspoon. 3 teaspoons = 1 Tablespoon.
I usually have 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream in my coffee, so I ask them to measure out 6 of those plastic spoons. Sometimes they will hand me the cream container and the spoon. Use your best judgment if you want to ask them to let you do that or not.
*FOR NUTRITIONAL INFO:
Starbucks uses Borden's brand heavy cream. Its nutritional info for 2 Tablespoons is:
90 Calories
10 g Fat
0 g Carbs
0 g Protein
For comparison, 2 Tablespoons of Borden's brand half and half is:
40 Calories
3.5 g Fat
1 g Carbs
1 g Protein
That extra carb is why I push for Heavy Cream instead of half and half!
If you want to try to push for a latte of some sort, you might check to see if they have UNSWEETENED almond or coconut milk. It's pretty rare for any coffee shop to have either one period, much less unsweetened, but it's worth a shot.
If you want to fancy up your coffee and cream a bit, most coffee shops carry the Torani or DaVinci syrups. They also make them sugar free, and many will have at least sugar free vanilla. These might be an option for you, too, as they are sweetened with Splenda IIRC.
For those in Austin, you are LUCKY!
There are 2 places in Austin that I know of that serve bulletproof-style "Butter Coffee":
Cuppa Austin
Whole Foods
Many Starbucks (both chain and "serving sbux coffee") as well as Whole Foods with "Allegro coffee" counters inside have heavy cream available.
Many small businesses do not.
Anyways, I know this is a really long post! I hope folks find it useful.
* Keep in mind that nutritional info allows for rounding. As @KnitOrMiss pointed out in another thread, there may be some carb creep in there...however, Heavy Cream still > Half and Half for lower carbs and higher fats.
-T.
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Replies
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Thanks for the tips.
I'm too scared to even try getting my local coffee shops a try for keto friendly. But, as winter is shortly approaching I'm going to have to brave up and find a coffee niche place. 0 -
mcpostelle wrote: »Thanks for the tips. I'm too scared to even try getting my local coffee shops a try for keto friendly. But, as winter is shortly approaching I'm going to have to brave up and find a coffee niche place.
Actually, for the big names like Starbucks, you'll get lucky. I also find that the super small shops are willing to invest in you if you do in them! They might even start stocking ideas just for you and then they can advertise that they have something with "2 NET CARBS" on a sign. With all the health stuff going around, you could increase their business, too!
I personally find that most folks who LOVE their coffee, LOVE their flavors too, and are always willing to build in allowances to have the best tasting stuff in their cups!0 -
Don't be scared to try. What's the worse they can say? We have no heavy cream? If the coffee's good, then you've still got a hot cuppa.
And like KnitOrMiss points out, you may find a new friend.
-T.
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