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And yet, coffee is one of the world’s foremost popular beverages. It’s ironic that a drink enjoyed by billions of people is still considered to be one among the most inaccessible and niche topics around.

“We really want to change the idea that coffee is inaccessible,” says Adam Pesce, director of Coffee at Reunion Island, an independent café in Toronto. “We have more regulars every day because we try to disarm people when they come in. You can order off the fancy menu or you can just have a cup of drip coffee, and they’re both going to be delicious.”

But not every café is as welcoming to its patrons. Here, five of Canada’s foremost coffee experts explain how to order coffee like a professional from even the snootiest places around.

Step 1: Understand the basics, but don’t overcompensate.

Pesce: “When it comes to what roast you want, the language of ‘dark’ and ‘light’ coffee can be confusing. As a rule, dark coffee has less caffeine than light coffee because caffeine gets burned off at higher temperatures. The longer a coffee roasts; the darker it gets; the less caffeine it’s going to have. We get a lot of people that come in and want to prove that they know what they’re talking about. I hear things like: ‘I’m a real coffee expert, I only drink dark roast.’ Or, ‘I’m a real coffee expert, I only drink Americanos.’ A lot of the time they’re saying things that I would not associate with being a coffee expert.”

Step 2: Avoid blanket terms like “mild” and “bold.”

Laura Perry, Green Buyer, 49th Parallel, Vancouver: “Saying you want a ‘bold’ coffee can be misleading because it doesn’t specify if you want high strength coffee or a dark roast. Deciding if you like high acid or low acid coffees is a lot more helpful. Saying you want something ‘high acid and fruity’ is a really nice descriptor if you like light and sweet coffees. On the other end of the spectrum, if you’re looking for a richer coffee it helps to ask for something that’s lower acid with nutty and chocolatey flavours.”