Starbucks barista: Customers' most annoying coffee habits

Are you committing these coffee store faux pas? Photo / Getty

Making coffee for hundreds of fussy customers every day isn't an easy job, especially when every customer likes their drink a different way.

A Starbucks barista has revealed to The Sun, the most annoying things a customer can do when coming in to get their coffee fix.

Brian Beckwith has worked at Starbucks for over a year and while he does love his job, he gets annoyed by customers doing things they may not even realise are frustrating.

Beckwith says he wants to help "spare baristas some grief" by revealing to coffee customers their most irritating behaviours.

Here's what to avoid if you want to keep your local barista on side.

Don't tip coffee into the bin

Beckwith says a lot of customers tip hot drinks in to the bin, a move that makes for a huge clean up job.

"The trash bags are already disgusting when we get around to changing them, and dumping liquid in them just makes it worse," he told The Sun.

Talking on your phone or texting

Not only is it incredibly rude to be on your phone while placing your order, Beckwith says it also makes it harder because customers aren't able to concentrate on listening to the questions baristas are asking them.

He suggests keeping off your phone when placing your order, to make sure you get the coffee you want.

Pick your size wisely

Beckwith says when placing an order, "probably about a third of all customers" don't specify the size they want.

If you don't know the name of the size, it's better at least say big or small, he advises.

Baristas aren't mind readers

Many people expect their barista to know what they want, even if they don't say it.

Beckwith has heard time and again customers say things like "I didn't want cream" or "I wanted that iced", but never actually made these requests when placing their orders.

It's better to give more information than needed at the start, in order to make things easier for yourself and your barista. As Beckwith puts it: "We are baristas, not psychics."