Ever stood at the counter, staring at the menu, trying to decide what coffee to order, only to change your mind halfway through? Now imagine being the barista trying to remember and make every single one of those custom orders. It’s not just about making coffee; it’s about mastering a dizzying number of combinations.
I was talking with a customer recently about the maths of coffee orders and all the possible variations. Once we started breaking it down, it became clear that the humble coffee menu hides a surprisingly complex equation.
Here are my high school maths calculations of the possible variations with just takeaway coffee:
Size: Small – Large – Extra Large → 3 sizes
Types: Cappuccino, Flat White, Café Latte, Mocha, Chai, Hot Chocolate → 6 main milk drinks
3 sizes × 6 possible drinks = 18 possible combinations
Milk: Full Cream, Skim, Soy, Oat, Almond → 5 combinations
5 milks × 18 combinations = 90 possible combinations
Strength: Weak, Regular strength, Double shot → 3 variations
3 × 90 = 270 different coffee orders
Sugar: None, one, two, or more… → 4 sugar options
4 × 270 = 1,080 possible combinations
And that’s before we even think about “extra hot”, syrups, “¾ full”, long blacks, piccolos, or espressos. When you start adding those to the mix, the number of variations skyrockets. My head hurts just from the maths, and that’s before pulling a single shot of espresso!
So next time you order your favourite flat white with almond milk, one sugar, and an extra shot, take a moment to appreciate the mental gymnastics your barista performs every day. Behind every cup is not just caffeine, it’s a small miracle of memory, precision, and a whole lot of math.
