TABLE OF CONTENTS
Most people drink the same coffee every single day. Same order, same shop, same routine. And look, there’s nothing wrong with that—everyone has their comfort zones.
But after 12 years in the coffee business, you taste a lot of different coffees. Like, a LOT. And some of them genuinely blow your mind. Not in a pretentious “notes of dark chocolate and honeysuckle” way, but in a real “holy crap, coffee can taste like this?” way.
So here’s a list. Ten drinks that actually deserve the hype. Some are classics you’ve probably heard of but maybe never tried properly. Others might sound totally weird until you actually taste them. Either way, these are worth seeking out at least once in your life.
No fluff, no filler. Just genuinely good coffee drinks that make you rethink what coffee can be.
The Classic Espresso-Based Essentials
Espresso drinks are everywhere for a reason. They work. But there’s a massive difference between a mediocre version and one that’s actually made right. These three are worth knowing about.
Flat White: The Velvety Australian Icon
The flat white got super trendy a while back, and now every coffee shop claims they make one. Spoiler alert: most don’t.
Here’s what it actually is—double shot of espresso with microfoam milk. Not regular foam. Microfoam. Those tiny, barely-there bubbles that make the whole thing feel smooth instead of frothy. Less milk than a latte, way less foam than a cappuccino. Coffee flavor stays front and center, but the texture? Chef’s kiss.
When offices start offering these properly made, response is immediate. People dump their usual lattes for flat whites and never look back. There’s just something about getting that texture right that makes all the difference.
Cortado: Perfect Balance in a Small Glass
Ever feel like espresso is too harsh but lattes are basically warm milk with coffee vibes? Yeah, cortado fixes that.
It’s dead simple. Equal parts espresso and steamed milk in a little glass. Maybe four ounces total. The Spanish figured this out ages ago—hence the name, which literally means “cut.” The milk cuts through espresso’s bite without drowning it.
What makes cortados great is they let actual coffee shine through. You’re not masking anything with a bunch of milk or sugar. Just coffee and enough milk to take the edge off. More people need to know about these. Seriously.
Affogato: Where Coffee Meets Dessert
This one’s stupid simple and stupid good. Scoop of vanilla ice cream. Hot espresso poured on top. That’s the whole recipe.
But man, does it work. You’ve got hot meeting cold, bitter meeting sweet, and this whole melting situation happening in your cup. It’s technically dessert, but it’s also technically coffee, so really you can have it whenever you want. That’s just science.
Affogatos at office parties and events? Every single time, people go nuts for them. There’s something about that first bite—when espresso’s still hot and ice cream’s starting to melt—that just works. No other way to describe it.
International Coffee Traditions Worth Experiencing
Different countries do coffee completely differently. And some of those differences are way better than what most of us are used to. These two will seriously expand what you think coffee can be.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee: Sweet, Strong, and Addictive
Vietnamese iced coffee is a game changer. They use this small metal filter that sits on top of your glass and drips concentrated coffee straight onto sweetened condensed milk. Then ice. Then you stir it all up and try not to drink it too fast.
The condensed milk is key. It’s sweet, yeah, but not in a syrupy way. More like caramel-ish. And it makes the whole thing creamy without watering it down like regular milk does. Once you try this properly made, regular iced coffee just feels boring in comparison.
Turkish Coffee: Ancient Ritual Worth Preserving
Turkish coffee is the complete opposite of grab-and-go. It’s a whole ritual. Coffee’s ground insanely fine—finer than you’ve ever seen—and brewed unfiltered in this special pot. You end up with thick, strong coffee with grounds settling at the bottom. You don’t chug this. You sit with it.
Some people do the fortune-telling thing with the grounds afterward. Either way, there’s something cool about drinking coffee that’s been made basically the same way for hundreds of years. It forces you to slow down.
Modern Coffee Innovations Pushing Boundaries
Not everything old is better. Coffee keeps evolving, and some of these newer ideas are legitimately great. These two prove that innovation in coffee isn’t dead yet.
Nitro Cold Brew: Cascading Liquid Velvet
Nitro cold brew looks like magic when you pour it. It’s cold brew infused with nitrogen gas, poured from a tap like beer. Cascades just like Guinness, feels creamy even though there’s zero dairy, tastes smooth without being watery. The nitrogen does something wild to the texture—makes it almost thick.
This became a most-requested summer option pretty much immediately for many offices. People try it once and then want to know if taps can be installed at their workplace. It’s that good.
Dalgona Coffee: The Viral Sensation That Delivers
Dalgona coffee was all over the internet during quarantine. Usually when drinks go viral, they’re more about looks than taste. But this one’s actually decent. You whip instant coffee, sugar, and hot water until it’s fluffy, then spoon it over milk.
Yeah, it uses instant coffee. But the texture thing is interesting enough that it’s worth trying once. Plus it looks cool, which doesn’t hurt. Not an everyday drink, but fun when you want to mix things up.
Unexpected Coffee Combinations That Surprise
Sometimes the weirdest-sounding combinations end up working really well. These two sound skeptical at first, but they win people over fast.
Espresso Tonic: Refreshingly Bitter Brilliance
Espresso tonic sounds insane until you actually try it. Coffee with sparkling water? Carbonation in your coffee? But then you taste it—shot of espresso over ice and tonic water, maybe a lemon slice—and it clicks. The bitterness works with tonic’s quinine thing. The bubbles make it light and refreshing instead of heavy.
Perfect for summer when you need caffeine but can’t handle anything hot or thick. People dismiss this for too long before finally trying it. Don’t make that mistake.
Café de Olla: Mexican Clay Pot Magic
Café de olla is Mexican coffee brewed in a clay pot with cinnamon and raw sugar. The clay pot matters—it adds these earthy flavors you can’t replicate in a regular coffee maker. The cinnamon and sugar make it warm and a little sweet without going overboard.
This is a sit-down-and-actually-taste-your-coffee kind of drink. You can’t rush it. And that’s kind of the point. Sometimes slowing down is exactly what you need.
Why These Coffee Drinks Matter to Your Experience
Here’s the real deal. This isn’t just a list of fancy coffee drinks. Each one shows a different side of what coffee can be. Different techniques, different traditions, different flavors entirely.
When you branch out from usual orders, you start noticing things. Like how much brewing method changes everything. Or how different regions produce totally different flavor profiles. Or how sometimes the simplest combinations are the best ones.
Over a decade helping businesses across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Toronto set up better coffee programs reveals patterns. When companies actually care about the coffee they provide, people use break rooms more. They actually enjoy coffee breaks instead of just tolerating them. Small thing, big impact.
That’s why being particular about where beans come from—Brazil, Colombia, Central America—and not compromising on equipment or setup matters. Good coffee isn’t just fuel. It’s actually enjoyable. And nobody should have to settle for burnt, bitter, or just plain bad coffee at work.
Elevate Your Office Coffee Experience
Whether it’s flat whites that reveal what microfoam should actually taste like, Vietnamese iced coffee that makes summer afternoons better, or nitro cold brew that looks like magic coming out of a tap—great coffee experiences change how people think about their daily cups.
Wake Up Coffee brings these experiences to workplaces throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Quality beans from ethical sources. Bean-to-cup machines that grind fresh for every cup. Cold brew systems for year-round refreshment. Equipment that matches what your team actually wants to drink.
If your office coffee situation needs an upgrade, let’s talk. Check out our office coffee service and see how we can help bring better coffee to your workplace.
Because honestly, life’s too short for terrible coffee. Your team deserves drinks they actually look forward to, not just tolerate. Contact us today to explore what’s possible when you take office coffee seriously.
