How to hold a coffee stick correctly and how to stir (photo)

technique "

Traditions require brewing coffee in a Turkish coffee pot and serving it in miniature cups on a saucer, accompanied by a small spoon. The modern rhythm of the city dictates its own rules: instead of a Turk there is a coffee machine, a cup is replaced by a paper glass, and a spoon is replaced by a coffee stick.

What is a coffee stick

This is a special device for mixing a noble drink, or rather sugar, spices, milk or cream in it. The accessory looks like an elongated blade, and in the lower expanded part it has a pair of through holes.

The patent, which belongs to Elena Baturina, states that the coffee stick consists of two components:

the length of the handle, slightly beveled towards the working part;
an expanded working part in the shape of a spatula with a semicircular top side and windows on the surface.

Coffee utensils are discarded by automatic machines, served instead of spoons in stylized coffee shops, as well as in fast food chains, and are even available in restaurants.

How to hold a stirrer correctly

It would seem that the question is simple, but there are two opposing positions on it. If everything is clear with wooden coffee sticks, because they have absolutely the same shape at both ends, then with plastic stirrers it’s not so clear.

The main question is whether the spatula should actually serve as a stirrer or, nevertheless, act as a finger holder.

In Europe, coffee is stirred with the narrow end of a stick. We use the opposite approach, when we stir the drink with a spatula with holes.

Why did such traditions develop?

In coffee machines abroad, the sticks are inserted so that the blade is fed forward. Accordingly, they grasp it with their fingers and stir the coffee with the narrow end.
In our latitudes, the logic of using chopsticks is different. Similar to spoons, we subconsciously use the extended edge as a stirring tool.

What is the best way to use coffee sticks?

In our country, mixing the liquid with the wide end is considered correct.
Abroad, you can adapt your habits to suit local rules, especially since stirrers are often served with the wide end first. Once you grab it, you will inevitably stir the coffee with the narrow part.

There is simply no clear answer to this question. Perhaps because it does not occur to anyone to regulate or elevate the process of drinking drinks from vending machines or in fast foods to the rules of good manners.

Types of chopsticks

Coffee stirrers for vending machines and fast food cafes generally have a standard size - 100-120 mm, but the shape and material depend on the manufacturer.

Plastic

These coffee sticks are available in several versions:

in the shape of a miniature elongated spoon;
with a square, rectangular or round working part;
with one oblong window on the extension;
with several rectangular or semicircular holes.

Colored coffee sticks are more convenient than transparent ones, which blend in with the color of the dishes and drink.

Wooden

Looks like popsicle sticks. For the most part, they are the same on both sides or slightly expand in the working part, however, there are specimens in the shape of blades or with a spherical expansion.

For Americano, cappuccino and latte, which are served in larger glasses, coffee accessories with a length of 120-160 mm are intended.

Types of devices

The types of cutlery for stirring depend on the situation and the specific drinks with which they are served. They can be metal, plastic, wood. They have different sizes. Decorative spoons also have their own characteristics related to their shape. Let's get acquainted with the most common ones.

Plastic spoons have a long thin handle with a wide end and a small hole. Coffee stir sticks are dispensed from machines installed by fast food chains. Size – 10-12 cm.
Wooden utensils are made from bamboo. There are no holes on them. They have the same width along the entire length, and the ends are rounded. They are often served in small restaurants and cafes. The average length is 18 cm.
Decorative disposable spoons are made of plastic. Their main difference is the variety of unusual shapes. There are spoons in the shape of hearts, fruits, and bats. Plastic spatulas are used during the holiday.

Interesting! Why do you serve cold water with coffee?

Which material is better to choose from?

Plastic products are used everywhere - this is permitted by sanitary and epidemiological standards. However, most establishments only purchase wooden fixtures, as they are non-toxic and look decent.

They are made as follows:

harvest environmentally friendly wood;
accept and select the best material;
veneer of the required thickness is made from raw materials;
cut blanks and automatically sort them;
dried to a certain moisture level;
abrade (grind) roughness and nicks;
checked for quality and confirmed with a certificate;
package products.

You need to purchase coffee sticks from well-known manufacturers. Low-quality wooden products may have nicks and splinters, while plastic products may have increased levels of harmful substances.

How to choose coffee sticks

If you decide to get your own set of coffee sticks, then the advice of an experienced barista will help you make the right choice.

It is better to buy stirrers in wholesale stores, in batches of 250 pieces or more. They are cheaper with such purchases.

In Europe, even very expensive establishments can offer disposable sticks for stirring coffee, since for them the most important issue is not aesthetics, but hygienic and medical safety.

If you take sticks for a machine gun, then opt for the universal size of 100-115 mm.
It is better to choose white or brown sticks. The most inconvenient stirrers to use are made of transparent plastic. They are difficult to track in vending machines; in cafes they are also lost among the dishes, so visitors sometimes don’t notice them.
Wooden stirrers are especially useful for takeaway coffee sales. In this case, you should give preference to sticks with a length of 120 mm, as they are universal. For large portions of Americano or cappuccino, you will need sticks with a length of 160 mm.
It is now better to purchase stirrers in individual packaging, when each stick has its own paper case. In this case, the hygienic safety of the accessory increases; visitors consider such devices to be reliable.

How to stir coffee with chopsticks is not particularly important; it is a matter of tradition, or, more correctly, habit. The main requirement is not to intercept the opposite end of the stirrer with your fingers. If you take the narrow side, interfere with the wide side. Did it happen the other way around? It's okay, this is also completely acceptable. If you have a choice about which stick to use, stick to wooden stirrers. It is simply impossible to hold them incorrectly.

How do you hold such a stick?

How to hold a coffee stick?

There are no unimportant aspects in the coffee world. Even the smallest detail can give rise to a lot of controversy regarding the advisability of using a particular accessory. For example, do you know how to hold a coffee stick correctly and what types of coffee sticks exist? Most likely, you think that this is absolutely unimportant. But in coffee etiquette, all the nuances are important.

A coffee stick is a small disposable accessory designed for stirring sugar, milk or cream with the sole purpose of obtaining a drink of uniform consistency.

These sticks are everywhere: they are dispensed by coffee machines, they are present in fast food chains and even signature coffee shops.

What are the advantages of coffee sticks:

Hygiene. Unlike coffee spoons, these sticks are disposable. Therefore, they pose absolutely no health risk.
Ease of use. They can be used regardless of the size of your coffee. Moreover, unlike teaspoons, this accessory is convenient to use when stirring drinks in tiny cups.

Attention: there is a separate type of coffee sticks for drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos. They are longer than usual.

What types of stirrers are there?

First of all, they differ in material:

Plastic accessories. They look like a miniature wistla (a long handle with a blade flaring towards the bottom with several holes). Such “windows” ensure high-quality and uniform stirring of granulated sugar. These coffee sticks, made of plastic, are served in mobile coffee shops and fast food establishments. They are also issued by an automatic machine.
Wooden accessories are most often made from bamboo. In appearance, they are very similar to ice cream sticks. It has equal width along the entire length and rounded ends. Such coffee accessories can be found on bar counters. They are also presented in small restaurants.

Also, coffee sticks are divided into several types (depending on purpose and size).

Coffee sticks for vending machines usually have a length of 90-120 mm. By the way, chopsticks are provided not only for coffee, but also for drinks such as tea, cocoa and hot chocolate.
For espresso, coffee accessories are supplied, the length of which is 100-120 mm.
Sticks for coffee drinks (for example, latte, Americano) have the greatest length - 140-180 mm. It should be noted that elongated coffee accessories (160-180 mm) are made exclusively of wood.

How to properly hold a coffee accessory

At first glance, this seems to be an extremely simple question. But there are several radically opposing opinions. And if there are no questions with wooden chopsticks (due to their identical shape on all sides), then with plastic coffee sticks it’s actually not so simple.

The question that interests many is whether the spatula should act directly as a stirrer itself or whether it serves as a finger holder.

This is interesting: in most European countries, sugar in drinks is stirred exclusively with the narrow side. In Russia, the opposite approach is popular - we stir drinks with a “spatula”.

Why did such a tradition appear?

In foreign countries, sticks are inserted into coffee machines in such a way that they are fed with a “spatula” forward. Therefore, they take it with their fingers, stirring coffee drinks with the other part of such a coffee accessory.
We have a slightly different logic. Therefore, we use the wide end of a coffee stick to stir the drink (similar to teaspoons).

Conclusion: there is no clear correct opinion on this issue. After all, no one has yet created rules of good manners regarding the consumption of coffee drinks in fast food establishments and coffee machines.

How to choose the right coffee accessory

If you set out to get your own set of sticks for your favorite drink, then you should listen to the advice of professional baristas:

It is recommended to purchase sticks from wholesale stores. As a rule, 250 sticks cost significantly less per unit.

Useful: in European countries, even in expensive restaurants they can serve you coffee with a disposable stick. It is quite possible to understand restaurateurs. After all, for them the first place is not aesthetics, but the health of visitors and the hygiene of the accessories they use.

If you are purchasing accessories for a machine, then opt for sticks whose length is 100-120 mm.
It's worth thinking about color too. It is best to buy a set of white or brown sticks. The experience of avid coffee lovers confirms that transparent accessories for coffee drinks are the least convenient to use. They are easy to miss among the dishes in a fast food establishment.
Wooden coffee sticks are ideal for takeaway drinks. For lattes and other large volume drinks, you should use stirrers 120-160 mm long.
It is best now to purchase coffee accessories for stirring drinks in individual packaging. In this case, each stick will have its own paper “pencil case”. This automatically increases the hygienic safety of the stirrer.

It is especially unimportant how you hold the coffee stick. Do what is most convenient and familiar to you. Just make sure you don't grab the opposite end of the coffee stick with your fingers. And if this issue is still important to you, then choose wooden coffee sticks.