Coffee, Lattes, and the Register
Learn the essential skills for working behind a coffee counter, from brewing solid coffee and steaming velvety latte milk to ringing up orders. Master cash handling, counting back change, and resolving drink remakes with ease.
Like Duolingo, but for Coffee, Lattes, and the Register. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
21 levels across 3 sections, about 42 minutes end to end, roughly 8 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Brewing Foundation and Espresso; Milk Steaming and Latte Assembly; and The Register, Change, and Customer Service. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Coffee, Lattes, and the Register
- A 1:16 ratio means using 16 grams of water for every 1 gram of coffee
- Using significantly less water makes the coffee overly heavy, while too much water makes it weak
- Multiplying bean weight by 16 yields the target brew water amount
- Water rushes past coarse grounds too fast, leaving sour and thin flavors behind
- Water gets trapped in ultra-fine grounds too long, pulling out bitter and astringent tastes
- A medium, sand-like grind allows water to flow through at the right speed for balanced drip coffee
- Dry paper imparts a cardboard-like, papery taste to brewed coffee if not rinsed first
- A cold glass server immediately leaches heat from the fresh brew, causing the coffee to go lukewarm fast
- Discarding the rinse water ensures clean flavor and maximum serving temperature
- Coffee beans contain fragile aromatic oils that evaporate rapidly once cracked open
- Pre-ground coffee loses its vibrant scent and flavor within minutes of exposure to air
- Fresh grinding keeps aroma locked in until hot water releases it into the cup
- Dark roasts feature toasted, smoky, and chocolatey flavors with low acidity that hold up well to milk
- Light roasts highlight fruity, floral, and bright acidic notes that can surprise people expecting classic diner-style bold coffee
- Matching the roast profile to a customer's expectation prevents complaints and wasted morning drinks
- Espresso uses intense mechanical pressure to drive hot water through coffee
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Coffee, Lattes, and the Register the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
What does a classic 1:16 coffee brew ratio mean?
Get it right to open this lesson and 20 more in the app.
Where Coffee, Lattes, and the Register takes you
- 1
Brewing Foundation and Espresso
- Brewing Fresh Drip Coffee
- Pulling Balanced Espresso Shots
- 2
Milk Steaming and Latte Assembly
- Steaming Milk to Silky Microfoam
- Building Lattes and Café Menu Drinks
- 3
The Register, Change, and Customer Service
- Taking Orders and Ringing the Register
- Handling Cash and Counting Back Change
- Handling Drink Remakes, Refunds, and Accidents
3 sections · 7 units · 21 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Coffee, Lattes, and the Register is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Coffee, Lattes, and the Register today.
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