"Brewed or Decaf?"

This is the typical question I get even from some established restaurants or hotels. For a typical consumer this would pertain to either asking for caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee. But this is a misnomer. "Brewed" is a method of preparing coffee while "Decaf" is a 'type' of coffee. Brewing is the method referred to when you use your typical percolator or average coffee maker that you have at your homes.

I'm sure that what these waiters are trying to find out is if you want caffeinated coffee or not. The more appropriate question to ask though is if you would like "regular or decaf?” Last time I checked, I am quite sure that this is at least mentioned in hotel and restaurant management 101 courses.

But if what these hotels are referring to is if you wanted "regular brewed" or "instant decaf" then I say shame on them for offering instant decaf. There are at least some premium expectations when one goes to a have a meal at a known hotel or restaurant and anything "instant" especially coffee is not on that list.

I suggest that one should always check the price of the said decaf coffee. It’s okay if the decaf coffee is more expensive than the regular coffee but if its "instant decaf coffee" then you are being screwed. Instant coffee only cost about three Philippine pesos (PHP) or USD 0.08. If the drink menu says PHP 85 for regular brewed coffee and PHP115 for decaf coffee, always ask first if it is instant or brewed. If the waiter says it’s instant, I suggest you stand up and walk away.

Thanks for visiting! If you like this post, please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS.