How to have a perfect last sip every time

And other peculiar secrets & strategies.

I wouldn’t define myself as a picky eater but, left to my own devices, I am a particular one.

• Sides and entrees that are plated together should remain separate, the grilled veg must never touch the protein.

• However, a grain bowl should be so thoroughly combined that it can be likened only to mush.

• I bite the longest corner of a triangular tortilla chip first, creating a makeshift strip out of the remaining chip.

• Burritos are to be eaten by normal conventions unless they are bean and cheese, in which case I unroll them and use ripped pieces of the tortilla to scoop bite-sized amounts of filling.

• I nibble the outer crispy parts of popcorn until there is only the soft center part left. I then allow it to slowly melt on my tongue, butter and all.

• Cheerios are to be eaten one at a time by being placed between my front teeth and snapped in half. They’re at their crunchiest this way.

I should mention that I never impose these particularities on anyone. You won’t catch me unrolling my burrito anywhere but the comfort of my own couch. There is one rule, though, that is so deeply ingrained that I do it with everything and everywhere I eat.

The last bite has to be the best one, a perfect encapsulation of the meal in a sort of culinary send-off.

Achieving the perfect last bite takes a some level of forethought during the meal and once you begin the habit, the strategy required becomes natural. A small bit of each of the dish’s elements must be preserved while eating so that you’re later able to assemble a final spoonful that lacks neither crunch, sauce, or garnish.

However, in the world of food, I am but a tourist. I think and speak in the language of beverage, a tongue that’s adjacent but not quite the same.

Beverages, coffee specifically, require a far more precise dance to retain the best sip for last. Below are a few of the strategies I’ve adopted over the years.

• Black coffee: I wait for a minimum of one and a half minutes before taking the first sip. Then, I take small sips at regular intervals, matching the pace that the coffee is cooling so I can experience it at each stage. There’s a rhythm to chasing the cooling flavors. The final sip should be on the cusp of cool, right before the coffee loses its final embers.

• Mochas: Chocolate sauce is the densest ingredient in a mocha and will always make its way to the bottom of the cup. To counteract this, once the halfway point of the drink is reached, I swirl the drink lightly like it’s a fine wine. I swirl most mochas 3-4 times.

• Iced drinks: The key lies in the amount of ice. In order to maintain last sip integrity, the cup should be packed with ice so as to slow the heat transfer of the lukewarm milk and espresso. In short, the dilution. Additionally, I always check that any syrup added has been thoroughly incorporated. Many great final sips have been lost to the unintended surprise of unincorporated syrup at the bottom of the cup.

• Cappuccinos: Specialty cappuccinos, more akin to lattes in texture, do not require special drinking instructions. Traditional dry cappuccinos need to be stirred once or twice. This is not to dispel the iconic upper foam but to keep it slightly pliable and in line with the liquid underneath.

I don’t know if other people do this. I like to think they do, perhaps so I’m not alone in this absurd exercise. I like to look around coffee shops and imagine that we’re all silently on task together while chasing the perfect final sips of our drinks.

Until next time,

Morgan