When we teach coffee, we spend a lot of time talking about coffee: espresso, milk texture, extraction, grind size, latte art, roasting, origin and flavour. But there is another part of working in a coffee shop that you cannot really learn from a coffee book, and that is people. A coffee shop brings together all sorts of people: students, office workers, business owners, tourists, regulars, people having a great day, people having a difficult day, people who want to talk, and people who clearly want their coffee and five minutes of peace.

That is one of the things I always tell students during coffee training. Working in a café is not only about making good coffee; you are also learning how to interact with people, how to read a situation, how to have a conversation, and sometimes, perhaps most importantly, when not to have one. You meet every walk of life, every kind of personality, and sometimes the conversations you have behind a coffee machine are much more interesting than the coffee itself.

Recently, someone came into the café. A new customer. I had never seen him before. He looked at me and said, "You alright, mate?" Now, if you are new to the UK, this question can be slightly confusing. Do you actually want to know? Imagine I answered honestly: "Actually, no. I'm having a terrible morning. The coffee machine is giving me trouble, my emails are piling up, I've got three things to sort out, and I'm questioning all my life decisions." Would he sit down and listen to the whole story? Probably not. Because "You alright?" is often not really an invitation to explain the condition of your entire life. It is a greeting.

The correct answer is usually something wonderfully simple: "Good, good. How about you?" And that's it. Conversation complete. Everyone is alright, nobody needs counselling, and the coffee can continue. This is one of those little things about British English that can be confusing when you first arrive. "You alright?" can sound like a serious question, but very often it simply means, "Hello, nice to see you."

There is something quite charming about it. There is a strong British habit of being polite, especially with strangers, and perhaps this is one of the reasons we ask if someone is alright before we even know them. Of course, if someone actually says, "No, I'm not alright," then the conversation can suddenly become much more genuine. At that point, you probably should listen.

Of course people in Britain do say "hello" and "hi." We absolutely do. But depending on the situation, you might also hear "Alright?", "Alright, mate?", "You alright?", "Morning," or "Good morning." So if you are learning English, don't make the mistake of thinking that every "You alright?" requires a medical or emotional assessment. Sometimes it really is just "hello" wearing a British coat.

And then there is another important part of British conversation: the weather. You can be standing behind the coffee machine, having never met someone before, and suddenly you are discussing whether it is cold today, whether it is going to rain later, or whether the weather was better yesterday. Nobody expects a detailed weather forecast and nobody is asking for your opinion on climate science. It is simply a friendly little bridge between two strangers. Perhaps that is the point. British small talk often isn't about exchanging important information; it is about making an interaction feel comfortable.

This one is another favourite. Someone walks through the door and starts with, "Good morning." Fine. Very polite. Then comes, "Are you the manager?" "Yes." "Can I speak to the owner?" Well... hello to you too. Sometimes you realise that the coffee hasn't even been ordered yet and somehow we are already discussing management.

Then come the business questions. "Do you make much money selling coffee?" "Is it a difficult business?" "How many people work here?" And occasionally someone will tell me, completely without being asked, "I have ten employees working for me, so I am very busy." And I think, okay... that's interesting. I haven't actually asked about your employees, but thank you. I now know.

This is one of the wonderful things about working in a coffee shop. You meet people who tell you their story without you necessarily asking for the first chapter. Some people are naturally curious, some people simply enjoy talking, and some people seem to arrive with a complete presentation about themselves already prepared.

This is probably one of the most common questions in a café. "Where are you from?" Sometimes the answer is simple: "London." Sometimes it is less simple. "I was born in Germany. I'm German. Although my parents came from..." And suddenly, before the coffee is finished, you have received someone's international family history.

I actually like this. Because this is what makes a coffee shop interesting. You never quite know who is going to walk through the door, what they are going to talk about, or where the conversation is going to take you. One minute you are making an espresso; the next minute you know where someone's parents were born, how many people they employ, what they think of the weather and whether they believe selling coffee is a difficult business.

When we talk about coffee culture, we often talk about the drink. And of course, the drink matters. We care about good beans, good water, good extraction, good milk and good technique. But coffee culture is also about the place where the coffee is served. It is about sitting down, meeting someone, having a conversation, working for an hour, having a quick coffee before work, talking about the weather, talking about business, talking about where you were born, or simply saying, "You alright?" and carrying on with your day.

For students learning to work in coffee, this is one of the fun parts that doesn't appear on the coffee-training syllabus. You learn coffee, but you also learn people. You learn that customers are all different, that everyone has their own way of communicating, and that sometimes the most unexpected conversations happen when you are simply standing behind the coffee machine doing your job.

After enough time behind the coffee machine, you start to realise something: every cup comes with a story. Sometimes the customer tells you the story, sometimes they tell you far more than you expected, and sometimes they just say, "You alright, mate?" In which case, remember: they probably don't need your life story. Just say, "Good, good. How about you?" and make the coffee.