​Ticket for Coffee Shop Frustration: Ordering Black Coffee

A patron leaves a New York branch of Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee chain.

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Alex Wicker is used to odd looks from baristas when he stops by his local coffee shop. His order is unusual: black coffee.

“Asking for just ‘coffee’ with no added context, without going through a round of 20 questions with the server, has become impossible at this point,” said Mr. Wicker, a 23-year-old student from Shelbyville, Ind.