Since originating in Australia in the 1980s, the Flat White became a coffeehouse staple in the UK and is now a budding favorite among coffee aficionados in the United States and Canada.
The flat white first became popular in Australia, and its invention is claimed by a Sydneysider.
The flat white has caused a decades-long argument between New Zealand and Australia, both claiming to have originated the coffee beverage. As its popularity has spread around the world, the question still remains: who really created it?
1788: The first recorded coffee in Australia arrived with the First Fleet. The fleet collected seeds and plants during a stop in Rio de Janeiro.
There are three main coffee drinks that dominate across Australia- the Flat White, Cappuccino and Latte. While each beverage involves a single shot of espresso and steamed milk, they offer a distinctively different drinking experience that Australians adore.
Australian grown coffee comes from two major regions in Australia. The Atherton tablelands in Queensland and Northern New South Wales. It is here that you will find the origins of our Australian Estate Coffee. These regions are excellent for growing coffee because of the rich soils and perfect climate they enjoy.
Flat white
© Tourism Australia. The classic Aussie coffee creation, a flat white contains a single shot of espresso followed by a steamy pour of milk and a thin layer of foam.
Even though the origin of coffee drinking is obscure, there is credible evidence of coffee drinking in the form of the modern beverage and it appears in modern-day Yemen from the mid-15th century in Sufi shrines, where coffee seeds were probably first roasted and brewed in a manner similar to current methods.
However, what people may not know is how long Melbourne has been known as the place to go for coffee. In 1928, Bourke Street's Café Florentino became the first place in Australia to have a commercial espresso machine installed.
Coffea arabica is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated, being grown in southwest Arabia for well over 1,000 years.
According to a popular but unverified legend, cappuccino was invented by the Italian Capuchin friar Marco d'Aviano after the Battle of Vienna. The Viennese bestowed the name "Kapuziner", possibly in the 18th century, on an early version that included whipped cream and spices of unknown origin.
For decades, Australia has worked to perfect its coffee culture, and many say Australian coffee is among the best in the world. But why is this, and what makes Australian coffee beans so different from American coffee beans? Keep reading to find out how Australian coffee culture differs from that in the United States.
Since originating in Australia in the 1980s, the Flat White became a coffeehouse staple in the UK and is now a budding favorite among coffee aficionados in the United States and Canada.
The wave of drinking coffee continued to rise, with the first coffee company being founded in San Francisco in 1850. The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills became the first known company to commercialize and mass produce coffee. Today, it is better known by its household brand name: Folgers Coffee.
Australian coffee is espresso-based drip-style coffee, which makes it much stronger than American coffee. They make each drink individually and to order, so the coffee's not just waiting in the pot for the next customer's cup.
It would then take another decade – not until 1970 – for them to come up with Nescafe Mild Roast, a coffee for those coffee drinkers for whom 43 fully-roasted beans was just a little too much .
LONG BLACK
It's usually called an Americano outside of Australia.
Aussies see coffee as a part of their daily routine and it's so important to them that they walk into their favorite cafe every day and even brew coffee at home or in the office. Did you know that the high standards in the coffee industry impacted even the biggest chain that tried to settle in Australia?
Melbourne: The Coffee Capital of Australia.
Origins of the Latte
Lino Meiorin, an Italian-trained barista in Berkeley, California, claimed to have invented the latte in the 1950s in response to customers who found his Italian cappuccinos too strong.
Ethiopia is widely considered to be the epicentre of where coffee came from. If you've ever googled “coffee history”, you will have come across the famous story of how coffee was founded in Ethiopia by Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder, around 800 AD.
The first “instant coffee” is made in Britain in 1771. It was called a “coffee compound” and had a patent granted by the British government. The first American instant coffee was created in 1851. It was used during the Civil War and experimental “cakes” of instant coffee were shared in rations to soldiers.
Australian coffee is espresso-style, in contrast with the drip-style filter coffee that is typically consumed in the US. They make each drink individually to order and expect the customers to take a minute to enjoy it too.
Melbourne is known globally for its coffee obsession. It offers more than 2,000 cafés as well as some of the world's best baristas. Here are some of the best. Melbourne's love affair with coffee started with the arrival of Italian and Greek immigrants after World War II and has evolved into an art form.
Magic coffee is made when steamed milk is added to a double ristretto. It's better if the ristretto was made with espresso. The drink is normally served in a normal cup size- 160ml or 5oz cup. This is because it adds to the quantity of the ristretto. We'd say it is close to the flat white drink, but it's stronger.