
speciality coffee world.įinding an agreed-upon definition of what constitutes a flat white, however, is trickier. The origin is disputed, but it stayed mostly Antipodean until a few years ago, when rumours of this semi-mythical drink started percolating through the U.S. The flat white was invented in Australia in the 1980s. But nobody seems to know exactly what one is or how to define it. The flat white is relatively new, so it’s understandable that there might be some confusion at first over what exactly it entails.Īnd now Starbucks is serving (a version of) them, and over here Costa too. They might change slightly with the times, but you’re still likely to get what you expect when you order either drink in most specialty cafes. Over the years the definition of a latte or a cappuccino has, for the most part, been accepted. Probably something vaguely latte-ish, hopefully with a rosetta or tulip artfully inscribed on top. Now close your eyes and picture a flat white.

A traditional macchiato is a shot of espresso with a small dollop of foamed milk on top (macchiato literally means “stained” in Italian, as in “stained with milk”).

For example, the word macchiato has been hopelessly corrupted ever since Starbucks began selling ridiculous coffee milkshakes and needed a fancy-sounding Italian name. Other coffee-and-milk drinks are slightly more complicated.

And it’s clear what those words mean: we can all close our eyes and picture exactly what each word denotes. They conjure up images of hip London coffee shops Italian street cafes cosy conversations with friends. These are all familiar, perhaps even comforting words.
