Starbucks has caught on to the wild popularity of Australia’s unofficial national beverage and will be rolling out the flat white across the US this week.
“The growing sophistication of coffee drinkers around the world and in the United States makes the Flat White a perfect beverage for coffee lovers,” said Christine Barone, vice president, Espresso and Brewed, Starbucks Coffee Company. “As a global company, we have the opportunity to find inspiration from our cafes around the world and bring products to our customers that offer ways to further explore coffee like this handcrafted beverage.”
It’s the latest coffee trend to pick up momentum among java lovers and could be described as the Aussie version of a latte, made with two shots of espresso and steamed milk, topped with a velvety, milky microfoam as opposed to a stiff froth.
Flat whites are also smaller than lattes, but bigger than macchiatos.
According to popular food blog Eater.com, the flat white will join Starbucks’ core menu and will launch across the US today.
Last month, food magazine Bon Appetit described the flat white as the coffee drink ‘taking the US by storm.’
The trend comes late to the US, after having travelled to the UK and whipping up a froth of excitement among coffee lovers over the last few years.
Starbucks has been serving flat whites in England, for instance, since 2010.
While its place of origin (though widely credited as an Aussie invention, Kiwis beg to differ and also claim ownership rights to its invention) and exact definition are bones of contention among the most fastidious coffee fanatics, it’s generally agreed that flat whites have a higher coffee-to-milk ratio than lattes, and are characterised by a velvety texture.
