What to Consider When Ordering Coffee at a Café? Should You Stir a Latte or Flat White?

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A Coffee Controversy: Stirring Latte Art in Australia

Recently, an American netizen in Australia stirred a latte (or possibly a flat white) with latte art, and this action sparked outrage among Australian netizens, making it go viral!

According to various media reports, an Australian athlete brought her American boyfriend to her home country and told him that Australia's coffee culture is superior to America's. However, the American boyfriend was skeptical, so he went to a coffee shop and ordered a coffee with latte art.

The Australian athlete recorded a video of her boyfriend's first attempt at "real" coffee. However, the American boyfriend continuously stirred the coffee, even spilling some milk foam, jokingly saying he didn't really like the foam, and then took only one sip. This action triggered a flood of criticism from Australian netizens!

Many netizens urged the athlete to make her boyfriend stop stirring the foam, telling him that in Australia, you're supposed to start drinking from the foam! Some netizens joked that stirring coffee in Australia could be grounds for visa refusal! Others commented that their eyes were twitching watching him stir the foam (also joking), while some expressed that this way of drinking coffee was disrespectful to Australian coffee culture. Later, the athlete posted a second video showing that her boyfriend had learned the proper Australian way to drink coffee, saying it was indeed much better!

Understanding Australian Coffee Culture

At this point, many readers might not understand why stirring coffee in Australia would draw criticism. After all, stirring makes the drink more uniform and the flavors more integrated! The reason is that Australians have invested significant effort into developing their unique coffee culture through research on milk coffee, which has influenced the entire specialty coffee market.

The Intensity of Australian Coffee Culture

Australian coffee has always been distinctive. From roasting to drink names and preparation methods, it differs from other countries around the world. Almost every coffee shop enjoys booming business, with busy establishments producing over 200 cups per hour. Baristas are extremely busy, so most Australian baristas have mastered the skill of carrying multiple cups in one hand. Despite the rush, the quality of every cup of coffee remains the most important priority for baristas.

Particularly in major cities like Melbourne and Sydney, every coffee shop delivers first-class quality at very affordable prices. Coffee shops don't compete on style but on barista technique and the quality of each cup of coffee. Therefore, many people who have visited Australia develop a lasting appreciation for the local coffee.

Customization and Innovation

In Australian cafes, beyond standard coffee offerings, most establishments have a "secret menu" that can accommodate various complex customer preferences. For example, a cappuccino with soy milk, with foam accounting for 3/4 of the cup (meaning everything except the espresso is foam). Even during busy times, baristas must accommodate reasonable (though not outrageous) customization requests.

Some customized drinks have gradually become standard items on many coffee menus. For example, the flat white and piccolo coffee we're familiar with, as well as other coffee preparation methods that appear to be variations of latte, mostly originated from Australian creativity.

Historical Influences and Development

Australian coffee culture owes much to Italian immigrants who brought espresso machines and European café culture. Therefore, espresso has become an important component of Australian coffee culture. According to Australian historians, espresso was introduced in the 1950s, but local Australians discriminated against Italians at that time, so coffee culture didn't develop initially. It wasn't until the urban revitalization and gentrification of the 1980s that significant momentum was given to the development of Australian coffee culture.

The President of the Australian Specialty Coffee Association also mentioned that Australians absolutely love the texture of evenly blended velvety milk (steamed milk) with coffee. Therefore, Australians have specifically researched cow breeds to further enhance milk texture, making Australian milk coffee even more distinctive.

Excellence and Competition

With the development of specialty coffee, local Australian baristas continuously experiment, improve, and enhance the quality of every cup. Consequently, many winners of barista and roaster competitions in recent years come from Australia. As some improved milk quality, others improved the quality of coffee itself. As a result, independent and specialty coffee shops have proliferated in Australia in recent years, even "driving out" Starbucks from the Australian market.

Baristas in every specialty coffee shop not only focus on the texture of milk coffee but also put extra thought into roasting coffee beans. This ensures that every cup of milk coffee customers drink not only has a silky, dense texture but also showcases the origin's flavor characteristics. Through their roasting philosophy, roasters can highlight certain flavors in milk coffee, leading to the emergence of SOE (Single Origin Espresso), which allows milk coffee to exhibit layered coffee flavors.

Conclusion

Looking at these seemingly "crazy" pursuits, we can suddenly understand why Australian netizens become so agitated when they see someone stirring latte or flat white coffee...

However, people in different regions have different coffee-drinking habits. Drinking coffee is meant for relaxation, so you should enjoy it however you prefer without worrying too much about others' opinions. After all, stirring your coffee isn't illegal—as long as you're satisfied, that's what matters!

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