Where do our favourite coffee orders originate from?
Coffee is the fuel of the world, the human equivalent of nitrous for a car or catnip for a cat.
With 95 billion cups of coffee drunk in the UK each day, and such a large variety of coffee drinks to choose from, the OneLessCup team got thinking… where did the variety come from? Were Iced Coffees custom to the Mediterranean? Were black coffees more prevalent in countries that grow coffee? Read on to find out…
Flat White
The popularity of the Flat White has soared in recent years, with the drink being available in Coffee shops all over the globe. Consisting of espresso with steamed ‘microfoam’ milk, it is similar to a Latte but with less milk resulting in a stronger coffee taste.
The first recording of a Flat White’s existence was in the Sydney Morning Herald, on 6th May 1983, in a review of the café, ‘Miller’s Treat’, although many believe that the actual source of the Flat White was in New Zealand.
The official origin of the Flat White, however, has been the subject of heated debate for the last five years, with both Australia and New Zealand fiercely laying claim to being the creator of the Flat White. To avoid arguments, those who guessed Australia are correct, and those who guessed New Zealand are also correct!
Cappuccino
A Cappuccino is a large, milky coffee made predominately of foamed milk. It is often dusted with chocolate powder on the top, and is a much ‘longer’ drink that a Flat White.
Interestingly, the word Cappuccino originates from ‘Caputium’ in Latin, meaning cloak, but the drink actually comes from Austria. This is because the colour of the hooded robes worn by Capuchin monks was the same as coffee.
Cafés around the nation’s capital, Vienna, were at the forefront of the introduction of a cream and sugar mix early in the 1800s. The 1930’s saw the commercial introduction of the Cappuccino, bringing the world a coffee loved by so many today.
Latte
With over 900 million cups sold in the UK between 2017 and 2018, the Latte is the UK’s favourite coffee drink. Consisting of a shot of espresso, steamed milk and a frothy head, it is similar to a Cappuccino but with less froth.
This concoction originates from Italy, however it is very much frowned upon by the coffee connoisseurs of this country - it was, in fact, created for American tourists who couldn’t handle the bitter, strong Italian espressos, so they drowned the coffee in milk.
Americano
This one is a little more obvious but the genesis of a diluted espresso is just as interesting as the former anecdotes. A simple beverage, an Americano is merely espresso diluted with water.
It was made popular by American soldiers in Italy during World War Two, who wanted to consume coffee, but as above couldn’t succumb to the taste of espressos. Voila, the Americano was born and it has stuck ever since.
OneLessCup
All of the above coffees can be consumed in our reusable cups, although you may need to use a tea sleeve for your Americano and have a shorter Cappuccino due to the 350ml cup capacity. The perfect drink for our cups is a Flat white, according to our customers and the OneLessCup team.