Espresso With Milk, or Espresso With Milk?

Since my arrival in New Zealand two months ago, my coffee intake has drastically increased. People here live on caffeine, often drinking 4 or more cups of coffee every day. But the coffee here is dramatically different from that with which I am familiar.

If you order a cup of coffee in the United States, you get a cup of filtered, drip coffee. I always ordered mine black, believing that cream and sugar only mask the true taste of coffee. When I arrived in New Zealand and entered the first of too many cafes, there were no displays or other obvious options for different flavors of coffee or varieties of beans. There seemed to be no indication that I could choose a dark blend vs. a medium blend, or a french roast vs. hazelnut. So, I ordered “a cup of coffee”, to which the barista responded, “what kind”? Huh?

Kiwis do not choose between flavors or blends. Instead, they choose between a “flat white”, a “long black”, or a “latte.” No, these are not derogatory racial terms. They are coffee-based drinks. Strike that. They are espresso-based drinks. Kiwis don’t take their caffeine lightly. They fill up their tanks numerous times a day on multiple espresso shots. A flat white, long black and latte are just different forms of getting coffee smack. Or are they?

In my search to discover which form of caffeine I prefer, I have tried each one of these drinks. A long black seems to be two shots of espresso, to which you can add milk, hot or cold. Check. A latte seems to be two shots of espresso with some milk froth at the top. Check. A flat white seems to be two shots of espresso with some milk froth at the top. Ummm.

It seems to me there is no difference between a flat white and a latte, other than size, and that a long black is only different in its lack of frothy consistency. In a quest for the truth I have asked at least 4 baristas what the difference is between a flat white and a latte, from which I have received 4 entirely different answers. One barista said something about the amount of water that is added to one versus the other. Another barista spouted out something about the milk, and one explained the only difference is the size of the vessel in which the drink is served. The fourth barista mumbled her way through an inaudible answer, leading me to believe she had no idea what she was talking about.

At this point, I’m thinking that either all baristas in NZ have no idea what they’re serving, or more likely, that there really is not much difference between a flat white and a long black, other than the price.

My quest for the truth continues…