Coromandel Life Magazine 2018 Winter

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07 866 3887 • 8 Pye Place • Hot Water Beach • Whitianga
A favourite of locals and visitors,
Hot Waves is just a minute’s stroll
from Hot Water Beach. Enjoy
gourmet dining inside or out
on this one-acre native garden
teaming with bird life.
One of the best eateries on the Coromandel
Open 7 days 8:30am-4pm • Fridays till 8:30pm for Open Mic & Pizza night
Open 7 days for breakfast & lunch
WATERFRONT LOCATION
10 The Esplanade, Whitianga
• Home of the NZ’s award winning
milkshakes – 2 years running
• Homemade pies, cakes and pastries
• 25 flavours of gourmet ice cream
• Enjoy an Espy “High Tea”
• Available for private functions
Breakfast all day...
VOTED NO 1 CAFE
in Whitianga on Trip Advisor
07-866-0778
Exclusive
supplier
of Santos
coffee
at
tes
The flat white has not been immune to that old
Kiwi-Aussie rivalry, along with pavlova, Phar
Lap and Crowded House.
When Starbucks included the drink on its
menus in January 2015 with an accompanying
description that said: “Originating in Australia
in the 1980s”, it ignited the old Aussie vs NZ
debate all over again.
Earliest documented references
indeed date back to 1985 at the
Moors Espresso Bar in Sydney.
when this Canberra café put up
signs stating “flat whites only”.
There was a seasonal problem
with milk that prevented baristas
from being able to create the
perfect froth for cappuccinos.
However, some coffee experts
claim the modern flat white we
all know and love is thanks to a
coffee pioneer in Auckland who
‘improved’ the Sydney flat white in 1988. NZ
claims the iconic drink came from Auckland’s
Café DKD, when Derek Townsend and Darrell
Ahlers sought an alternative to the Italian
Latte.
The legendary Derek was reportedly able to
steam three jugs of milk in one hand, make
more than 1,500 flat whites in an hour, and
grind coffee to the correct particle size using
nothing but his bare fists! He must have been
downing quite a few of those coffees himself!
And then there was the claim
from the windy city that flat whites
originated from a failed cappuccino
at the Bar Bodega on Willis Street
in 1989. Former Wellington barista
Fraser McInnes reckons he
invented the term after the milk he
was using for cappuccino failed to
froth due to low fat levels. Serving
the failed ‘capp’ he apologised
with “Sorry, it’s a flat white”, and
thus the new coffee was born!
Of course, consensus here in NZ
is that if you really want a true flat white you’ll
have to order it in a real Kiwi café.
Let’s all lift a flattie to that!
THE LEGENDS OF FLATWHITE
Both Aussies & Kiwis claim credit
Derek Townsend
Meanwhile
overseas...
Café giant Starbucks rolled out the flat
white in 2015 with some fanfare, but it
doesn’t seem to have caught on. A friend in
California offered to go into a Starbucks and
test one. When she queried if it was popular,
the cashier replied that it was the first time
anyone had ordered one!
The barista seemed to know what she was
doing and, although my friend enjoyed the
drink – whatever it was – it was covered
with a thick layer of bubbly foam. The ‘white
paint’ consistency was not apparent and
our clever managing editor has coined it a
Starbucks’ ‘Fail White’!
Perhaps they just haven’t learned the secret
to the preparation...
We found the posted Starbucks’ flat white
recipe here:
Starbucks-Drink-Guide-Flat-White
This exemplar
flat white was
served to the
judges at the 2018
Meadow Fresh
New Zealand
Barista
Championship
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