A Nice Cuppa

There are three simple words for the best latte I’ve ever tasted: flat white, London.  After a few days of decent lattes on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, I was fairly convinced that London espresso drinks wouldn’t quite live up to the quality of lattes that I have grown accustomed to in Seattle.  Portobello Road is lined with coffeeshops… chains like Starbucks, Cafe Nero and Coffee Republic as well as some smaller independent shops like Cafe Progreso and Coffee Plant, all within a two block strip in the heart of the market area.  Fairtrade coffee is plentiful, and most of the shops offer environmentally conscious alternatives to the coffee punch card.  Cafe Progreso, for example, gives you one stamp per purchase on a card to help raise money to buy goats for those in need in third world countries.  Ten punches fills a card, and 24 cards buys a goat.  The coffee, however, is quite variable… I had some cups that were simply ok while others were quite good (especially at Coffee Plant).

But, my whole world flipped around with a tiny little shop in Soho that was started up by a few guys from down under.  In Australia and New Zealand, rather than ordering a latte, you order a flat white.  While the definition of a flat white has morphed over the years, today it is a basically a latte with a small amount of foam so the espresso isn’t drowned by the milk.  It also often describes the quality of the milk… not frothy, but velvety, with microfoam instead of big bubbles.  It should be poured with beautiful latte art, and show plenty of crema from the espresso.  I’ve had plenty of lattes in Seattle that would qualify for the flat white designation… but I’m hard pressed to find one as good as the flat white that I had at the flat white shop at 17 Berwick Street in London.  The espresso was exquisitely pulled, rich and dark without being bitter or sour.  The milk was perfectly steamed, not scorched but perfectly heated to release its sweetness.  And, if that isn’t enough, flat white also does its part to support charities, including Action for Brazil’s Children.  A Nice Cuppa indeed.