So here’s our take on McDonald’s gentle dig at the pretentious side of coffee culture… have you seen their recent ad where achingly hip baristas are incredulous when a customer dares to ask what a Flat White actually is?…

Firstly and in case you were wondering, Cafe Allez! reckons their description is spot on… it is essentially a caffe latte with less milk … a shorter drink, with a more intense coffee flavour.

To build on that just a little, legend has it that it was invented in Australia or New Zealand, where the coffee culture runs deep and customers were fed up with ordering cappuccinos that seemed to be mainly foam!  They resented paying for air, not coffee.  Hence, latte milk is used in a Flat White (which has less foam than cappuccino milk).

We kind of like that McDonald’s is bursting the bubble of the coffee shops who talk down to their less knowledgeable customers.  For the record:  we offer our customers a choice of coffee drinks, including Flat White, not because we’re coffee snobs but because we love to offer a choice – and each of our drinks offers something really different, so there should be one to suit you perfectly.

For the customer who “just wants a coffee”: that’s cool too, we can make something that you’ll find delicious after just a brief chat.  And if you’d like us to set out what goes into each drink, we’re always pleased to do so.

For the record: Cafe Allez!’s Flat White is served in an 8oz fully compostable cup with a double shot of espresso, made from beans roasted by 200 Degrees which we grind fresh to order for each cup.  We then steam British whole milk to the exact right temperature, to the consistency of latte milk, and we use a little less milk than for a regular latte.  If you’d prefer decaf beans, soya milk or oat milk in your Flat White? – no problem!

Two things that might upset Cafe Allez! when sampling coffee elsewhere : 1. the shop that charges more for a Flat White than a Caffe Latte or Cappuccino (you’re getting less!).  And 2. the shop that offers a Flat White in different sizes.

If you’ve tried the McDonald’s Flat White, come and give ours a whirl and let us know the difference!