People really don't understand it when I tell them that New Zealand has some of
the best coffee in the world. It is a serious art form. In the spirit of spreading good art, I am going to share what little knowledge I have about New Zealand coffee in the hopes that it will improve my fellow Americans' drinking experience.
Matt's flat white at an organic cafe in Takapuna
Temperature - The first thing to understand is that temperature means everything when brewing coffee and frothing milk. If the water is too hot, you scorch the beans and release too much acidity, resulting in a bitter taste. It's hard to regulate water temperature with drip machines. If you want a milder, less acidic coffee, try using a French press (plunger) and heat your water to no more than 195 degrees F. If you use a French press, make sure you don't grind your coffee too fine, or else you will end up with grounds in your coffee and a bitter taste.
Roast - One of the things that sets a flat white apart from a regular latte is that it calls for light roast espresso beans. In America, most of the espresso beans you find are dark roast. A darker roasted bean will taste more acidic, bolder, and more bitter. Light roast espresso beans have a more subtle flavor. If you enjoy a latte but want a smoother drinking experience, shop online for a light roast espresso bean.
Microfoam - This is probably the biggest defining feature of the flat white, and what sets it apart from other drinks like the latte and cappuccino. Baristas in New Zealand go to school for months just to learn and achieve the perfect microfoam for a flat white. It is essentially a "non-foam foam," meaning it has all the qualities of foam without being airy or having a bubble-bath-like consistency. Microfoam is found at the bottom of the pitcher, and steamed between 160-170 degrees F., to unlock the sweetness of the milk without scalding it and making it bitter.
If the milk in your latte burns your lips or your tongue, it's over-steamed and, thus, bitter. Milk needs gentle love!
You can't make your own microfoam at home without the proper machinery with a steamer. But next time you are buying coffee at a coffee shop, ask the barista to heat the milk no hotter than 170 degrees (if they are a coffee shop worth their salt, they should have a pitcher thermometer), and ask them to try to minimize the air bubbles at the top. A noisy steamer wand means they are a) scalding the milk at the top, thus making it bitter, and b) infusing too much air into the foam, thus making it too bubble-bath-like.
Water - Crappy water results in crappy coffee. If you can taste the chlorine or the copper in your water, it will greatly affect the taste of your coffee. I liken it to drinking orange juice after you have brushed your teeth - apart, the tastes are tolerable. But together they are terrible. If you are making coffee using your tap water, invest in a counter top filter that attaches to your faucet, or an under-sink filter that attaches to the plumbing directly underneath your sink. We use a 10-stage water filter that eliminates all impurities and chlorine from our water. It not only makes your coffee taste better, it makes your pasta and other water-based meals taste better, and it's better for your health.
I don't plan on running off to barista school, but I am very intrigued by the art of coffee over here in Kiwi land, and I hope to learn more.
