While Australian and Kiwi coffee connoisseurs debate over who invented the flat white, just like they debate about lamingtons and pavlovas, our friends in New Zealand are oblivious to the subject.
Instead, they are upping their coffee drinking habit, not with the flat whites, cappuccinos or espressos. They are drinking the one of a kind 100% Arabica Freeze Dried coffee. In their pantries are the Robert Harris and Moccona instant coffee.
Robert Harris coffee is known to have “the closest taste to fresh coffee in an instant.”
While visiting and staying with friends in New Zealand, our morning cup of coffee was either from Robert Harris or Moccona. To make a cup of coffee – put the kettle on and boil the water, add one to two teaspoons of coffee in a mug. Pour the boiling water into the mug with the instant coffee. Add sugar or milk if needed. There were no fancy coffee machines, grinders, or filters.
Robert Harris is New Zealand’s largest coffee roaster. The company has over 40 cafés across New Zealand and flat white is one of their specialties. The company probably recognized the need to serve half of the population that still prefers instant coffee.
The Moccona freeze dried instant coffee are made from 100% coffee beans. No fillers or artificial ingredients. Just like the Robert Harris freeze dried instant coffee, it is far superior to the instant coffee found in the Asian and American (including South America) supermarkets. The instant coffee comes in dark roast, medium roast and decaffeinated. You can find Moccona freeze dried instant coffee on Amazon for $36.99.
Coffee is a popular drink in New Zealand. In New Zealand’s changing coffee scene and with the increasing number of specialty coffee roasters and coffee shops, instant coffee, particularly, Nescafe still dominates the coffee sales in Auckland’s grocery stores.
Euromonitor said it has a 41% share of off-trade value sales in New Zealand for 2014, which means almost half of all Kiwis prefer instant coffee than the flat whites and the likes. If given a choice we would rather have freshly brewed coffee.
The flat white in New Zealand is one-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk. If you are not into lots of milk with espresso, the flat white won’t appeal to you.
Flat white is served everywhere in Auckland including in The Coffee Club, an Australian chain. There are 55 The Coffee Club stores in New Zealand and at least one in one neighborhood strip mall throughout Auckland.
In Auckland, you can find kids’ versions of flat whites in coffee shops too. Fluffy is a small cup of froth milk with chocolate sprinkles or colored sprinkles and marshmallows.
Whether you like the convenience of an instant coffee, the freshly brewed or flat white, these days Auckland has plenty of coffee shops to fix your coffee needs.
