Kings Cross cafe’s next-level milk menu causes a stir
COFFEE drinkers used to have a simple choice: black or white? Now not content with offering coffee lovers EIGHT different types of milk, one Sydney cafe has gone a step further. Here is the menu from various milk types to the environmental impacts, which is handed out to customers.
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EXCLUSIVE: Back in the mists of time coffee drinkers had a simple choice: black or white?
Then one day the blacks became short, the whites flat and a whole lot of drinks ending in ‘o’ appeared on cafe menus. And it’s been getting more complicated ever since.
Now not content with offering coffee lovers EIGHT different types of milk, one Sydney cafe has gone a step further.
District Espresso, in Kings Cross, gives its customers spreadsheets informing them of the environmental impact, nutritional credentials and country of origin of its full cream, lactose free, low fat, soy, macadamia, almond, oat and coconut milk offerings.
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The detailed double sided document means patrons must consider a multitude of factors before placing their order, including the CO2 emissions contributing to their milk.
The data matrix also tells them how much water was used during production, emissions for freight, whether packing has been certified as environmentally sustainable and if pesticides were used.
“Produced and packaged oversees — the entire carton is freighted around the world, high quantity of water required for production, use of pesticides,” the spreadsheet says of popular Bonsoy.
Oat milk is praised for using 85 per cent less water than hipster favourite almond milk and 35 per cent less emissions no frills full cream — but the spreadsheet notes the low emissions could be offset from freighting it from the UK.
While the detailed matrix might have caffeine-hungry heads in a spin, customers are lapping it up according to cafe owner Mitch Gersbach who started supplying the spreadsheets two weeks ago.
He said people wanted more variety and information about what was in their coffee.
“It was in response to customer’s request to see the nutritional information and ingredient list,” Mr Gersbach said.
“A lot of people transition to full cream to other milks because it is better for their diet or they’re more environmentally friendly.”
And he doesn’t believe it means Sydney has finally hit Peak Coffee, saying there was more invention to come.
“Coffee is evolving in many different directions and milk is the big one — customers are very aware of their dietary requirements now.”
Andrea Avilla Swistunowicz 27 said she drank macadamia milk and loved the choice and variety available.
The 27-year-old normally drinks a flat white on macadamia milk.
“It is a good alternative it is better than full cream milk,” she said.
“I am really excited here there are so many different options. It is amazing, it is paradise in Sydney I really like coffee.”
McCrindle researcher Kevin Leung said demand for milk menus was higher in areas such as Potts Point with young professionals and high disposable incomes.
“Looking at the cafe in Potts Point, 77 per cent of them work full time and likely to be professionals or managers,” he said.
“I think the fact that they’ve got a high proportion of disposable income that they’re able to have high expectations of their goods and services, taking into account factors such as the health, ethics of what they’re buying.”
He said statistics showed there were increasingly more cafes opening up around Sydney.
HERE IS THE LONG MILK MENU