US expat baffled by ‘crazy’ Aussie coffee detail

An American has gone viral for revealing why she isn’t a fan of coffee in Australia – prompting Aussies to insist she’s got it all wrong.

One of our proudest claims as Aussies has to be that our coffee culture is famous – with many of us self-confessed snobs when it comes to our morning brew.

But one expat has revealed the “crazy” reason she isn’t a fan of our signature Aussie coffee in a now viral TikTok.

Hannah Shuman is an American woman with more than 34,000 followers on TikTok where she shares the differences between the US and Australia.

In a video posted last week, Hannah explained some of the major things “I had to get used to in Australia” since moving here.

She confessed that didn’t like the coffee served in Australian cafes, saying it was too strong and “gives me the shakes”.

The US woman has over 34,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares the many differences between America and Australia. Picture: TikTok/@beachbabytravels

“I do not drink the coffee here,” Hannah said.

“I used to drink coffee every single day and yes, it was ‘American coffee’ which I know you guys hate.

“But I don’t drink coffee anymore which is crazy but I don’t, because I can’t drink the coffee here.”

Hannah said she also had to “get used to how much Australians love their dairy”, claiming we consumed “an insane amount” of cheese compared to Americans.

“Australians love cheese. It is insane,” she said.

“Halloumi, I had never heard of before I came here, and I was vegetarian when I moved here. So I would go get a vegetarian burger at the burger shop and it would be a halloumi burger and I would just be like, ‘What the hell is this?’”

Hannah was also surprised to learn Australia had a strong “early morning culture”, with people up and about much earlier than her home country.

Hannah revealed she couldn’t drink the coffee here as it was too strong for her. Picture: TikTok/@beachbabytravels

“You could go just about anywhere at 6am and you will see an entire group of people out reading a book or the newspaper or drinking their coffee or going for a walk or a run,” she said.

“But there are so many people out and about super, super early in the morning. I am actually an early bird, I love waking up early, so this was one of the things that I had to get used to because I wasn’t used to it, but I actually really love it.”

Hannah’s video has since been viewed more than 214,000 times, with Aussies blaming her dislike of coffee on not getting her order right.

“Try a flat white. You just need to adjust to the coffee,” one wrote.

“I get bad anxiety from coffee, so I ask for weak or half-strength. Give it a try! Most baristas will know what to do,” one person suggested.

“You need to start with a mocha, then go to a latte. Eventually you’ll build yourself up to a flat white,” another commented.

Many Aussies recommended she try a weak flat white to acclimatise to our coffee. Picture: Tim Marsden

Other Aussies were in disbelief at Hannah’s claim we ate more cheese compared to the United States.

“I don’t get the dairy part – I really don’t think it’s that common. America however put cream cheese in every recipe and cheese on top of everything,” one person commented.

“We love our dairy? EVERYTHING in the US comes with cheese!” another said.

Hannah isn’t the only expat confused by Australia’s coffee culture. Last year Canadian woman Kaleigh Marielle revealed she had struggled to get used to our different coffee names.

In a video detailing “ordering coffee in Australia as a Canadian”, Kaleigh explained she’s not a fan of common coffee drinks including a flat white, a short black or a long black, stating she wants a black coffee.

The vegan woman also stated her milk preference is tricky to get here, writing: “Also love a coconut milk latte but they are harder to find in Australia. It’s all about the oat, soy and almond milk here.”

US woman Kaymie Wuerfel also went viral after detailing in a TikTok just how different Starbucks coffee tasted here compared to the coffee chain in America.

Originally published as US expat baffled by ‘crazy’ Aussie coffee detail