Marks & Spencer launches Melbourne’s ‘magic’ coffee in UK

Melburnians “in the know” proudly call this coffee order theirs – but a major British retailer has just taken the “underground” brew overseas.

Brits are going nuts for “magic coffee”, an “intense” barista-made beverage born in Australia – but chances are, you’ve never heard of it.

The underground order originated in the famed laneway coffee shops of Melbourne in the early noughties but has recently become mainstream after it caught the attention of British retailer Marks & Spencer.

For those unfamiliar with the little-known coffee, it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted.

It’s made up of a double shot of ristretto – a coffee shot more potent than an espresso – accompanied by a three-quarter flat white.

And now caffeine-thirsty Brits can order the “magic” at one of its 330 of in-store cafes across the UK.

Tom Rawlinson, the head of coffee for the iconic British store, said he visited Melbourne in November just to understand the hype behind the coffee style.

The M&S team travelled to Melbourne to sample its ‘magic’ coffee before bringing it back to the UK. Picture: Supplied

“You often hear coffee lovers asking for ‘a magic’,” Tom said.

“It’s a short coffee with a bold, intense flavour, but because it’s made with a double ristretto rather than a double espresso, it doesn’t have as much bitterness as other shorter coffees like a flat white or cortado.

“It’s called a magic as it is quite literally the magic ratio of coffee to milk.”

Known as “the barista’s choice” in Melbourne, the coffee once described as being drunk only by those “in the know” has not escaped controversy, SMH reports.

It was created in Melbourne and ordered only by those ‘in the know’. Picture: Supplied

It’s made up of double shot of ristretto – a coffee shot more potent than an espresso – accompanied by a three-quarter flat white. Picture: Supplied

While some Victorians claim it’s the masterpiece of St Ali coffee roasters in South Melbourne’s, others state former Melbourne Food and Wine Festival program co-ordinator Zenon Misko is behind the creation.

Either way, Tom decided it was too good to leave it in Australia.

Social media is already buzzing with the Aussie drink offering, as our friends across the pond praise our tastebuds.

“Had one today, very nice,” one Twitter user wrote.

“My wife has the first to have one in our local M&S and she loved it said it was the perfect blend and actually ended up having 2,” another added.

As another declared: “It’s like a flat white, but better.”

While Brits get their head around “yet another coffee order”, it seems Aussies are just as surprised by the launch.

“I’ve never heard of a ‘magic’ coffee,” one Melbourne-based Twitter user wrote.

Another asked what Melburnians will think of the fact their “preferred tipple” had been taken overseas.

Marks & Spencer has more than 1000 stores across the UK, 330 of which contain an M&S Cafe. In Australia, the retailer is only available online, selling a range of fashion and homewares items.