Stefano de Pieri is amazed at how Australia’s coffee culture has evolved. Over the past 30 years, he’s watched consumer demands transition from “hot coffee” orders to discerning set temperatures, and the rise of the at-home barista. But most of all, he’s amazed at the nation-wide respect for the humble caffé latte, which, back in his home down of Treviso near Venice in Italy, was nothing more than a decaffeinated children’s drink.
“On our farm, a real caffè latte was a decaffeinated drink called miscella leone or the lion’s blend. It had a very gentle flavour, like chocolate milk. I had it with milk every morning before school, sometimes with bread and sugar, and more often than not, with polenta. It was a plant-based mix of roasted ground chicory. Our mother simply poured hot water over it and let it decant. It was never
