Michael Hongfu has gotten a lot of phone calls lately.
First, there was last month’s China Open – during which his business, Café Flatwhite (one of the tournament sponsors) caffeinated everyone from international athletes Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to Chinese film stars. But then came big-time industry news: Starbucks had redesigned its menu to feature its new coffee – the flat white.
“We got lots of phone calls from people asking: ‘Why are they using Flatwhite?’ I had to tell them we didn’t invent flat whites!” he says with a laugh.
Who did, then? That’s a question Australians and New Zealanders might argue over. But there’s no doubt that the drink was refined and perfected in New Zealand, where he lived for over 15 years. Today, Michael is the man responsible for introducing New Zealand-style coffee to Beijing. So in the wake of Starbucks’ recent changes, we caught up with him – over coffee, naturally – to find out what, exactly, that means.
“New Zealand is a small country. If you go there, you just feel at home,” he says. “I think [Café Flatwhite] is in typical New Zealand style – people can relax, and there’s a homey feeling and friendly service. I’ve been to the US a couple times, and I can feel the difference.”
Image by Holly Li
New Zealand cafes are famous for popularizing the flat white, which is espresso and milk. Sound like a latte? It’s not – in fact, it’s both smaller and stronger, so it packs a more powerful punch. The drink grew in popularity in Wellington cafes before making it big in the UK. And while flat whites aren’t as well-known in the States, they’re getting there: Starbucks introduced the drink to US outlets in January of this year. (China is merely the latest to get the mega-corporation flat white treatment.)
“Normally a latte contains one shot of espresso but a flat white has two,” says Jake, a Flatwhite barista. “And a flat white has less milk.”
Michael decided to take Jake with him to Wellington. As well as being introduced to influential New Zealand roasters, Michael’s apprentice then worked at Fidel’s (the famous New Zealand cafe, not the former Cuban leader’s home). The two studied local drinks in order to better replicate them in Beijing, and now Flatwhite's beans are provided by Rickshaw Roasters (the cafe’s own roasting company in 751 Art District).
One of the results of this was the long black – another drink popular in New Zealand that non-Antipodeans may not recognize – which is a double espresso and hot water. You’d be forgiven for confusing that with an Americano, but the difference is that the hot water comes separately, in a glass to the side.
“‘Long’ just means ‘long time’ – for people who want to spend a long time in the cafe,” explains Jake. “They have a bottle of hot water and a double espresso. So sometimes they can add water to the espresso.”
The whole point, of course, is to spend hours relaxing in the cafe. That, after all, is the essence of New Zealand cafe culture. When asked if he’s worried about Starbucks encroaching on his flat white game, Michael shrugs.
“We trust that if we do quality food and quality coffee, we’ll go far,” he says. And then, like a true Kiwi, he adds: “I’m pretty relaxed.”
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