Piccolo lattes gaining ground

Baristas will be pouring off more piccolo lattes in the near future, and dairy milk will more often be replaced with new and surprising alternatives.
That is the next big market change Jamaica Blue head of coffee Jeremy Regan has tipped among coffee lovers on the back of an international tip examining international trends.
Basically a tiny latte, the movement towards piccolos is already growing in Australia, Jeremy says, as consumers begin to review their milk intake, and try alternatives like soy, almond, lactose free, cashew and coconut milk, among others.
It’s just one of a number of changes sweeping through the international coffee trade.
“I have definitely witnessed more of a focus on flavours across the globe,” Jeremy says.
“From this you will start to see single origin coffees in more and more cafes with tasting notes designed for the customer to enhance their coffee experience and look for flavours they might not usually associate with coffee.”
“The other trend emerging is the quality of café food is dramatically improving: it’s not enough now to serve great coffee and the standard café menu.
“Menus are becoming more adventurous and the plating of food in some cafes is nearly to hat restaurant standard.”
While Australians’ love of a good coffee is shaping British and European drinking habits, Jeremy says some things will never change.
“Coffee culture in the UK, especially London, is starting to take shape with an influx of new independent cafes opening in the last three-to-four years,” he says.
“Having said that I’m not sure coffee will ever overtake tea as the hot beverage of choice, but it is gaining popularity.”