Coffee Expert Downs 300 Flat Whites Hunting NZ's Best

A British coffee obsessive known as Flat White Frank has drunk over 300 flat whites across multiple countries, and now he's putting New Zealand's legendary coffee scene to the ultimate test.

Frank, who reviews each flat white for his 30,000 social media followers, is spending six weeks traveling the country after hearing the same thing for years in London. "Oh my God, you've got to go to Australia or New Zealand, the coffee there is amazing," people kept telling him.

He started his journey in Wellington, widely considered New Zealand's coffee capital. The city has already delivered rare high scores that get his fans buzzing.

"There have been a couple of flat whites that have broken the nine out of 10, which gets me and my fans very excited," Frank told reporters. Among the standouts: Sketchbook Coffee and a place called Frank's, where Frank made Frank a flat white.

The timing couldn't be better. A 2019 survey found 70% of New Zealanders drink at least one coffee daily, with flat whites being the clear favorite.

Frank's reviewing style is distinctive. He downs each flat white in one go rather than sipping, believing it gives him the truest taste. He also has a controversial opinion about latte art.

"It actually makes it taste worse," he explained. When baristas slow down to create designs, they create a foam head that prevents the silky milk from mixing perfectly with the espresso below.

His standards are exacting. The best flat white he's ever tasted was at Nostos in London's Battersea neighborhood, though it cost him £8 (about $19 NZD). No flat white has earned his perfect 10/10 yet.

The Ripple Effect

Frank's visit is doing more than just rating cafes. Hundreds of Kiwis have flooded his comment sections with recommendations from Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, and everywhere in between, creating a crowdsourced map of the nation's best coffee spots.

His advice for finding great coffee anywhere? Ask the baristas themselves. "They're the ones who know," he said simply.

Frank typically limits himself to one flat white daily, sometimes stretching to four. He learned this lesson the hard way in Liverpool after visiting seven coffee shops in one day. "I remember getting on that train on the way home and I was thinking I was having a panic attack," he recalled.

With weeks still ahead and hundreds of Kiwi recommendations waiting, Frank's hunt for that elusive perfect 10 continues. If New Zealand can't deliver it, his followers joke, nowhere can.