January 28th saw the launch of the Flat White at stores nationwide and it’s already being dubbed as the coffee to unite coffee lovers, so I embarked on a trip to the Costa Roastery to see what all the fuss was about.

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Based in Lambeth, London, The Roastery has been Costa’s headquarters since 1988 and, quite incredibly, is still solely responsible for the roasting of beans to be used in Costa cafes around the world. From the piles of bagged up, newly bought coffee beans to the huge roasting ovens and grinders, the scale of the process is clear, but what really comes across to someone cynical about the big coffee chains, is the flipside of this - the small dedicated team who run the operation, the amount of personal intervention they still have, and the sheer passion they have for what they do.

It is Master Roaster Gennaro Pelliccia, who first started working at Costa in 1991 as a barista at Gatwick airport, who determines the quality of each batch of coffee produced not a machine. Likewise it is him and his team who taste and meticulously hand-pick through each batch of beans bought in order to check for any defects which could impair the quality of the finished product. Having seen this in action, it would be fair to call it a labour of love.

The Flat White, which is the reason for my visit, could be seen to epitomise the care and craft which goes into each coffee. In this case particularly, the skill doesn’t stop with the coffee itself, but also the technique of the barista, whose responsibility it is to create the perfect cup at every store. It is likely this extra attention needed which has meant that the Flat White, already a very popular coffee in Australia and New Zealand from where it originates, has until now remained solely in independent, high-end coffee shops in large towns and cities. Costa have invested in weeks of training at their on-site Costa Academy at The Roastery in order to bring each one of their in-store baristas up to speed with the process. Having a go myself, I can see the need for this – making a Flat White certainly isn’t easy!

The process starts with the milk. Full-fat is preferable for the creamy texture and taste, but skimmed, semi-skimmed and soya varieties will also be available to order. The milk is heated and then textured using Costa’s specially designed machines. The result is smooth and velvety, and just slightly frothy.

The coffee must then be poured. In place of a standard espresso, Costa use a shorter extraction known as Cortissimo (Italian for “really short”). Extracting only the purest essence of the coffee bean, this results in a less bitter, smoother coffee. With a triple Cortissimo poured into a primo size cup (the size of a standard small coffee), the milk must then be poured – something to be left to the experts. ..Starting from a height so that the milk breaks through the coffee’s surface and starts to mix, the milk jug is then lowered and moved from side-to side in order to generate the all important foamy top. With slight of hand and jiggle of jug, a rather showy floret design is drawn into the foam for a real wow-factor.

But what about the taste? Smooth and creamy with the foamy texture and rich coffee flavour consistent throughout, it’s easy to see how the Flat White could soon be very popular. What remains to be seen is whether this quality can be kept up at Costa cafes throughout the country. If so, they’re on to a winner…

Find out more about Costa and the Flat White at www.costa.co.uk