Coffee Culture: Italy vs. Australia vs. USA

Italy, Australia and the USA all drink espresso-based coffee, but they drink it differently. In Italy, espresso is the default order and is usually drunk standing at the bar, with milky drinks kept for the morning. Australia built a café culture on Italian espresso and is linked with the flat white and the long black. In the USA, coffee is more often taken to go and served in larger cups, and chains such as Starbucks spread espresso drinks across the country.

This guide compares the three traditions and shows what each one offers a home brewer. The history and figures come from Wikipedia’s entries on coffee culture, coffee in Italy, coffee in Australia, espresso, cappuccino, latte, flat white, long black, third-wave coffee and Starbucks. Customs vary by city and café, so read them as general patterns rather than rules everyone follows.

Italian Coffee Culture: Tradition, Ritual and Espresso

Wikipedia’s espresso entry describes espresso as originating in Italy and having become one of the most popular coffee-brewing methods worldwide. In Italy it is the everyday coffee: Italians commonly call espresso simply caffè, the ordinary coffee to order.

The Espresso Bar Experience

Wikipedia’s coffee in Italy entry says that when someone orders “un caffè” in an espresso bar, it is normally enjoyed at the bar, standing, and served with a saucer and a demitasse spoon. The coffee culture entry puts it the same way: in Italy, locals drink coffee at the counter rather than taking it away. Standing service has a history. The espresso entry notes that espresso spread beyond Milan partly through the popularity of American-style bars that let coffee be served standing rather than sitting.

• Espresso is the default order. Ask for “un caffè” and you get an espresso, typically 25-30 ml.
• Milky drinks are for the morning. Wikipedia’s cappuccino entry says cappuccino is usually consumed up to 11:00 am in Italy.
• “Latte” means milk. The latte entry notes that ordering a “latte” in Italy results in a glass of milk; the coffee drink is a caffè latte.
• Espresso is not flavored. The coffee culture entry says Italians do not flavor espresso.

The Unwritten Rules

The best-known rule is about milk after meals. Wikipedia’s cappuccino entry explains that cappuccinos are milk-based and considered too heavy to drink later in the day, and that espresso is usually ordered after a meal because of a belief that the lack of milk aids digestion. That is a custom and a belief, not a finding the entry supports with research.

Italian coffee is not only espresso at the bar, either. At home, the traditional maker is the moka pot, which Wikipedia’s coffee in Italy entry says was invented by Luigi Di Ponti in 1933, who sold the patent to Alfonso Bialetti, and the same entry counts about 20 types of coffee popular all over Italy, from ristretto and macchiato to caffè shakerato.

Australian Coffee Culture: Cafés, Quality and the Flat White

Wikipedia’s coffee in Australia entry describes coffee culture as a significant cultural phenomenon in the country, which was a predominantly tea-drinking society in the 19th century.

The Rise of Specialty Coffee

The same entry says that after the Second World War, Italian immigrants were the first to bring espresso machines to Australia, and that the first espresso machines began to appear in 1952. Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar and Legend Café, which opened in 1954 and 1956, often lay claim to being Melbourne’s first “real” espresso bar. Wikipedia’s third-wave coffee entry notes that Melbourne is known as the “capital of coffee” and that Australians have won the World Barista Championship four times, in 2003, 2015, 2022 and 2025.

• Flat white. An espresso with steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam. Its origin is disputed: café owners in both Australia and New Zealand claim it, and Wikipedia’s flat white entry notes that the name was in use in England in the 1960s.
• Long black. A double shot of espresso poured into hot water. Wikipedia contrasts it with an americano, where the water is poured onto the espresso, and says the long black uses less water, which gives it a stronger taste.
• Short black. The coffee in Australia entry says several Italian names were switched locally: the espresso became the short black, and the caffè lungo the long black.
• Independent cafés. The same entry describes Australians’ preference for less sugary coffee and a café culture that emphasizes the quality of the drink and the way it is made.

Why Starbucks Struggled in Australia

Wikipedia’s Starbucks entry records that the first Australian Starbucks opened in Sydney in July 2000, and that in July 2008 the company announced it would close 61 of its 84 stores in Australia. A strategic-management expert at the University of Sydney, Nick Wailes, is quoted as saying that “Starbucks failed to truly understand Australia’s café culture.” The remaining stores were sold to the Withers Group in 2014. The coffee in Australia entry adds that Starbucks had a very low market share in Australia in 2018, and gives one reason: Australia had an established culture of independent cafés for decades before coffee chains tried to enter.

Chains are not absent, though. The same entry says McCafé was launched in Melbourne in 1993 and had over 1,000 locations in Australia in 2023.

American Coffee Culture: Convenience, Size and Choice

Wikipedia’s coffee culture entry says that, by absolute volume, the United States is the largest market for coffee. It describes American coffee culture as the ubiquitous presence of espresso stands and coffee shops in cities and the spread of large international chains such as Starbucks.

Diner Coffee and the First Wave

Wikipedia’s third-wave coffee entry describes the “first wave” of American coffee as instant coffee, grocery store canned coffee and diner coffee, with a focus on low price and consistent taste. Brands such as Folgers and Maxwell House sold pre-ground, vacuum-packed cans for home brewing.

• Coffee to go. The coffee culture entry says North Americans commonly take their coffee to go, while in much of the rest of the world people typically sit in a coffee shop to drink it.
• Bigger cups. The same entry says North Americans typically drink larger coffees, up to 24 ounces, while coffee elsewhere is usually drunk in 2 to 8 ounce amounts.
• Sweetened milk drinks. Wikipedia’s latte entry notes that a latte in the United States is often heavily sweetened.
• Coffee shops as meeting places. The coffee culture entry says US coffee shops are typically used as meeting spots for business and as dating spots for young adults.

The Starbucks Effect and Third Wave Rise

Starbucks was founded in Seattle in 1971 as a seller of coffee beans. According to Wikipedia, Howard Schultz left the company in 1985 to found Il Giornale, a café inspired by the coffee bars he had seen in Milan, then bought Starbucks in 1987 and expanded it as a chain serving espresso-based drinks. The third-wave entry places Starbucks in the “second wave”, which introduced named coffee origins and espresso drinks traditional to Italy to a much wider public.

The “third wave” that followed emphasizes higher quality, single-origin farms and lighter roasts that bring out distinctive flavors. Wikipedia says the term was coined in 1999, although the approach goes back to roasters of the 1970s, and it is used primarily in the US coffee industry.

Coffee Culture Comparison: Italy vs. Australia vs. USA

The table summarizes the patterns described above. Each cell reflects a general tendency in the cited sources, not every café in the country.

Aspect	Italy	Australia	USA
Drinks named in the sources	Espresso (“un caffè”), cappuccino at breakfast	Flat white, long black, short black	Diner coffee, sweetened lattes
Typical serving	Espresso, typically 25-30 ml	Flat white often in a cup of about 200 ml	Larger cups, up to 24 oz
Where it is drunk	Standing at the bar counter	Independent cafés	Often to go
Milk	Milky drinks mainly at breakfast	Steamed milk and microfoam	Lattes, often sweetened

What Each Culture Does Best

• From Italy: a short, plain espresso as the everyday coffee, and the habit of taking a few minutes to drink it.
• From Australia: attention to how the drink is made, from the shot to the texture of the milk.
• From the USA: flexibility in size, strength and additions, so the coffee fits the day.

How These Cultures Are Influencing Each Other

The flat white is the clearest example of drinks crossing borders. Wikipedia’s flat white entry says it had been exported from Australia and New Zealand to the United Kingdom by 2005, was sold in Starbucks branches there by 2010, and was introduced in American Starbucks stores on 6 January 2015. Movement goes the other way too: Starbucks opened its first Italian store in Milan on 6 September 2018.

The Global Specialty Movement

The third-wave entry describes the same specialty approach in several countries. In the UK, it names the café Flat White, opened in 2005, as an early third-wave café, and James Hoffmann’s Square Mile roastery, opened in 2008. In Australia, it notes Melbourne’s reputation and the country’s World Barista Championship wins. The shared idea is specialty-grade beans and carefully made drinks, adapted to each country’s own habits.

What This Means for Home Baristas

At home you can borrow from all three traditions:

• Make a short, plain espresso or a moka pot coffee in the Italian style. The site’s comparison of the moka pot and espresso machine explains how the two differ.
• Practise steaming milk to a thin, glossy microfoam for an Australian-style flat white.
• Make a long black by pouring a double shot into hot water instead of adding water to the shot.
• Try a larger, flavored milk drink in the American style when you want something sweeter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Italian coffee so much smaller than American coffee?

Because the Italian default is espresso, a concentrated coffee with a typical serving of 25-30 ml. Wikipedia’s coffee culture entry says North Americans typically drink larger coffees, up to 24 ounces. A smaller cup does not mean less caffeine per ounce: the espresso entry says espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee drinks, although a single serving usually has less caffeine overall than a larger cup of drip coffee.

What exactly is a flat white, and how is it different from a latte?

Wikipedia defines a flat white as espresso with steamed milk. It generally has a higher proportion of espresso to milk than a latte and does not have the thick layer of foam of a cappuccino. In Australia it is often served in a ceramic cup of a similar volume to a latte glass, but with less milk and microfoam. The site’s guide to cappuccino, latte and flat white compares the three in more detail.

Is it true that Starbucks failed in Australia?

It struggled. Starbucks opened in Sydney in July 2000, announced in July 2008 that it would close 61 of its 84 Australian stores, and sold its remaining stores to the Withers Group in 2014. Starbucks still operates in Australia, but Wikipedia notes it had a very low market share there in 2018.

Why do Italians only drink cappuccino in the morning?

According to Wikipedia’s cappuccino entry, cappuccino is usually consumed up to 11:00 am in Italy, often as part of breakfast with a pastry, because milk-based drinks are considered too heavy later in the day. After lunch or dinner, Italians usually order espresso instead, based on a belief that the lack of milk aids digestion. The entry presents this as custom and belief, not as a proven health effect.

Which country has the best coffee culture?

There is no objective answer. Italy offers a long espresso tradition and a quick, simple ritual. Australia offers an independent café scene focused on how drinks are made. The USA offers the most choice in sizes, drinks and places to drink them. The best one to copy at home is the one that matches how you like to drink coffee.

Finding Your Own Coffee Culture

Italy shows how much a short, plain espresso can carry a daily habit. Australia shows what happens when cafés compete on quality and milk texture. The USA shows how coffee can be fitted to a busy day, in any size and with any addition. At home, you do not have to pick one: start with one habit from each tradition, such as an espresso at the counter in the morning, a better-textured flat white, or a long iced drink on a warm afternoon, and keep the ones you enjoy.