Frothing over: the coffee foams and indulgent' drinks keeping Australian cafes afloat

"Coffee brimming with lemon myrtle cream. Matcha banked with strawberry-lychee foam. Cold brew with choc-orange froth thick enough to stuff a pillow. Every caffeinated drink I've ordered in Sydney recently has the appearance of a generously frosted cake. It's a trend you'll see or sip across Australia, from Toasted Carine's iced latte with maple cold foam in Perth to Le Bajo's chilled oolong tea with raspberry cream in Melbourne."

"They're not the usual wisps of steam-wand aerated milk that crown cappuccinos and flat whites. These blockbuster toppings look as if they'll capsize your drink. The sea salt maple iced latte from Toasted Carine in Perth They're typically made from heavy cream, or a blend of cream and milk, often flavoured with syrups and poured on iced drinks. The result is a thicker, richer, more dessert-like layer that sits on top of the drink rather than integrating into it,"

"Turbocharging this trend in Australia is the Mont Blanc, the signature drink at Melbourne's Good Measure. It features filter coffee lavished with so much orange-zested, nutmeg-sprinkled cream, it makes up one-third of the drink. The beverage has been a top-selling order since the cafe opened in late 2021. The Mont Blanc is arguably the biggest thing to happen to Australian cafes since smashed avocado, says It's Just Coffee! co-host, Rohan Cooke."

Thick, dessert-like cream and foam toppings are increasingly crowning iced coffees and teas across Australian cafes, appearing as heavy cream or cream-and-milk blends flavored with syrups. These layers sit on top of chilled drinks rather than integrating, creating a cake-like, frosting appearance. Examples include lemon myrtle cream, strawberry-lychee foam, maple cold foam and matcha cheesecake cream across cities from Sydney to Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra. The trend intensified after Good Measure's Mont Blanc — filter coffee topped with orange-zested, nutmeg-sprinkled cream making up about one-third of the drink — became a top seller in late 2021, often exceeding 1,000 sales on weekends. Replicas and regional twists have proliferated nationwide.

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