A Melbourne café has received global attention after a video of a latte being poured into the hollowed-out shell of an avocado went viral.
Truman Café in Albert Park created what has since been dubbed the “avolatte” as a joke, with manager Jaydin Nathan telling SmartCompany the team was just “mucking around”.
“A guy in the back asked for a coffee, and we were going to hollow out an apple and put it in that but then I saw an avocado and thought that would be a better idea,” Nathan says.
“Everyone loves avocados and lattes, so I thought someone would have done it by now.”
The team then put the video on the café’s Instagram page where it proceeded to “blow up”, with over 250 comments and over 8000 views.
The drink has gained such notoriety that the café’s patrons have started ordering it, something Nathan never expected.
“Hell no, I didn’t think anyone would actually want one, we’ve actually got a blogger sitting here right now drinking one,” he says.
“It’s not part of the menu, but we’ve got really great service here so we’re happy to do it for them.”
Nathan has been fielding media requests from all over the world, including a breakfast show in Dubai and an interview with American news outlet NBC. A number of other cafés across the world have posted their own takes on the avolatte, and Nathan says the global attention has seen business booming.
“We’ve definitely been busier since we put up the video. Not everyone’s ordering an avolatte, but it’s been great to spread the message about the café.”
The concept has also gained traction on Twitter, with one user commenting “Peak hipster has been reached. One deconstructed extra shot half caff almond avolatte please”.
Whilst Nathan says the avolatte will be staying off the menu for the foreseeable future, a chef at the café is experimenting with using avocado milk to make coffee, though Nathan says that will likely be still served in a cup.
“It’s actually quite hard to hold without spilling, but it does look quite pretty in the avocado. The coffee doesn’t soak through the skin either, so you can eat the avocado afterwards if you want,” he says.
The humble avocado has become a controversial figure in the housing affordability debate in Australia, after columnist Bernard Salt infamously claiming last year the advent of millennials purchasing smashed avo for brunch was the reason they were unable to afford a house deposit.
“I have seen young people order smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread at $22 a pop and more. I can afford to eat this for lunch because I am middle-aged and have raised my family,” Salt said in the article.
“But how can young people afford to eat like this? Shouldn’t they be economising by eating at home? Twenty-two dollars several times a week could go towards a deposit on a house.”
Young property investor Tim Gurner also recently made headlines worldwide after suggesting young prospective homeowners should stop purchasing $4 coffees if they want to own a home.
“When I was buying my first home, I wasn’t buying smashed avocado for 19 bucks and four coffees at $4 each,” Gurner told 60 Minutes, reports News Corp.
At $3.80, the avolatte won’t do thrifty millennials any favours, but Nathan is resigned to that reality.
“It might not be helping millennials save for a house, but it’s sure helping me with mine!” says Nathan.
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