How Does the Piccolo Coffee Ratio Compare With a Magic?

The Magic is a small hot milk coffee from Melbourne, said to have been created at St Ali in South Melbourne. Baristas treat the word as a code for a rich, full-bodied cup with no bitter finish, served in a small volume, and it rarely appears on printed menus outside Australia.

Against a Piccolo and a Flat White, the Magic uses a similar ristretto-style shot but a different piccolo coffee ratio and milk volume, so the espresso reads stronger and the foam is thinner than a Flat White's. Its cafe latte milk coffee ratio is lower still, which is why the milk does not mask the shot.

In Melbourne, there is an espresso milk coffee that spreads only by word of mouth and is almost never printed on menus: the Magic. This drink is said to have been born at the St Ali cafe in South Melbourne, where local baristas treat it as a kind of code word for a smaller cup of hot milk coffee that is rich and full-bodied yet has no bitter aftertaste. Because it is so niche, baristas in many countries have never even heard of it, making it one of the most obscure milk coffees. This article will start with the origin, definition, and preparation of the Magic, and then place it alongside the Piccolo and Flat White, which also come from Oceania, comparing concentration, milk foam thickness, cup size, and flavor performance one by one, to help you fully understand the appeal of this hidden Australian-style coffee.

In Melbourne's coffee shops, there is an espresso milk coffee with a rather unique name, usually quietly hidden in secret menus, waiting for those in the know to discover its charm: the "Magic Coffee" from Oceania.

Magic coffee? Marvelous coffee? Magical coffee?

Magic Coffee originated in the South Melbourne area. It is said to have been accidentally created by a local cafe called St Ali, and today it is mainly popular in the city of Melbourne. To Melbourne baristas, the word "Magic" is like a code phrase used to describe a cup of hot milk coffee that is full and substantial in texture, completely free of bitterness at the finish, and relatively small in volume.

Like its name, the Magic is quite mysterious in its existence. It is rarely written into a cafe's official menu, people cannot quite explain its origins, and many baristas in other countries have never even heard of it. Therefore, compared with the now widely known Flat White, it can be called "the most obscure milk coffee in history." Precisely because the Magic is so niche, there is still no corresponding Chinese name for it in China. If one had to translate it, Front Street Coffee thinks calling it "magic coffee" is quite fitting.

Although this special hidden item has long become an indispensable part of Melbourne's coffee culture, it is still hard to find in other countries or regions. Upon hearing the word "Magic," most baristas taking the order will look blank. But if the person standing in front of you is a genuine Melbourne barista, you only need to say "One Magic," and he will immediately understand. Then you will receive a cup of "magic" made just for you.

So where exactly is the "magic" of the Magic reflected?

As a typical member of Australian-style coffee, the Magic is a product born from Melburnians' continuous pursuit of specialty espresso. The coffee strength brought by a double Ristretto, combined with a smaller proportion of hot milk and paired with light, thin milk foam, not only weakens the bitterness at the finish but also allows the aroma of the beans to be released more brilliantly. It exactly caters to customers who want a solid coffee taste and rich crema aroma but do not want to take in too much milk, and the whole cup leaves no feeling of fullness after drinking.

In terms of preparation, like other classic espresso milk coffees, the Magic has no unified ratio standard. It depends more on the size of the vessel used and the barista's understanding of the drink, combined with the characteristics of the beans, adjusting the appropriate amount of milk, temperature, and foam thickness, etc., to tailor it.

A traditional Magic uses a double Ristretto as its base, then pours in steamed milk with dense, thin microfoam (less than 0.5 cm), and serves it in a ceramic cup of about 5-6 ounces (120 ml-170 ml). The barista will not fill the cup to the brim, but rather integrate it to about three-quarters of the cup, so it looks like a Flat White with too little milk.

Magic, Piccolo, Flat White: satisfy three wishes at once

Friends who like milk coffee have probably already noticed by this point that the Piccolo, the Flat White, and the Magic coffee introduced today by Front Street Coffee all come from Oceania, are all made only from espresso and steamed milk, and all share the characteristics of a small cup size, intense flavor, silky milk foam, and being served only hot. Moreover, in China, all three coffees have been labeled "authentic Australian-style milk coffee." So how do they differ in taste?

Taking Front Street Coffee's output as an example, the espresso beans used are the shop's Sunflower · Warm Sun. The morning Espresso extraction parameters are 20 grams of coffee grounds, extracting 38 grams of coffee liquid in 30 seconds. Here, the Ristretto extraction plan is to take only 70% of the Espresso, that is, 20 grams of coffee grounds, extracting about 27 grams of coffee liquid in 23 seconds.

In terms of cup selection, Front Street Coffee's recreation of the Magic uses a 150 ml ceramic cup, the Flat White is served in a cup of about 250 ml, and the Piccolo is made in a transparent glass of about 3 ounces (90 ml).

Magic: double Ristretto, thin milk foam about 0.3 cm, three-quarters full Flat White: double Ristretto, thin milk foam about 0.3 cm, full cup (milk foam level with the rim)

Piccolo: single Espresso, medium milk foam 0.5 cm, full cup (milk foam slightly domed)

When the three cups of coffee are placed together, the Magic has the highest coffee concentration. The first sip is a very assertive coffee flavor that makes you frown slightly, and only then does the aroma of the crema linger in the mouth. By the second sip, you can feel the caramel and cocoa aromas of the beans, making it a relatively bold type of milk coffee;

The smallest cup, the Piccolo, uses only a single shot, so it highlights the milk aroma and the sweetness of lactose even more. In addition, the thicker milk foam makes it feel like drinking a mini latte; while the largest cup, the Flat White, combines rich coffee aroma and delicate milk texture without leaning to either side, giving it the most balanced overall taste.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.