'Deconstructed' latte served in Australian cafe ignites online debate about 'hipster coffee'

If you stare aimlessly at the board at your local cafe, wondering why they can't just serve you a regular coffee, there are a lot of other people who seem to have similar feelings. A photo of a "deconstructed coffee" from Melbourne, Australia has had online commenters in their thousands and media outlets up in arms over "hipster coffee".

Writer Jamila Rizvi posted that she spent 20 minutes waiting for a cup of coffee that ended up arriving in three separate beakers − one with espresso, one with hot water and one with milk.

"Hipsterism has gone too far when your coffee comes deconstructed," Rizvi wrote in the post.

"I wanted a coffee. Not a science experiment. I prefer to drink my beverages out of crockery and not beakers."

Some commenters agreed with her, one saying: "If I wanted to make my coffee I would stay home. You go out for coffee to have it made for you. It's lifes little luxury."

Others disagreed, with one saying that it is "just a fun experience" and another saying that she loved the idea because "you never know how strong a coffee is going to be and you can make it however strong or weak you like it!"

Speaking to the BBC, Rizvi said: "More than anything, it was not quite knowing what I was supposed to do... For most people who are coffee drinkers, it is a daily if not several-times-daily habit, so it's easy to have an opinion on."

Rizvi went on to say that the coffee actually tasted great: "It was an excellent coffee. But it was probably a stronger milk-to-coffee ratio than I'd normally have."