Australia’s beloved flat white has been knocked off its perch, with new data suggesting the drink most associated with the nation’s cafe culture is no longer the coffee order of choice.
Figures released by nutrition and food-tracking app MyFitnessPal showed a latte is now the country’s most popular coffee order, with espresso second, cappuccino third and black coffee in fourth.
A flat white, long treated as a symbol of Australian coffee identity, was ranked only fifth.
The data pointed to a broader shift in what Aussies are drinking, with coffee logs on the app rising eight per cent year on year while matcha logged a surge of 33.8 per cent over the same period.
Matcha remains well behind coffee overall, but it is gaining ground.
In 2024, there was roughly one matcha logged for every 74 coffees, according to the data.
By 2025, that had narrowed to one matcha for every 60 coffees.
MyFitnessPal said younger Aussies were driving the increase, with those aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 53 per cent of all matcha logs.
Women made up 82 per cent of the recorded matcha drinks, compared with only 18 per cent from men.
Women aged 25 to 34 were the single largest matcha consumers, with the number of logs among women aged 18 to 24 more than doubling between 2024 and 2025.
It comes amid research from Canstar, which showed 29 per cent of Australians had given up buying takeaway coffee as the average drink now costs $5.90.
The average coffee drinker buys four cups a week, setting them back $23.60.
Canstar’s consumer expert Eden Radford said surging coffee prices have forced households to reconsider this expense.
“With the average takeaway coffee creeping close to six dollars, the daily cup has quickly become a notable line item in the household budget,” Ms Radford said.
“However, Aussies aren’t giving up their daily caffeine hit, they’re getting smarter about where they get it instead.”
One in five said they have purchased a coffee machine to avoid buying out.
Nutritionist and MyFitnessPal ambassador Michaela Sparrow said the latest data showed that matcha was beginning to establish itself with the competitive cafe landscape.
“Australia has an established coffee culture, so it’s fascinating to see another drink beginning to carve out its own space – particularly among younger Australians,” she said.
“We may love a flat white or cappuccino, but this data clearly shows us an unexpected beverage is carving out a place of its own.”
Ms Sparrow said matcha was a gentler alternative to coffee.
“From a nutrition perspective, matcha also has more to offer than its viral popularity alone might suggest. As a powdered form of green tea, it naturally contains antioxidants, as well as caffeine, so it can provide an alternative for people looking to mix up their usual coffee routine with an option often gentler on sensitive stomachs,” she said.
Read related topics:Cost of LivingHealth and Beauty