From Dutch experiments to global rituals: the complex history of milk coffee

Food & Drink · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Coffee with milk is a global language, yet its dialects vary wildly. From the layered café bombón of Spain to the inverted cafe hafuch of Israel and the creamy flat whites of New Zealand, the simple act of adding dairy to caffeine has evolved into a diverse array of cultural traditions.

The history of milk coffee is often traced back to 1660, when Johan Nieuhof, a Dutch ambassador to China, reportedly experimented with adding milk to his coffee. This innovation sparked a continental tradition that manifests today in various forms: the French café au lait, the Spanish café con leche, the Polish kawa biała, and the Austrian Wiener Melange. While these drinks share a common lineage, their preparation methods reflect distinct regional preferences and local ingredients.

Technique often defines the drink. In Israel, the cafe hafuch, or 'upside down' coffee, reverses the standard order of preparation by adding steamed milk to the cup before the espresso. Conversely, the Spanish café bombón relies on visual contrast, layering espresso over sweetened condensed milk. In Vietnam, the tradition takes a different turn with egg coffee, which incorporates egg yolks, sugar, and condensed milk, utilizing Robusta beans from the Central Highlands, a region that produces 70% of the world's supply.

Modern coffee culture has also seen the rapid spread of specific styles. The flat white, which originated in New Zealand in the late 1980s, emphasizes milk texture over the sheer volume of milk found in a traditional latte. It eventually migrated to the UK and later to the United States, where it was adopted by major chains like Starbucks in 2015. Meanwhile, regional quirks persist, such as the New England 'regular coffee,' which typically includes three creams and three sugars, or the Moroccan nus nus, which is defined by its equal parts of espresso and steamed milk.

Whether it is the Portuguese galão served in a tall glass or the Indonesian kopi susu mixed with palm sugar, these drinks highlight how a simple combination of coffee and milk can be adapted to suit local palates. The diversity of these preparations—from the use of whipped cream in Vienna to the condensed milk found in Southeast Asian kopitiams—demonstrates that milk coffee is not merely a beverage, but a reflection of global culinary history.

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