Coffee houses used to be places where rebellions were planned and where deals were struck. In the 18th century they were the central trading houses for shares and bonds, a fairly new idea at the time. Lloyd's Bank has its roots in this world, having itself started as a coffee house. However, coffee in the twentieth century was very different. Seen as a slightly strange drink that had a peculiar popularity on the continent, good coffee was hard to find. Then came the chains. Still not so good, but better. After a while they upped their game and good coffee came to be expected. No we are in the midst of a new wave of smaller artisan cafe's that focus on high quality in preparation and detail in sourcing. At least half of these places are run by antipodians. Enter - 'the flat white'.