One of Australia's favourite drinks, the flat white, is on the menu for Americans en masse from today, with Starbucks offering its version of the hot beverage.

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While debate rages in Australia over whether the flat white is an Aussie or New Zealand invention, the big question is what it will look like in the States.

Ahead of Starbucks' big reveal, New York-based website Quartz highlighted the controversy debating what a flat white really was.

"What is a flat white? It turns out this is not a universally agreed-upon definition, and Starbucks baristas in the US should be prepared to expect some bickering - especially from visiting Aussies, Kiwis, and Brits - about what they're serving up," Gideon Lichfield wrote.

Terms such as "wet cappuccino", "small latte" and the importance of "microfoam" were bandied about by punters Lichfield quizzed.

According to a statement on the Starbucks website, the coffee giant's take on the flat white is made with two ristretto shots and microfoam-topped steamed milk.

Musician and 774 ABC Melbourne's Red Symons said previous attempts to get good coffee in the US had required carefully coaching baristas through the process.

"In order to get a decent coffee here you have to get a cup and you say 'I'd like an espresso, and then can you put another espresso in that cup, and then can you pour some milk on top - no that's enough!'" Symons said.

Symons declared the coffee a little on the weak side, but he was "happy with the foam".

"The important thing is, maybe it's not how coffee should be, but they're having a go," he said.

The flat white is not altogether new to the US - boutique coffee shops, often run by Australians, in trendy New York neighbourhoods have been serving the drink for years, according to the New York Times.

A 2010 report said the "cult drink" could be found at a handful of cafes in Manhattan and Brooklyn.