Order “a coffee” in Sydney and the barista hands you a flat white. Order one in Los Angeles and you get a filter cup the size of a small bucket. That gap is exactly why most celebrity coffee order lists are useless to anyone reading them in Australia. They are American, Starbucks-shaped, and stuffed with words like “venti” that no Melbourne café will recognise.
This guide fixes that. I have pulled together the coffee orders famous people have actually confirmed or been caught holding, then translated each into what you would order at a normal Aussie café. For every star you get the real source, the local equivalent, and a quick way to make it at home. Australian names included, Hugh Jackman very much among them.
Why Celebrity Coffee Orders Look Different in Australia
Most viral “what the stars drink” lists come from US outlets, and they are built around one chain: Starbucks. That brand barely matters here. Starbucks opened in Sydney in 2000, expanded for eight years, then shut roughly 70% of its stores in 2008 after heavy losses (CNBC reporting, cited in Corner Coffee Store’s 2026 Australian coffee roundup).
The reason is cultural, not commercial. Italian and Greek immigrants brought espresso to Australia from the mid-20th century, and by the 1980s locals had their own drinks, including the flat white and the Australian macchiato. By the time Starbucks turned up with sugary, oversized cups and “tall, grande, venti” sizing, Australians already had a café on every corner doing it better.
So the numbers look nothing like America’s. Large chains (Starbucks, Gloria Jean’s, The Coffee Club) make up only about 5% of the Australian market, per a 2016 IBISWorld figure. Independents run roughly 95% of neighbourhood cafés. The latte is the nation’s favourite at around a third of espresso sales, the flat white sits second near 24%, and a latte averages $3.96 AUD a cup, with a flat white only a few cents dearer (Statista data via Corner Coffee Store).
The practical upshot is simple. When an American article says a star orders a “grande nonfat caramel latte,” that is not an order you can place at Proud Mary in Melbourne. You have to convert it. Converting is most of what this guide does.
A quick Aussie ordering cheat sheet
If you only know American coffee words, here is the local translation. A flat white is espresso under steamed milk with a thin microfoam layer, served small. A latte is the same but taller and milkier. A long black is espresso poured over hot water (the closest thing to American “black coffee”). A short black is a straight espresso shot. A long macchiato is a longer espresso marked with a little milk, and a piccolo is a tiny milk coffee in a glass. Sizes here are small, regular and large, not tall, grande and venti.
Celebrity Coffee Orders, Decoded (and How to Order Them Here)
I have stuck to orders the celebrity confirmed, said in an interview, or was clearly photographed with. Where something is secondhand, I have said so. Each entry gives the original order, the Aussie café version, and a one-line way to make it at home.
Pedro Pascal: the six-shot monster. This one is real, and he has owned it. A fan photo outside Starbucks in March 2023 showed Pascal’s cup label: an iced quad espresso, extra ice, six shots. He confirmed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live, calling the exposure “violating” and explaining the shot count crept up over the years as cups got bigger. Six shots is roughly 380mg of caffeine, since a shot runs about 63mg. Aussie version: a six-shot iced long black, heavy on the ice. Most cafés will make it; some will raise an eyebrow. At home: pull or brew six espresso shots (a strong stovetop Moka works), then pour over a glass packed with ice. No milk.
Hugh Jackman: a flat white, naturally. The most Australian order on the list, from the most Australian man on it. Jackman grew up in Sydney and co-founded Laughing Man Coffee in 2011, where the signature drink is a flat white. His story is good enough that it gets its own section below. Aussie version: you are already there. A flat white is a flat white. At home: one or two espresso shots, then silky steamed milk with a thin microfoam layer, in a 160ml cup.
Ariana Grande: a soy latte. Grande is a long-time Starbucks collaborator (the Cloud Macchiato was hers in 2019), but her everyday order is simpler and dairy-free: a soy latte, regular or large. She is vegan, so the soy is the default rather than a fad. Aussie version: a regular or large soy latte. Easy anywhere. At home: espresso plus steamed soy milk, more milk than a flat white, in a taller glass.
Taylor Swift: a caramel latte. Swift’s reported regular is a caramel nonfat latte. It is documented enough that Starbucks ran a “Taylor’s Latte” tie-in around the 2021 re-release of Red, letting customers order it by name. Aussie version: a skim latte with a shot of caramel syrup. At home: espresso, steamed skim milk, a splash of caramel syrup stirred through.
Kim Kardashian: a tiny white chocolate mocha. Kardashian confirmed on X in 2023 that her order is a hot tall white chocolate mocha with whipped cream, though she has also said she often sips only a little and tries to limit caffeine and dairy, sometimes opting for a soy chai instead. Aussie version: a small white mocha with cream, or a soy chai latte on the lighter days. At home: espresso, steamed milk, white chocolate stirred in, a small swirl of cream on top.
Khloé Kardashian: a serious chai. Her reported order from a 2019 chat is a venti, seven-pump, no-water chai latte. A standard chai latte uses about five pumps diluted with water, so hers lands a good deal stronger. Aussie version: an extra-strong chai latte, no water, made on milk. At home: chai concentrate (no added water) topped with steamed milk.
Zendaya: an iced matcha. Not coffee at all, which is worth including because plenty of café regulars skip the bean entirely. Zendaya’s reported order is an iced matcha green tea latte with coconut milk. Aussie version: an iced matcha latte on coconut milk, standard at most specialty cafés now. At home: whisk matcha powder with a little hot water, then pour over iced coconut milk.
Sabrina Carpenter: a seasonal chai. Carpenter has been linked to an iced chai with pumpkin cream cold foam, and a brown sugar shaken espresso when the pumpkin version is out of season. Aussie version: an iced chai latte, with cinnamon on top if you want the autumn feel. At home: brewed chai over ice with cold milk, or an iced chai sachet.
Chris Pratt: black coffee, fourteen sugars. Pratt told Ellen he orders a black coffee with 14 Splendas. It is a bit, but it is his bit. Aussie version: a long black, and a frankly upsetting number of sugar sachets. At home: a long black, sweetened to a level you are not proud of.
Ben Affleck: a Dunkin’ loyalist. Affleck’s whole coffee identity is Dunkin’, not Starbucks, and he has leaned into it hard, ads and all. Aussie version: there isn’t one, mate. Dunkin’ has no real footprint here, so the honest swap is a takeaway flat white or long black from an actual café. At home: a strong drip or filter coffee with milk, kept cheap and cheerful.
The Aussie Angle: Hugh Jackman and the Flat White
If you want proof that a coffee order can say something about a person, start with Jackman. He has talked about growing up in Australia surrounded by lattes and flat whites long before those drinks went global, and he summed up the local attitude neatly: order “a coffee” without specifying, he told Food & Wine, and you will simply be handed a flat white. He also called Australia’s coffee culture “amazing,” which from a man who now sells coffee for a living is at least on brand.
His own venture began with a person, not a product. On a 2009 trip to Ethiopia, Jackman met a coffee farmer named Dukale, and the encounter pushed him toward fair-trade sourcing. In 2011 he co-founded Laughing Man Coffee with David Steingard. The company was later acquired by Keurig, and Jackman has said he takes no personal profit, directing proceeds through his Laughing Man Foundation. The signature drink at his New York shops is, predictably, the flat white.
That drink is the one to get right at home, because it is the order most Australians actually place. A flat white is one or two shots of espresso under steamed milk with a thin microfoam layer, served small at around 150 to 160ml. The difference from a latte is milk volume and froth: less milk, less foam, stronger coffee. The difference from a cappuccino is the foam again, since a flat white skips the thick foam cap.
A few things matter more than the exact recipe. Fresh beans, ground just before you brew. Milk steamed to silk, not boiled to bubbles. And a small cup, because a flat white drowned in a mug stops being a flat white. If you enjoy exploring the wider world of coffee culture and lifestyle content, Mumblescafe.com covers everything from home-brewing tips to trending online topics, including Hidden No Deposit Bonus Codes www.mumblescafe.com and other popular reads.
I will be honest: my first few home flat whites were grim. The milk was the problem every time, too hot and too foamy. Once I stopped chasing latte-art foam and aimed for flat, glossy milk, it finally clicked.
Common Mistakes When Copying a Celebrity Coffee Order
The orders are fun. Copying them blindly is where people come unstuck.
Chasing the caffeine. Pascal’s six shots are a personality, not a recommendation. That is around 380mg of caffeine in one hit, close to the 400mg daily ceiling many health bodies suggest for adults. Two shots is plenty for almost everyone.
Expecting Starbucks sizes. “Venti” and “grande” mean nothing at an independent Aussie café. Ask for small, regular or large, and expect smaller, stronger drinks than the American versions.
Drowning the coffee in syrup. Plenty of celebrity orders are dessert with a splash of espresso. Fine occasionally, but if you drink it daily the sugar piles up fast. Treat the syrup as a treat, not a default.
Confusing flat white, latte and cappuccino. They are not interchangeable. Flat white: less milk, thin microfoam, stronger. Latte: more milk, taller, milder. Cappuccino: thick foam cap. Getting this wrong is the most common café-newbie slip.
Assuming dairy-free is just for show. Grande’s soy and Zendaya’s coconut milk are not quirks; they change taste and texture. Soy is nuttier and splits more easily, coconut is sweeter and thinner. Worth knowing before you order one for the aesthetic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What coffee does Pedro Pascal drink? Pedro Pascal drinks an iced quad espresso with six shots. He confirmed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2023, after a fan photo exposed his cup label. That is roughly 380mg of caffeine. In an Australian café, the closest order is a six-shot iced long black with extra ice.
What is Hugh Jackman’s favourite coffee? Hugh Jackman’s favourite is a flat white, the signature drink at Laughing Man Coffee, the company he co-founded in 2011. Jackman grew up in Sydney, and has said Australia’s coffee culture shaped his taste, noting to Food & Wine that an unspecified order there simply gets you a flat white.
What’s the Australian version of a Starbucks latte? A Starbucks latte maps closely to a standard Australian café latte, just smaller and usually stronger. Local sizes are small, regular and large rather than tall, grande and venti, and the default is espresso-forward with far less syrup, so it tastes of coffee rather than of sweetener.
Is a flat white stronger than a latte? Generally, yes. A flat white uses the same espresso but less steamed milk and only a thin microfoam layer, so the coffee comes through more strongly. A latte has more milk and is served taller, which makes it milder and creamier. Both usually start from one or two shots.
What does Taylor Swift order at Starbucks? Taylor Swift’s reported order is a caramel nonfat latte. It became well known enough that Starbucks promoted a “Taylor’s Latte” around the 2021 re-release of her album Red, letting fans order it by name. The Aussie equivalent is a skim latte with a shot of caramel syrup.
Why did Starbucks fail in Australia? Starbucks struggled because Australia already had a deep café culture before it arrived in 2000. Locals preferred independent cafés, espresso drinks like the flat white, and less sugary coffee. After large losses, the chain closed about 70% of its Australian stores in 2008, a case study still cited in business circles today.
What is the most popular coffee order in Australia? The latte is Australia’s most popular café coffee, making up roughly a third of espresso-based sales, with the flat white second near 24%, according to Statista figures. The latte averages around $3.96 AUD a cup, and a flat white costs only a few cents more.
The Takeaway
Celebrity coffee orders are a fun way in, but the useful part is the translation. Once you know Pascal’s six-shot is just a big iced long black, and Jackman’s flat white is the same one you would order on any Australian high street, the mystique drops away and you are left with a drink you can actually have.
Pick one that suits you, not one that suits a film schedule. If you take your coffee black, Pratt’s order, minus the fourteen sugars, is closer to your world than Swift’s caramel latte. Then make it at home once or twice before you judge it.
Next time you are at your local, skip the usual and order a star’s drink, Aussie-style. Worst case, you learn you hate matcha. Best case, you have got yourself a new regular.
