A cafe is the cream of the crop after its flat white was named best in the country.

Taylor St Baristas, in Queen’s Road, Brighton, scooped two awards at the Beverage Standards Association (BSA) Awards.

As well as joint best flat white it won ‘five cup accreditation’ – meaning it has reached the highest level in the quality of and presentation of drinks, customer service, ambience, cleanliness, training and sustainability procedures.

Taylor St Brighton head barista Robert Ross said: “It’s lovely to gain recognition for something we are incredibly passionate about.

“As a coffee business set up by Australians, we have always had flat whites on the menu since starting in 2006. For us the flat white is similar to all espresso based coffees. It is about getting the ratio of espresso to milk and foam right. We only use in season speciality grade coffees in the shops, the coffees change fortnightly through our guest roaster program and every two to three months with our Espresso blend called rogue.”

Taylor St was started by Australian siblings Nick, Andrew and Laura Tolley in 2006.

Gordon Howell, chairman of the BSA awards, said Taylor St Baristas had some of the best training in the business and offer an “experience second to none”.

He added: “Their flat white typifies this as it was the perfect balance of skill, artistry and knowledge.”