White Americano: The Mystery Deepens

You know how it is - you ask for an Americano, and back comes the question, 'Do you want milk in that?' Rather than wearily remind the coffee jockey that an Americano is by definition black, being an Espresso to which hot water is added (in fact my own preference is the other way round, which preserves the crema and is technically known as a Long Black, but I know better than to ask for that), you politely reply, 'No, thank you.' Today I discovered from a barista that there is a further complication to all this - the White Americano. Ah, you might think - that'll be the Americano with milk that they're always offering me. But no, it is not - a White Americano, the barista explained, is an Americano that is not filled to the top, hence leaving white space visible above the coffee. But somehow I know in my bones that if I asked for a White Americano, I'd get an Americano ruined by the addition of milk. You can't win.