Sagging cappuccinos leave U.K. coffee lovers flat

LONDON (Reuters) -- Britain's cappuccinos have lost their froth due to a seasonal change in the diet of cows, a chain of sandwich shops said on Monday.

The cappuccino -- a coffee characterized by its top layer of light frothy milk -- is suffering from a lack of bubbles which occurs yearly as cattle move from a grass to a silage diet.

Sandwich and coffee chain Pret a Manger said it was giving leaflets to explain to customers at its 105 branches why their coffee looked so limp and had placed a froth machine with its dairy to further investigate the problem.

"Sorry if your coffee is not very frothy today," the leaflets read. "At certain times of the year our cows have a change in environment, just like us really."

Food scientist Dr Heva Ranjith told Monday's Daily Express newspaper sagging cappuccinos were due to a temporary chemical imbalance in cows' milk which appears to correct itself in a few weeks. Taste and quality were not affected.

He said he had been bombarded by calls from anxious coffee makers and was advising farmers to stagger the switch to winter feed.

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