American-Australian woman roasted over 'totally false claim' about something Aussies pride themselves on

A woman has sparked a furious debate among Australians after she claimed coffee was better in the United States than Down Under.

Renee Hahnel, who moved to Australia from the US, claimed the lattes served at coffee shops across major Aussie cities were not up to par.

'A very unpopular coffee opinion... everyone goes on about Australia having the best coffee, Ms Hahnel wrote online.

'I am a dual Aussie/American citizen and I think you can get a consistently better latte in the US if you're in a comparable city to somewhere like Melbourne or Sydney '.

The unpopular opinion sparked a furious response from Aussies, who said the coffee in the US simply couldn't compete with brews Down Under.

'I respectfully disagree with your entire post. I consistently get better coffee in Australia,' one proud Aussie wrote.

'I'm yet to have a latte in America, including coffee shops with big reputations, that holds up to your average Melbourne café,' another said.

'In my experience coffee in the USA is terrible,' a third agreed.

Others said they struggled to find good coffee in America.

'I've been to those cities and you have to hunt for it, but you can find very good coffee. Here [in Australia], I fall over it on every corner,' one wrote.

'I lived in Boston for four years (moved from Sydney). I would visit New York City often and I still had to search for good coffee,' another said.

However, some agreed coffee was not up to standard in Australia.

'Some of the absolute worst coffee I've ever had in my life was in Melbourne,' on person wrote

'The best coffee I found in Australia was on the level of a regular specialty shop in the US.'

The discussion comes as café owners consider increasing coffee prices as businesses are pushed to the brink amid the cost of living crisis.

The average cost of a coffee in Australia is $4.78 according to a new survey commissioned by .

Café owners now believe the average price of a flat white could surge to $7.

Leading Australian business analysis company CreditorWatch has forecast that one in 13 hospitality businesses will fail in the coming year.

CreditorWatch CEO Patrick Coghlan warned conditions will get worse for businesses in the hospitality sector before they get better.

'The outlook for hospitality businesses is not likely to improve until we see a lift in consumer spending,' Mr Coghlan said in a statement.