THE days of ordering a flat white or long black are gone, with Toowoomba currently experiencing a coffee renaissance.

More elaborate orders of a dry cappuccino or double ristretto are now becoming the norm among the garden city's coffee drinkers, with local cafes forced to meet demands.

Sophie Morrison, a barista at Duggan St cafe Panini, said local coffee tastes had definitely evolved, with customers no longer settling for any old brew.

"It is great to see Toowoomba developing a real coffee culture," Ms Morrison said.

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"People are starting to gain a real knowledge of coffee and it is becoming more and more evident in the types of drinks they are buying.

"The number of dry cappuccino orders has been the most surprising."

With Toowoomba's coffee drinkers now more clued up about the popular beverage, the pressure is on cafes to offer a wider range of options, which is pushing prices up.

"I have been a barista for six years and in that time the price of coffee beans has risen substantially," Ms Morrison said.

"Unfortunately it is something which is unavoidable, but I don't think it has had much of an impact on how much people are drinking coffee.

"For some people, a good coffee is an important part of their day and I can't see that changing any time soon."

ODD COFFEE FACTS

• More than 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide each year.
• Coffee beans are actually the pit of a berry.
• The average age of baristas in Italy is 48.
• The first webcam was created at Cambridge to let people know if the coffee pot was full.