Why Is Cappuccino Called Cappuccino and How Does It Differ?

A flat white is a milk coffee from Oceania with a stronger coffee flavor, less milk, and thinner foam than a latte. Australia and New Zealand still dispute who invented it, and baristas differ on the espresso base: New Zealand favors a double ristretto, Australia a single espresso. Starbucks brought it to China in 2015, where it is known as furui bai.

The cappuccino name meaning traces to the drink's foam and color rather than to the flat white, which sits closer to a latte in build. The three differ by cup size, foam thickness, espresso amount, and mouthfeel. Comparing those dimensions makes it easier to tell a flat white, a latte, and a cappuccino apart and to pick the cup that fits a given preference.

Flat White, known by more people in China as "馥芮白", is a milk coffee with a more prominent coffee flavor and thinner milk foam than a latte. It originated in Oceania, and Australia and New Zealand are still competing over who invented it, with baristas in both countries also having different preferences when it comes to choosing the espresso base. After Starbucks introduced it to the Chinese market in 2015, this once niche drink quickly became popular. So what exactly is the difference between a Flat White, a latte, and a cappuccino? Front Street Coffee will compare them one by one from the dimensions of cup size, milk foam thickness, espresso amount, and flavor and mouthfeel, to help you sort out the differences among these three classic milk coffees and find the cup that suits you best.

When it comes to rich and mellow milk coffee, the first name that pops into many people's minds is probably Starbucks' "馥芮白". The internationally used name for this drink is Flat White, which is also what Flat White coffee is. In its early years in China, it was almost ignored, and only after Starbucks put it on the menu did it gradually become familiar to the public. Today it has firmly secured a place among popular coffees.

What exactly is Flat White coffee?

The English original name of Flat White coffee, "Flat White", is more widely known. It also has various Chinese translated names such as "馥芮白", "奥瑞白", "平白咖啡", and "小白咖啡". This coffee comes from Oceania, though whether it was invented in Australia or New Zealand still has no definitive answer. Essentially, a Flat White can be understood as the Australian version of a latte. It was initially popular only locally in Australia. Later, Starbucks brought "Flat White" to China and gave it a beautiful name that is both transliterated and free-translated, "馥芮白", and the drink gradually became popular in China.

Not only is its place of origin disputed, but the method of making Flat White coffee also varies from region to region. Overall, it is a milk coffee with a stronger coffee flavor, less milk, and thinner milk foam. As for the espresso base, New Zealand baristas prefer to use a double ristretto to make a Flat White, while Australian baristas are accustomed to using a single espresso.

The historical origins of Flat White

Regarding the birth of the Flat White, Australians and New Zealanders each have their own accounts and both insist that this drink came from their own country, and the Flat White recipes given by baristas in the two countries are also completely different. Although it is difficult to verify who deserves the credit for the invention, one thing is certain: the appearance of this drink stemmed from people's pursuit of higher-quality coffee.

Before the 1970s, Australian cafes mainly relied on French presses and manual drip brewing to make black coffee. In the early 1970s, Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, setting off a new wave of coffee culture. Compared with traditional lattes and cappuccinos, Australians wanted a milk drink with thinner milk foam and a stronger coffee flavor. As a result, milk coffee was repeatedly improved in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. When the milk foam on the surface was made flatter and flatter, until only a thin layer remained and it was completely level with the rim of the cup, it was named Flat White—"Flat" meaning flat, and "White" referring to white coffee with milk added.

Entering the 1980s, Australians added the Flat White to fixed menus, and it then gradually spread to cafes in Europe and the United States. The reason the Flat White truly became a popular product in China was thanks to Starbucks' introduction in 2015, when it was named "馥芮白" and made one of its signature drinks, marking that this milk coffee had entered the mainstream.

Returning to the drink itself, the idea behind the Flat White is to use milk to bring out the flavor of the coffee. The coffee is the protagonist and the milk is only a supporting role, so it tastes fuller and more intense in coffee flavor. Combined with the thin layer of milk foam on the surface, every sip of rich coffee liquid is wrapped in velvety, dense foam. It is served at a moderate temperature and in a relatively small cup, so it can be finished before the milk foam separates. In addition to differences in cup size and milk foam thickness, some baristas, in order to more fully display the aroma of the coffee beans, replace the base with a double ristretto and produce milk foam in a 150ml cup with a thickness similar to that of a latte.

Front Street Coffee teaches you to distinguish latte, cappuccino, and Flat White

To clearly distinguish latte, cappuccino, and Flat White coffee, Front Street Coffee plans to compare them in terms of ingredient composition, cup size, milk foam thickness, and flavor and mouthfeel.

First, look at cup size. According to Front Street Coffee's production standards, a latte uses a 300ml wide-mouth ceramic cup, a cappuccino uses a 180ml narrow-mouth ceramic cup, and a Flat White uses a 210ml glass. Next, look at the composition of these three coffees: a latte is 2 servings of espresso (40g) plus 260ml steamed milk and thin milk foam; a cappuccino is 1 serving of espresso (20g) plus 160ml steamed milk and thick milk foam; a Flat White is 2 servings of ristretto (30g) plus 180ml steamed milk and thin milk foam. The ristretto here is taken from the middle and front sections of the espresso extraction, giving it a richer and more intense flavor.

Latte

Milk foam thickness has always been a key indicator for distinguishing a latte, a cappuccino, and a Flat White. Among the three, cappuccino has the thickest milk foam, about 1 to 1.5cm, and its most obvious feature is that the foam rises above the rim of the cup, forming a raised "hamburger-like" shape; Flat White has the thinnest milk foam, about 0.3cm, and because it is so thin, the liquid surface is basically level with the rim of the cup, so it is also called flat white coffee; the milk foam thickness of a latte falls between the two, about 0.5cm. This thickness is very suitable for latte art, and one reason for choosing a wide-mouth cup is to better present the latte art pattern.

Flat White

In terms of taste and mouthfeel, because a latte has the highest proportion of milk, the espresso does not dominate the overall flavor; the two complement each other, balanced and mutually enhancing. A Flat White uses ristretto plus a small amount of milk, highlighting the aroma of the coffee without too much bitterness. A cappuccino, on the other hand, places more emphasis on the taste of the coffee itself. In terms of mouthfeel, cappuccino is the fullest, with delicate, rich milk foam blending with coffee crema, making it especially smooth; next is Flat White, and latte comes last.

Cappuccino

One final point: latte, cappuccino, and Flat White were all originally hot drinks, but over time, latte developed an iced version, while cappuccino and Flat White still only come as hot drinks.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.