How does an Italian coffee latte differ from a flat white?

Both drinks combine espresso with milk, but the proportions differ. A flat white uses less milk and thinner foam, so the coffee flavor stays forward and the texture is smooth. It is served in a small cup, around 200 milliliters. An authentic flat white has no iced version; neither Australia nor New Zealand records one, though both countries claim its origin.

An Italian coffee latte is built on the same espresso base, yet the higher milk volume and thicker foam soften the roast character. That is why the flat white reads as more concentrated. Cup size, milk quantity, foam thickness, and pouring method each change the result, so matching them to the drink is the practical step for reproducing either at home or in a cafe.

Both made from espresso and milk, the flat white and the latte nonetheless present distinctly different flavor profiles. Drawing on Front Street Coffee's experience in production, this article sorts out the controversy over the flat white's origins, its core differences from the latte, cup size selection, the choice between hot and iced versions, and specific extraction parameters and preparation techniques. By comparing milk quantity, foam thickness, and pouring method, it helps coffee lovers understand why the flat white tastes richer and smoother, and offers practical reference for recreating it at home or in a café.

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Many friends who frequent cafés have surely noticed that nowadays, regardless of the size of the shop, almost every menu features a drink called "flat white." Like the latte, it is made from a combination of espresso and milk, but the two differ noticeably in the ratio of coffee to milk, the thickness of the milk foam, and the preparation method.

The Difference Between Flat White and Latte

In tracing the origins of the flat white, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has learned that both Australia and New Zealand claim to be its birthplace, but one thing is common to both: the flat white is an Italian-style milk coffee with a prominent coffee flavor, allowing you to sense both the intense character of the espresso and the unique flavor and mouthfeel that arise when milk and coffee blend together.

Overall, compared with a latte, a flat white uses less milk and has thinner foam, so the flavor is more concentrated, and it goes down as smooth as velvet.

What Cup Size Is Suitable for a Flat White?

Since the volume of a flat white is far smaller than that of a latte, serving it in a latte cup would make the portion look too small. It is recommended to choose a smaller cup, about two hundred milliliters being most suitable. When Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) makes a flat white, it uses a 200ml straight-sided cup.

Does Flat White Come in Iced?

An authentic flat white has no cold version; neither in Australia nor New Zealand is there any record of an iced flat white. However, to accommodate customer demand and save the trouble of repeatedly explaining, many coffee shops have still introduced a cold version. For example, Starbucks' Iced Flat White is essentially a flat white, just borrowing the transliteration of "flat white" and naming it "Fu Rui Bai."

The method is to first use the same ratio of milk as for a hot flat white, add ice cubes, then pour in an equal amount and concentration of espresso. If stirred evenly and drunk, it probably won't differ much from an iced latte. So if you want to experience the distinctive style of a flat white, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends choosing the hot version.

How Is a Flat White Made?

In its daily production of Italian-style coffee, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses sunflower warm-sun coffee beans—a blend of 30% sun-dried Yirgacheffe and 70% Honduras Sherry—to extract the espresso. Confirmed by Front Street's cupping, this blend shows distinct fermented wine aromas, the sweet-tartness of berries, the fragrance of roasted nuts, and a caramel-like sweetness.

During extraction, the pressure is usually controlled at 9 to 10 bar, the water temperature is set at 94 degrees, and the powder-to-liquid ratio is about 1:2. Specifically, take 18 to 20 grams of coffee powder and extract 35 to 40 grams of coffee liquid.

Prepare a 200ml straight-sided cup, add a double shot of espresso (about 35 grams), then pour in the steamed thin milk foam (about 0.5 cm thick) and hot milk, injecting from the center position on the premise of dispersing the espresso, so that a gradually layered flavor can be formed. The first sip is the rich fermented wine aroma of the espresso, the second sip is the strawberry milkshake sensation that emerges after the coffee and milk blend, and the third sip is the roasted nut aroma given off by a small amount of coffee combined with milk.

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