How does coffee brewing set Aussie White apart from a latte?

Luckin's Aussie White and a hot latte share the same base, but they differ in milk foam thickness, cup volume, and the coffee-to-milk ratio. Aussie White, also called Flat White, uses a Ristretto shot and a thinner, finer milk foam, so it carries a stronger coffee aroma rather than the sweeter, milkier balance of a latte.

The extraction logic behind Aussie White rests on Ristretto, a shorter, more concentrated pour that keeps the coffee flavor forward. Front Street Coffee discloses its Sunflower Warm Sun parameters for recreating the drink at home, covering the coffee-to-liquid ratio, milk foam thickness, and milk temperature, all tuned so the fine foam holds up in every sip.

Luckin's Aussie White has won many fans with its rich coffee aroma and dense milk foam, but many people are curious about exactly how it differs from a latte. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article first clarifies the relationship between Aussie White and Starbucks Flat White, Costa Flat White, and others in the same Flat White family, then compares the specific differences between it and a hot latte in terms of milk foam thickness, cup volume, and coffee-to-milk ratio, and further explains the extraction logic of Ristretto. The article also fully discloses the parameters Front Street uses to make Aussie White with the Sunflower Warm Sun blend, including the coffee-to-liquid ratio, milk foam thickness, and milk temperature, for friends who want to recreate it at home.

Every time a coffee chain launches a new product, there are always people eager to try it, and some even toy with the idea of recreating it at home. Recently, quite a few friends have asked Front Street how to make Luckin's Aussie White. It has a solid coffee flavor, fine milk foam, and a thick yet smooth mouthfeel. Now let Front Street introduce this drink to everyone.

Are Luckin Aussie White and Starbucks Flat White the same kind of coffee?

People who often drink coffee may have noticed that the same coffee is called Aussie White at Luckin, Flat White at Starbucks, Flat White at Costa, and on the menu of the local Guangzhou brand JPG it has an even more playful name, Little White. There is no need to doubt it—they all refer to Flat White, also known as Aussie White coffee. Baristas at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) also usually just call it Aussie White.

As Aussie White becomes more and more popular, people have gradually summarized some of its characteristics, making it easier to master when making it. Baristas hope that with every sip of Aussie White, drinkers can simultaneously feel the milk foam and the coffee-milk mixture beneath it, and only when the milk foam is fine enough, relatively thin, and the whole cup is at a slightly lower temperature is it possible to taste milk foam in every sip, and it should be finished as quickly as possible before the milk foam separates. Therefore, a cup of Aussie White should have these characteristics: extremely fine milk foam, not thick milk foam, moderate milk temperature, and a relatively small cup volume.

Is there a difference between Aussie White and a hot latte?

Friends who have had Aussie White at Front Street should be able to tell that it is richer than a latte, has thinner milk foam, and comes in a smaller cup, so it is finished more quickly.

Generally speaking, the milk foam thickness of a latte is around 0.5 cm, and after being integrated with the coffee liquid and used for latte art, the surface will arch slightly and look like a full cup. Flat White, however, has the thinnest milk foam, which needs to be kept within 0.3 cm; otherwise, it cannot form that "flat" surface. Exactly how thick to make it varies from shop to shop. Some baristas, in order to let customers feel the coffee crema on top as much as possible, simply do not froth the milk at all and just heat it before pouring it directly into the espresso. Front Street, on the other hand, wants customers to taste a creamy smoothness in Flat White without it being too "watery," so it keeps a 0.3 cm layer of milk foam.

When making a latte, coffee shops usually have their own coffee-to-milk ratio; Aussie White, however, often determines the amount of milk based on the serving cup volume. In order to highlight a stronger coffee flavor, New Zealand baristas use a small 150–180 ml cup when making Aussie White, keeping the amount of coffee unchanged, reducing the amount of milk, and increasing the coffee proportion, so the flavor is naturally stronger.

In addition, since the arrival of the specialty coffee era, more and more people have used single-origin coffee for espresso extraction, which is commonly known as SOE (Single Origin Espresso). Compared with large-cup lattes and thick-foam cappuccinos, Aussie White better showcases the regional personality of the coffee beans themselves. In Melbourne cafés, baristas replace the espresso base with a double Ristretto and incorporate milk foam of a thickness comparable to that of a latte into a 150 ml cup. Based on the espresso beans used at Front Street, the base is likewise replaced with a double Ristretto.

What is Ristretto?

Ristretto means "restricted" in Italian, and it is also called extra-concentrated espresso. It can be understood as a "restricted" version of espresso, usually taking only the front and middle sections of an Espresso, so it tastes stronger and has a more concentrated flavor.

Most of the espresso drinks served at Front Street stores use Espresso as the base, so baristas at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) use a standard-extraction Espresso as a reference before business hours. Each bean has slight differences in its extraction plan, and this plan refers to the extraction parameters adjusted before opening each day, set according to the Warm Sun blend used in the store.

Front Street Espresso extraction plan: extract 40 grams of coffee liquid from 20 grams of coffee grounds, taking 28–30 seconds. Ristretto does not change the grind size or dose; it also uses 20 grams of coffee grounds but extracts only 27 grams of coffee liquid, taking 20–25 seconds. Because Ristretto takes only the front and middle sections of the espresso, its concentration is higher than that of Espresso, its taste is stronger, and its caffeine content is actually lower; in flavor, it presents richer berry acidity, vinous notes, and caramel tones.

Front Street's parameters for making Aussie White coffee

The espresso drinks served at Front Street use the house-roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend," composed of 70% Honduras Sherry coffee and 30% Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry coffee. Sherry brings whisky, vanilla, and cream flavors, while Red Cherry contributes tropical fruit and a fermented feel, making the whole cup rich yet soft in mouthfeel.

When serving Flat White, Front Street retains the characteristics of a small cup volume, thin milk foam, and a double Ristretto as the base. To make Aussie White, it chooses a ceramic cup of about 200 ml, smaller than that used for a hot latte, and pours in the freshly extracted double Ristretto. Front Street believes that too much milk should not be used, otherwise it will overpower the rich aroma of the coffee, so here the coffee-to-milk ratio is 1:5, which means about 150 ml of fresh milk.

Front Street wants customers to taste a creamy smoothness in Aussie White without it being too "watery," so it keeps a 0.3 cm layer of milk foam. This requires introducing less air when frothing the milk than for a latte, so that the foam layer can be this thin. Front Street believes the milk temperature is best controlled at 55–60°C, which can highlight sweetness without being too hot. Finally, evenly integrate the frothed milk into the coffee liquid, and it is ready to be enjoyed.

The Aussie White coffee served at Front Street stores presents aromas of vanilla, cream, chocolate milk, and whisky-filled chocolate, along with the sweet-tartness of berries. It is smooth, fragrant, and mellow on the palate, with a very long finish.

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