What separates a flat white from a latte in the cup?

A flat white and a latte share the same two ingredients, espresso and milk, but differ in proportion, foam thickness and pour. The flat white uses less milk, keeps the foam thin and glossy rather than airy, and delivers a stronger coffee flavor in a smaller serving, which is why it is served in a cup of roughly 200 ml rather than a wide latte cup.

The latte origins debate runs alongside the flat white's own disputed history, with Australia and New Zealand each claiming the drink, while the latte is generally traced to Italian cafe culture and its milk-heavy espresso drinks. An authentic flat white is not served iced; chilled versions lose the texture that defines it, though shops still list them.

Flat White has now become a staple product in many coffee shops. Like a latte, it is made from espresso and milk, yet there are clear differences in the ratio, the thickness of the milk foam, and the preparation technique. This article will walk you through the controversy over the origin of the Flat White, its real difference from a latte, the suitable cup size, and why there is no authentic iced version. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will share the blend bean formula, extraction parameters, and staged milk-pouring technique used in its daily Flat White production, helping you experience this coffee's gradually shifting flavor layers, from rich vinous aroma to strawberry milkshake and then to roasted nuts.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow the Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Many friends who enjoy hanging out at coffee shops have surely noticed that coffee shops large and small now all carry a product called "Flat White". Flat White Like a latte, it is also a drink made of espresso + milk. Although the ingredients are the same, the ratio of coffee to milk used, the thickness of the milk foam, and the technique all differ.

The difference between Flat White and latte

While looking through materials at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) to learn about the origins of the Flat White, we found that both Australia and New Zealand each claim to be its birthplace, but what they agree on is this: the Flat White is an espresso milk coffee with a rich coffee flavor, letting you taste the intensity of espresso as well as the distinctive flavor and mouthfeel that emerge when milk and coffee blend together.

Overall, compared with a latte, Flat White uses less milk and has thinner milk foam, and its flavor is richer, with a silky-smooth mouthfeel.

What kind of cup is used for a Flat White?

A smaller cup is recommended for a Flat White, because its volume is much smaller than a latte's, so it will look like very little in a latte cup. A cup of around 200 ml is more suitable. When Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) serves a Flat White , it uses a 200 ml straight-sided cup.

Does a Flat White come iced?

An authentic Flat White is not iced~ Neither Australia nor New Zealand mentions an iced version. However, to further satisfy customers' needs and reduce the time spent explaining, quite a few coffee shops have also launched iced versions. For example, Starbucks' iced 馥芮白 coffee is actually a Flat White. It uses a transliteration of flat white and translates it as 馥芮白.

Use the same ratio of milk as for a hot Flat White, then add ice cubes. Next, add the same portion and concentration of espresso. If you stir it evenly and drink it, it may not be obviously different from an iced latte. Therefore, if you want to taste the unique style of a Flat White, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) suggests choosing the hot one.

How do you make a Flat White?

For its daily espresso-based coffee products, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses the Sunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans, made of 30% sun-dried Yirgacheffe blended with 70% Honduras Sherry, to extract espresso. Through Front Street's cupping, it was determined that this blend expresses fermented vinous aroma, the sweet-and-sour notes of berries, the aroma of roasted nuts, and the sweetness of caramel.

It usually uses 9-10 bar of pressure and a water temperature of 94°C to extract coffee liquid at a powder-to-liquid ratio of about 1:2. Then use 18-20 g of coffee grounds to extract 35-40 g of coffee liquid.

Prepare a 200 ml straight-sided cup, add a double shot of espresso (35 g), and pour the hot milk with thin steamed milk foam (0.5 cm thick) from the center, on the premise of dispersing the espresso; this method will produce a layered, gradually shifting flavor. The first sip is the intense fermented vinous aroma of the espresso, the second sip is the strawberry milkshake flavor produced after the espresso and milk blend, and the third sip is the roasted nut flavor produced after a small amount of coffee and milk blend.

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