How Does a Caffe Machine Pull the Ristretto Behind an Aussie White?

Flat White, listed by Luckin and other chains as Aussie White, is a milk coffee built on a ristretto shot. It uses a small cup and thin, glossy milk foam, so every sip carries both foam and coffee liquid. That differs from a latte or cappuccino, which have thicker foam and more milk.

The drink emerged in New Zealand and Australia, where espresso machines arrived in the early 1970s and changed local coffee. A barista reportedly steamed the milk too thin, the customer liked it, and the level surface gave the drink its name. A caffe machine pulling ristretto keeps the base concentrated and the cup small.

In winter, the order rate for hot milk coffee climbs, and Flat White (also known as澳瑞白) has become a popular choice in recent years. This drink, originating from New Zealand and Australia, is characterized by thin milk foam, a small cup size, and ristretto as its base, emphasizing that every sip should deliver the fusion of milk foam and coffee liquid. This article breaks down the origin of Flat White, the naming story, milk foam standards, and the extraction parameters and flavor performance of Ristretto. It also compares the differences in milk foam thickness and mouthfeel among Flat White, Latte, and Cappuccino, and shares Front Street Coffee's serving approach and flavor description. Whether you prefer a balanced milk coffee or a rich coffee aroma, you can find the cup that suits you.

Whenever the temperature drops, sales of hot milk coffee at Front Street stores rise noticeably, with lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites all being quite popular. Among these classic drinks, flat white can be considered a "new internet-famous" beverage that only gained popularity in recent years. Many people first encountered it through chain brands like Starbucks and Luckin, where it is often written on menus as 馥芮白 or 澳瑞白.

What kind of coffee is Flat White?

Flat White originated in New Zealand and Australia, where locals call it Flat White. Before the 1970s, Australian cafes mainly used French presses or manual drip methods to make black coffee. It was not until the early 1970s, when Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, that a new wave of coffee trends was sparked.

Legend has it that Flat White came about because a barista, while making a hot milk coffee, accidentally steamed the milk foam too thin but still served it as usual. Surprisingly, the customer particularly favored this drink with its thin milk foam. Later, based on its liquid surface being level with the rim of the cup, people named it Flat White.

The original design intent of Flat White is to allow the drinker to experience the fusion of milk foam and the coffee-milk beneath it in every sip. This effect can only be achieved when the milk foam is sufficiently dense and on the thin side, and when the milk coffee temperature is slightly lower, and it should be finished quickly before the milk foam separates. Therefore, there are several key points in making a Flat White: the milk foam must be extremely dense, its thickness must not be too high, the milk temperature should be moderate, and the cup size should be on the small side.

The base of Flat White is ristretto

The espresso served at Front Street uses its own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend," composed of 70% Honduras Sherry coffee and 30% Yirgacheffe sun-dried Red Cherry coffee. Sherry brings notes of whiskey, vanilla, and cream, while Red Cherry contributes tropical fruit and fermented notes, making the coffee's overall flavor rich yet soft. When making its Flat White, Front Street retains the characteristics of a small cup size, thin milk foam, and a double ristretto as the base.

Ristretto means "restricted" in Italian and can be understood as a "reduced version" of espresso, extracting only the front and middle portions of the Espresso. Since most espresso drinks in stores use Espresso as the base, the baristas at FrontStreet Coffee use a standard-extraction Espresso as a reference before opening. The extraction recipe differs slightly for each coffee bean; this set of parameters is adjusted by the barista before opening each day based on the Warm Sun Blend being used.

Front Street Espresso extraction recipe: 20 grams of coffee grounds extracted to 40 grams of coffee liquid, taking 28–30 seconds. Ristretto, however, 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 portions of the espresso, its concentration is higher than Espresso, its taste is stronger, and its caffeine content is actually lower; in flavor, it presents more intense berry acidity, wine aroma, and caramel notes.

Pour the extracted coffee liquid into a pre-prepared cup of about 200 ml capacity, then take 150 ml of milk into a milk pitcher and steam it. When steaming the milk, incorporate less air than for a latte, so the foam layer is thinner and denser; the temperature is best controlled at 55–60°C, making it easier to drink. Finally, evenly incorporate the steamed milk into the coffee liquid; latte art is optional. Front Street's Flat White shows aromas of vanilla, cream, chocolate milk, and whiskey-filled chocolate, along with the sweet-tartness of berries. It is smooth, fragrant, and mellow on the palate, with a very long finish.

Which tastes better, Flat White or Cappuccino?

People who often drink milk coffee should have noticed that Flat White, hot Latte, and Cappuccino—these three common drinks—are all made simply by combining espresso with steamed hot milk, yet they create different tastes, textures, and appearances.

Generally, the thickness of the milk foam is the main basis for distinguishing Flat White from other milk coffees. When making a cappuccino, a barista uses a shot of espresso and a thick milk foam, usually forming a 1–2 cm thick "hamburger" shape, and you must take a big sip of the foam before drinking. A latte's milk foam is slightly thinner, about 0.5 cm, so you can taste the fusion of coffee liquid and milk foam in every sip.

To taste the coffee liquid more directly and emphasize a smooth, "velvety" texture, Flat White has the thinnest milk foam. Some baristas, in order to keep the flat white from being disturbed by the taste of the oils, even filter off the milk foam layer and retain only the coffee liquid. So how thin the milk foam should be steamed originally had no fixed number. As this drink became more and more popular, in order to distinguish it from regular hot lattes and cappuccinos, people defined the thin milk foam thickness of a Flat White as about 0.3 cm–0.5 cm.

Front Street believes that everyone has unique preferences for coffee, so there is no such thing as which is better—just choose the type you like. If you want a balanced taste of coffee and milk, you can choose a hot Latte; if you want to experience the full aroma of the coffee beans, it is recommended to order a Flat White; if you want both a rich coffee flavor and the mouthfeel of thick milk foam, Cappuccino is the most suitable.

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