What Separates a Latte From a Flat White?

A latte and a flat white differ mainly in three things: the espresso base, the cup size, and the thickness of the milk foam. A flat white typically uses a ristretto extraction, so the coffee taste is stronger without turning bitter, while a latte carries a higher proportion of milk, making it sweeter and easier to drink.

The flat white's milk foam is very thin, letting the coffee and milk read as one drink, and it is only served hot, since an iced flat white does not exist. The style developed locally in Australia and spread widely after a chain launched it. Ordering comes down to whether the richer, sweeter profile or the clearer coffee flavor is wanted.

Latte and Flat White are the two most common milk coffees on coffee menus, but they differ clearly in preparation method and flavor presentation. This article compares them across three dimensions: espresso base, cup size, and milk foam thickness: Flat White typically uses a ristretto extraction, giving it a stronger coffee taste without being bitter; Latte has a higher proportion of milk, making it sweeter and easier to drink; while Flat White's milk foam is extremely thin, allowing one to directly feel the fusion of coffee and milk. In addition, the article points out that Flat White is only made as a hot drink—iced Flat White does not exist. Whether you prefer a rich, sweet sensation or seek the true taste of coffee, you can find a suitable choice here.

My mistake—today Front Street Coffee will share exactly what differences Latte and Flat White have in terms of preparation and taste!

Latte & Flat White Latte is the transliteration of "Latte," referring to a milk coffee made with a large amount of milk and espresso. It is widely popular for its distinctive latte art patterns and its taste that suits all ages.

Flat White, on the other hand, is a direct translation of "Flat white," a specialty milk coffee that evolved locally in Australia. Because its taste and mouthfeel differ from traditional Italian milk coffees, after a certain chain launched it, it spread like wildfire. The vast majority of specialty coffee shops have introduced Flat White products—calling it a "rising star" is no exaggeration.

When it comes to the differences between the two, Front Street Coffee believes they mainly fall into three aspects: espresso base, cup size, and milk foam thickness. So first, let's start with the espresso base they use. "As for the respective origin stories of these two milk coffees, friends can refer to these two articles: 'Latte Portal' and 'Flat White Portal.' Front Street Coffee won't go into too much detail here."

I. Espresso Base As is well known, compared to regular Italian milk coffees, the espresso base used for Flat White has certain differences. For example, the espresso base used in our Latte is a full extraction of espresso, where the three flavors of sourness, sweetness, and bitterness are well balanced, without emphasizing any one flavor. The espresso base used for Flat White has its own name: ristretto. Ristretto is an espresso that extracts only the front and middle portions of the coffee grounds. By reducing the introduction of bitter substances, the coffee can present a sweeter and more fragrant profile. So generally speaking, although Flat White has a stronger coffee taste than Latte, it is not very bitter—that is the reason.

But we should know that the ristretto extraction method is very similar to making iced pour-over: using less liquid to extract more substances. To achieve this, we need to adjust the grind or the dose. But for businesses, this undoubtedly adds a very cumbersome operation. So basically, the vast majority of businesses use regular espresso to make Flat White.

II. Cup Size The second difference between Latte and Flat White is the amount of milk they use! Because Latte uses a very large amount of milk in its preparation, Italians directly named it "caffè latte." Generally speaking, the milk used in a Latte is five times the espresso, i.e., a 1:5 ratio, with specific adjustments depending on the coffee beans used. With this amount of milk, Latte becomes easier to drink due to the presence of lactose—even people who can't handle bitterness can enjoy it somewhat. That's why it's praised as a milk coffee suitable for all ages. Flat White, relatively speaking, uses less milk, because it needs to highlight the sweetness of the coffee more, so the milk amount must be correspondingly reduced to prevent the milk flavor from balancing out the coffee. Generally speaking, the milk used in a Flat White is 3.5–4 times the espresso. With this amount of milk, not only is the coffee's own flavor not largely neutralized, but the overall drink also gains a richer, more mellow body.

III. Milk Foam Thickness The last difference is the thickness of the milk foam! The presence of milk foam not only provides a certain creamy mouthfeel to the coffee but can also be used for latte art. So for many milk coffees, a dense and delicate milk foam is very necessary.

But when Flat White was first created, baristas did not want the thick mouthfeel brought by too much milk foam. So Flat White's milk foam is extremely thin—less than 0.5mm. Although this causes it to lose the creamy mouthfeel brought by "thick" foam, people can thereby more directly experience the milk coffee. One sip, and it's straight-up milk coffee!

In summary, I believe everyone now knows what differences exist between the two. If you want to drink a cup of coffee with a creamy texture and higher sweetness, then choose a Latte with more milk and slightly thicker foam; and if you want to drink a product where you can more directly feel the coffee taste, then choose a Flat White with thin foam and less bitterness—you can't go wrong~

It's worth mentioning there's also a small difference: the options in which they can be made. Latte can be made both hot and iced, but Flat White cannot! Although Flat White, like Latte, was hot when it was first created, even now it is only made as a hot drink. After all, an iced version doesn't exist, so "iced Flat White" is still a term that makes baristas sweat when they hear it~ As for the reason—those who know, know~

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