When it comes to rich, full-bodied milk coffee, many people might first think of Starbucks'Flat White. Internationally, it's called Flat White. This drink was actually quite obscure in China at first, and only after Starbucks added it to their menu did people gradually become familiar with it, propelling it into the ranks of popular coffee.

What isFlat Whitecoffee?

Flat White coffee, whose original name "Flat White" is more widely known—of course, 馥芮白, 奥瑞白, 平白咖啡, and 小白咖啡 are all translations of "Flat White." Flat White coffee originated in Oceania (though whether it's Australia or New Zealand is disputed). Flat White coffee can be seen as the Australian version of a latte. At first it was only popular in the Australian region, but later Starbucks brought Australia's "Flat White" to China, gave it the elegant name 馥芮白, and naturally it became popular in China too.

Besides the dispute over its origin,Flat White coffeeis also made in different ways. Flat White coffee is a milk coffee drink with a stronger coffee flavor, less milk, and thinner milk foam.

In terms of the espresso base, New Zealanders prefer to use a double ristretto to make Flat White coffee, while Australian baristas prefer to use a single espresso.

Introduction to the Origin and History of Flat White

Regarding the invention of the Flat White, Australians and New Zealanders each hold their own views, insisting that this drink comes from their country, and the recipes used by baristas in the two countries to produce Flat White coffee are also different. Although we truly cannot determine which country the Flat White came from, what is certain is that this drink originated from people's pursuit of higher-quality coffee.

Before the 1970s, coffee shops in Australia used French presses, manual pour-over, and other methods to brew black coffee. In the early 1970s, Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, officially starting a new wave of coffee culture. Compared with traditional lattes and cappuccinos, Australians pursued a milk drink with thinner milk foam and a stronger coffee flavor. As a result, milk coffee began to be continuously "improved" in Australia, New Zealand, and other regions. As the milk foam on milk coffee became flatter and flatter, until it became a thin layer completely level with the rim of the cup, it was named Flat White. "Flat" means "level," and "White" refers to white coffee with milk added.

Starting in the 1980s, Australians put Flat White on fixed menus, and not long after, it spread to cafes in Europe, America, and other countries. The reason Flat White became a popular product in China is that Starbucks introduced it in 2015 and named it "馥芮白" as one of its signature drinks, which meant that this milk coffee had already become mainstream.

Returning to the drink itself, the Flat White highlights the flavor of coffee by adding milk. Coffee is the protagonist, and milk is only an assistant, so in terms of taste, the coffee flavor is fuller and richer. In addition, the thin layer of milk foam on top makes every sip of the strong coffee liquid carry a velvety, dense foam layer. The moderate temperature and relatively small cup size allow it to be drunk quickly before the milk foam separates. Besides the differences in cup size and milk foam thickness, some baristas, in order to better express the aroma of the coffee beans, replace the base with a double ristretto and incorporate milk foam of a thickness comparable to that of a latte into a 150 ml cup.

Front Street teaches you to distinguish latte, cappuccino, and Flat White

In order to distinguish latte, cappuccino, and Flat White coffee, Front Street plans to compare them in terms of ingredient composition, cup size, milk foam thickness, and flavor and mouthfeel.

First is cup size. According to Front Street's production standards, latte uses a 300 ml wide-mouthed ceramic cup, cappuccino uses a 180 ml narrow-mouthed ceramic cup, and Flat White uses a 210 ml glass cup. Next is distinguishing the components of these three coffees. Latte is made with 2 shots of espresso (40 g) plus 260 ml of steamed milk and thin milk foam. Cappuccino is made with 1 shot of espresso (20 g) plus 160 ml of steamed milk and thick milk foam. Flat White is made with 2 shots of ristretto (30 g) plus 180 ml of steamed milk and thin milk foam. Among these, ristretto is the front and middle extraction of espresso, with a richer and more intense flavor.

Latte

Milk foam thickness has always been an important feature for distinguishing latte, cappuccino, and Flat White coffee. Among the three, cappuccino has the thickest milk foam (about 1–1.5 cm). Its most obvious characteristic is that cappuccino coffee can reach eleven-tenths full in the cup, meaning the milk foam rises above the cup in a protruding hamburger-like shape. Flat White coffee has the thinnest milk foam (about 0.3 cm). Because the milk foam in Flat White coffee is thin, the liquid surface is basically level with the cup, hence the name Flat White. The milk foam thickness of latte falls between the two (0.5 cm). The milk foam thickness of latte is very suitable for latte art, and one reason for choosing a wide cup mouth is to better create latte art patterns.

Flat White
 

In terms of taste and mouthfeel, because latte has the most milk, it is not dominated by espresso; the two complement each other, balanced and mutually covering. Flat White coffee, because it is ristretto plus less milk, highlights the aroma of coffee without excessive bitterness. Cappuccino highlights the taste of coffee even more. In terms of mouthfeel, cappuccino has the fullest mouthfeel, owing to its fine and generous milk foam, which, combined with the coffee crema, appears especially smooth and full. Next is Flat White coffee, and last is latte.

Cappuccino
 

Finally, one more point to add is that latte, cappuccino, and Flat White were all hot drinks at first, but over time, latte developed an iced version, while cappuccino and Flat White still only come as hot drinks.

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