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Coffee enthusiasts who have tried Flat White know that it is not served cold. If ice cubes are added, it will most likely become a latte. Does this mean that Flat White is stronger than latte? Which of the two is sweeter? In this article, Front Street Coffee will answer these questions one by one and explain how to distinguish Flat White from latte.
 
What is Flat White coffee?
 
Flat White is a coffee beverage that originated in Australia, so it is also called Australian White coffee, though some argue that it actually originated in New Zealand. Apart from the dispute over its origin, the methods of making Flat White also vary. Flat White is a milk coffee drink with a stronger coffee taste, less milk, and thinner milk foam. As for the espresso base, New Zealanders prefer to use a Double Ristretto to make Flat White, while Australian baristas prefer a Single Espresso.
 

According to Front Street Coffee, in Australia, Flat White is only made hot, because once ice cubes are added, it becomes a Flat White without its soul. The ice cubes dilute the overall strength, so it can also be understood that a cold Flat White becomes a latte.
 
Then what is latte?
 
Latte is actually a transliteration of the Italian word "Latte," meaning milk, so if you order a latte at an Italian coffee shop, you might get a cup of milk. In Italy, latte actually means milk coffee. With the advent of espresso machines, steam wands became standard equipment on espresso machines, making it easy to heat milk on the machine, and the modern latte took shape accordingly. By the 1980s, baristas from Seattle, Washington, began to "color" with richly textured milk, which was the prototype of latte art.
 

And because each coffee shop uses espresso blend beans with different flavors and different models of espresso machines, the ratio of milk to coffee, the beans used, and the extraction parameters of latte will vary slightly from shop to shop. But generally speaking, latte is a coffee beverage made by adding a large amount of milk to espresso. Lattes made with different coffee beans will have different flavors, lattes made with different milks will also have different flavors, and even different ratios of coffee to milk can present different flavors.
 
How to distinguish Flat White from latte?
 
As for how to distinguish Flat White from latte? Front Street Coffee believes it depends on the espresso ratio between them, because in fact each shop's Flat White and latte ratios will differ. Taking Front Street Coffee's products as an example:
 
Front Street Coffee's latte standard:Using a 300ml ceramic coffee cup, the espresso base is 40g, and milk plus milk foam is 260ml. The milk foam thickness is about 1 cm (foam whipping degree: milk filled to 5 parts, whipped to 7 parts milk foam).
 

Front Street Coffee's Flat White standard:Using a 220ml glass cup, the espresso uses 30g of espresso, and milk plus milk foam is 190ml. The milk foam thickness is about 0.5 cm. (Foam whipping degree: milk filled to 5 parts, whipped to 5.5-6 parts milk foam).

Differences: In terms of cup volume, latte is larger than Flat White. From the appearance, latte's milk foam is slightly thicker and slightly domed, while Flat White's milk foam is slightly thinner and flat. In terms of flavor, latte has a stronger milky taste, while Flat White has a more prominent coffee taste. Therefore, Australians jokingly say that latte is coffee-flavored milk (meaning it is essentially milk), while Flat White is milk-flavored coffee (meaning it is essentially coffee).

  
How to make Flat White coffee?
 
So how exactly do you make Flat White? How do you make latte? What coffee beans are suitable for making espresso? Next, Front Street Coffee will answer these one by one.
 

Front Street Coffee uses the Flying Horse E98  espresso machine, with the following extraction parameters:
Pressure: 9 bar
Temperature: 90.5~96°C
Time: 25~33 seconds
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2
Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso)
Extracted espresso amount: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)
 
Recommended milk-to-coffee ratio for Flat White
 

Milk: Whole fresh milk (Front Street uses Vitasoy fresh milk)
Milk steaming temperature: 50-60°C (too low a temperature cannot stimulate the lactose in milk, too high a temperature will destroy the protein in milk, creating a grainy texture)
Milk foam thickness: 5mm (1cm foam is for making latte, 1.5cm thick foam is for making cappuccino)
Espresso amount: 40ml
Milk amount: 140ml
 
Andthe latte recipe ratio is as follows:
 

Front Street uses the Flying Horse E98  espresso machine.
Pressure: 9 bar
Temperature: 90.5~96°C
Time: 25~33 seconds
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2
Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso)
Extracted espresso amount: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)
Front Street uses double espresso to make latte. The flavor performance of the extracted coffee beans is: obvious fruit acidity, a faint berry aroma lingering, rich wine and chocolate flavors, and a comfortable sweet aftertaste.
 

Milk: Whole fresh milk (Front Street uses Bright Fresh Pasture milk)
Milk steaming temperature: 50-60°C (too low a temperature cannot stimulate the lactose in milk, too high a temperature will destroy the protein in milk, creating a grainy texture)
Milk foam thickness: 1 cm (foam thinner than 1 cm is for making Flat White, foam thicker than 1 cm is for making cappuccino)
 
The above are the parameters used by Front Street Coffee when making Flat White and latte. Secondly, Front Street Coffee understands that each coffee shop uses espresso blend beans with different flavors and different models of espresso machines, so latte will have slight differences in the ratio of milk to coffee, beans used, and extraction parameters from shop to shop. But generally speaking, latte is a coffee beverage made by adding a large amount of milk to espresso. Lattes made with different coffee beans will have different flavors, lattes made with different milks will also have different flavors, and even different ratios of coffee to milk can present different flavors.
 
What coffee beans are used for espresso

Generally speaking, coffee beans used to make espresso must be suitable for espresso machines, so coffee that is too lightly roasted is not suitable for making latte. The darker the roast, the stronger the coffee taste of the latte (caramel, bitter). The lighter the roast, the more obvious the milky taste of the latte. Therefore, the roast level should be chosen appropriately so that coffee and milk can better blend.

  
Because espresso machines have a very distinct characteristic of amplifying the original flavor of coffee beans, and lightly roasted coffee beans themselves have more prominent acidity, if extracted with an espresso machine, the acidity will be even more obvious, so lightly roasted coffee beans are not suitable for making espresso.
 
In addition, the coffee beans used for espresso currently seen on the coffee market are all blends of beans from multiple origins, commonly known as espresso blend beans. This is because the origin of blended coffee comes from Italy. Common espresso drinks in coffee shops, whether latte, mocha, or cappuccino, all use blend beans. This is because blended coffee beans can make coffee that originally lacks a mellow flavor become more mellow.
 

The initial emergence of Italian blended coffee was because rich, sweet-bitter espresso was popular at the time, and single-origin coffee has flavor bias, that is, advantages and disadvantages coexist. In addition, high-quality single-origin coffee beans are expensive, while blended coffee is more cost-effective and lower in price than single-origin coffee, yet can still have a unique flavor. Therefore, at that time, many Italians chose blended coffee rather than single-origin coffee, and blended coffee developed in this way and has remained popular to this day.
 
Moreover, Front Street Coffee believes that the main purpose of blended coffee is to maintain stable flavor and balanced taste, because coffee fruit is always a crop, and each year climate and environmental issues can make the flavor of coffee fruit unstable. It may be sweeter this year and less sweet next year, while mixing several coffee beans together can solve this problem well, at least keeping the coffee flavor consistent every year.

 
For example, the Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun series currently used in Front Street Coffee's shop is Front Street's most proud blended coffee creation. It is blended from Honduras Sherry coffee and Yirgacheffe sun-dried Red Cherry coffee, and when added to milk it highlights rich chocolate, caramel, and slightly tipsy flavors.
 

Next, Front Street Coffee will introduce the characteristics of this coffee bean!
 
Front Street Coffee Sunflower Warm Sun Blend
Flavor:Obvious fruit acidity, a faint berry aroma, wine aroma, rich chocolate flavor, and a noticeable sweet aftertaste.
Recipe:Honduras Sherry : Yirga Red Cherry = 7:3
   

For this blend, Front Street uses Yirgacheffe sun-dried Red Cherry and Honduras Sherry. Front Street's design concept for this blend is that it can be used for both espresso and pour-over. When used to make espresso, the flavor it releases has an obvious fermented wine aroma. When sipped, the acidity of citrus and berries immediately emerges, with whiskey aroma, and the aftertaste is dark chocolate.

  
Secondly, Front Street Coffee has also developed another three espresso blend beans for coffee lovers to choose from. Each blend coffee bean has its own characteristics, and you only need to choose according to the flavor you like.
 
Front Street Coffee Front Street Specialty Blend
Flavor:Soft slight acidity, light sweetness, nutty sweet aftertaste. The overall feeling is not too stimulating, peaceful, and the body is medium.
Recipe:Colombia : Brazil = 3:7
 

For this blend, Front Street used Brazil and Colombia. It tastes of a light roasted grassy aroma, delicate fragrance with slight bitterness, smooth and pleasant, with a refreshing aftertaste. This is because coffee beans from Colombia's Huila region have a pleasant acidity, aromatic smell, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness that is very
intriguing, while coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable sweet-bitter taste and an extremely smooth entry. So the combination is simply wonderful.
 
Front Street Coffee Front Street Commercial Blend
Flavor:Caramel sweetness, nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, with a slight sweet-bitter note, and a lasting aftertaste.
Recipe:Colombia : Brazil : Robusta = 3:6:1
 

For this blend, Front Street used coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia plus 10% Robusta coffee beans. The taste is classic. Front Street believes this blend tastes of rich crema and mouthfeel, caramel sweetness, and also has nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, with a slight sweet-bitter note, and a lasting aftertaste. This Front Street Commercial Blend, like Front Street Coffee Front Street Specialty Blend, uses a ratio of Colombian and Brazilian coffee beans. The difference is that Robusta is also added, which provides rich crema, making the coffee taste more mellow.
 
Front Street Coffee Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend
Flavor:With soft fruit acidity, caramel sweetness, nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is relatively light.
Recipe:Yunnan : Brazil = 3:7
 

For this blend, Front Street used Brazil and Yunnan. Front Street believes it tastes of soft fruit acidity and caramel sweetness, as well as nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is relatively light. This is because Yunnan's natural conditions are very similar to Colombia's, with high altitude and a large temperature difference between day and night. Its flavor is of the mellow-aromatic type, with moderate acidity, rich and mellow taste, uniform beans, high oil content, and fruity aroma. Its quality and taste are similar to Colombian coffee. However, its taste is still slightly lighter than Colombia's, while coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable sweet-bitter taste and an extremely smooth entry. Therefore, mixing these two coffee beans also gives a good flavor, and this Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend coffee bean is very cost-effective, suitable for espresso beginners and small coffee shops.
 
The above is the relevant content about Flat White compiled by Front Street Coffee. We hope it can help coffee enthusiasts who want to learn related knowledge, so that in the future they can choose espresso blend coffee beans that suit their own taste.

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