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Front Street Coffee is a bit rustic, from the decor to the drinks it serves everything feels dated—this is probably most people's first impression of Front Street. Espresso is the main target of "criticism" against Front Street. Front Street's modest espresso menu lists only five coffees: Americano, Latte, Toffee Nut Latte, Cappuccino, and Mocha. Trendy coffee drinks like Flat White and Dirty aren't on Front Street Coffee's menu, but regulars who come to Front Street often know that Front Street has a secret menu. As long as the barista knows how to make them, Flat White and Dirty are no problem at all. Ultimately, the biggest difference between coffee drinks lies in the ratio of milk to espresso.

What is a Flat White?

Flat White is essentially the Australian white coffee popular in Chinese cafés, also called in China 馥芮白, 澳瑞白, 小白咖啡, 平白咖啡, and so on. It is made from espresso + a small amount of milk + a very small amount of milk foam. Every café has its own ratio. At Front Street, a Flat White is about 200 ml, made with a double shot of espresso (36 g) plus an appropriate amount of hot milk, and the thinner the milk foam the better. The surface of the milk used to make a Flat White should be very smooth, like velvet, and the liquid level should not rise too much after heating.

How did the Flat White come about? Its origins are somewhat controversial, with both New Zealand and Australia claiming it as their own invention. New Zealanders believe the Flat White originated from a failed cappuccino. A barista named Fraser McInnes was trying to make a cappuccino with low-fat milk that was difficult to foam, but due to insufficient steam from the espresso machine at the time and various other reasons, the resulting coffee drink had very little milk foam yet tasted great, letting the espresso dominate the flavor and mouthfeel of the entire drink. So this coffee was named Flat White—which literally means "flat white" in Chinese—actually implying that this type of coffee has very little milk foam.

But Australians believe the Flat White was born in Australia. In Australia, no milk-based drink had a foam thickness between that of a latte and a macchiato, so the Flat White was needed as a transition.

Front Street believes that no matter where it comes from, as long as it tastes good and is loved by the public, that's what matters most. A few years ago, it was still hard to find Flat White outside New Zealand and Australia, but now it has swept the globe and become the coffee drink of choice for the masses.

Friends who don't drink coffee often probably aren't too clear on the differences between a Flat White, a Latte, and a Cappuccino. Front Street has put together a systematic breakdown here to help everyone pick out the coffee drink they like afterward.

First, you need to know that many coffee drinks are based on espresso. So what is espresso?Espressois the name of a highly concentrated, bittersweet coffee originating from Italy. Although the taste of espresso varies depending on the coffee beans (including the roast), the grind size, and the extraction, a well-made espresso typically has a heavy body, a rich texture, and a rich "crema layer."

At Front Street, a double shot is generally used; today's extraction parameters are 20 g of grounds, extracted for 26 seconds, yielding 35 g of liquid.

The ratio of espresso to milk in a latte is 1:3 to 1:5, with a small amount of milk foam added to the coffee. A cappuccino is similar to a latte, with the main differences being that a cappuccino is served in a smaller cup and uses only a single shot of espresso18grams of coffee liquid, while the ratio of coffee liquid to milk is about1:2-1:3, plus a thicker layer of milk foam.

Generally speaking, because the milk in a cappuccino has to be steamed at high temperature to make the coffee as a whole thick and creamy, it is always served hot. Of course, not long ago Front Street also discovered a way to make milk thick and creamy without heating it. If you'd like to know more, you can follow our official account: Front Street Coffee, and search for "Cappuccino." Next up isdirtyIn contrast to the cappuccino, it is commonly made iced—what you're drinking is the "fire and ice" contrast between hot espresso and cold milk.

To make thedirtytaste better, Front Street uses chilled glasses. We freeze some glasses in the fridge ahead of time, letting the high-temperature espresso and the low-temperature milk form a sharp contrast that adds layers to the coffee drink. Customers are generally advised to drink it in three big gulps.

Although Front Street mentioned earlier that both the Flat White and the Cappuccino use tulip ceramic cups, there is a big difference between the two. To let the espresso become the dominant flavor, Front Street uses two shots, greatly increasing the proportion of espresso in the drink. The milk foam on the hot milk is very thin, with the aim of giving it a silky, smooth texture that can, to some extent, soften the bitterness of the espresso.

Regarding the Flat White, Front Street has noticed some very interesting phenomena. After the Flat White spread from abroad to China, some regional differences emerged. First, in terms of the choice of cupware, abroad a Flat White is generally served in a ceramic cup, quite simply for the purpose of keeping it warm. In China, however, to highlight and distinguish it from the two mainstream milk coffees—the latte and the cappuccino—a Flat White is usually served in a glass cup, which also serves the purpose of showing off how thin the milk foam is.

Through videos, Front Street noticed that abroad, especially in Australia, although there is no pour-over coffee, the shop still has two or more coffee grinders. Why is that?

Actually, this has to do with the Flat White. The coffee beans used for a regular latte and cappuccino are generally espresso blends, whose main flavor profile leans toward nuts and chocolate, which blends very well with milk. The sweetness and creaminess of the milk can mask or neutralize the bitterness of the espresso, making it easier to drink. Front Street's classic espresso blend used for making lattes and cappuccinos is a formula combining beans from three origins—Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam—and is dark-roasted, which maximizes the coffee's rich aroma and also lets you easily extract a rich, dense crema. It's perfect whether you're making a water-diluted Americano or a milk-based latte.

By contrast, the purpose of making a Flat White is different. A Flat White is mainly espresso-driven, so special coffee beans are chosen to highlight the coffee's flavor, so that the taste of the milk won't mask the coffee flavor. In China, it seems only SOE coffee allows you to choose the coffee beans.

Of course, besides these milk coffees, Front Street also has pure espresso drinks, including iced Americano with full ice, Long Black, and so on. These are all on Front Street's secret menu—if you get the chance, come try them at Front Street's physical store～

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