No matter which coffee shop we go to, we can always see familiar names on the menu: Americano, Latte, Flat White... These coffees have become well-known in China thanks in no small part to Starbucks' promotion. Since Starbucks launched the Flat White in 2020, it immediately won the hearts of Starbucks fans around the world. What is the magic that makes everyone love Flat White coffee so much? In this article, Front Street will talk about this rising star.
What is "Flat White"
Flat White is actually a drink that falls somewhere between a Latte and a Cappuccino. It uses espresso as its base with milk added, featuring the double espresso of a Cappuccino while having the slightly glossy, fine microfoam of a Latte, yet spread more thinly and lightly over the top of the coffee. Flat White has the rich aroma of a Cappuccino, lighter and creamier microfoam than a Latte, and none of the bitter, full-bodied taste of an Americano, making it the perfect ratio in the minds of milk coffee lovers.
Flat WhiteThe Origins of the Coffee
If you don't know the cultural background behind the Flat White, you might think it's just another drink made of milk and espresso.
In fact, the Flat White comes from the Australia-New Zealand region of the 1980s, where specialty coffee culture was highly valued. After World War II, a large number of European immigrants brought Italian espresso there, and thereafter, independent of European and American culture while inheriting the third wave revolution, a distinctive style of coffee-derived drinks was developed, such as the Flat White, ristretto, piccolo, and other unique items.
Specialty coffee research into origins and processing methods mostly uses light roasting in order to preserve the unique fruity aromas and flavors of coffee beans from different origins, and is brewed by hand, which places even greater demands on the barista's craftsmanship and unique latte art skills. From roasting to brewing, the slightest difference can create a different taste; even the same batch of coffee beans will carry a different personal flavor depending on which barista handles them.
The emergence of the Latte was perhaps intended to reduce the bitterness of espresso through the sweetness and creamy richness of milk itself. The emergence of the Flat White, on the other hand, was intended to further elevate the flavor and mouthfeel of the coffee itself through the sweetness and creamy richness of milk.
Front Street Coffee believes that the emergence of the Flat White reflects the continuous improvement of coffee quality and people's pursuit of specialty coffee, and also reflects that more and more consumers are paying closer attention to the coffee itself.
Flat White CoffeeHow Is It Made?
There are two ways to make Flat White coffee. One is a smaller portion, using 20g of espresso mixed with 80ml of steamed hot milk with thin microfoam (0.5cm thick) to make a rich milk coffee of about 100ml.
The other is a larger portion, using 30g (double shot) of ristretto espresso mixed with 170ml of steamed hot milk with thin microfoam (0.5cm thick) to make a finished milk coffee of about 200ml.
Front Street Coffee's in-store method of making Flat White coffee is similar to Starbucks', both using a double shot of ristretto espresso. Front Street daily uses a Sunflower Warm Sun blend of coffee beans consisting of 30% sun-dried Yirgacheffe and 70% Honduras Sherry to extract espresso. Through Front Street's cupping, it has been determined that this blend expresses fermented wine aromas, the sweet-tartness of berries, the aroma of roasted nuts, and the sweet fragrance of caramel.
To extract ristretto espresso, Front Street uses a coffee-to-liquid ratio of 1:1.6. Using 19-20g of coffee grounds to extract 30-32g of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of about 27-32 seconds. (A regular espresso, by contrast, uses a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio, extracting 40g of coffee liquid from 20g of coffee grounds, with an extraction time of 28-32 seconds.)
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
