Why Is It Called Cappuccino, and How Does It Differ From a Latte?

A latte, cappuccino, and flat white all start with espresso and milk, but they differ in extraction volume, milk proportion, and foam thickness. A cappuccino traditionally uses a smaller, equal-part ratio of espresso, steamed milk, and foam, giving a thick, airy top layer, while a flat white uses a thinner microfoam and more milk, and a latte is the milkiest of the three.

The cappuccino name traces back to the drink's resemblance to the brown-and-white robes of Capuchin monks, which is why is it called cappuccino. The drink's preparation methods changed with technology, from boiling whole pots of coffee and straining grounds through cloth to the old-style moka pot and eventually the espresso machine's steam wand, which made finer milk foam standard for milk coffee.

Also composed of espresso and milk, the latte, cappuccino, and flat white each possess distinct personalities and loyal followings. These three milk coffees often appear side by side on café menus, and while their preparation processes seem similar, there are actually significant differences in espresso extraction volume, milk proportion, and milk foam thickness. This article will start from their historical origins, dissect the key preparation points and flavor characteristics of each, and use Front Street Coffee's classic Italian blend as an example to share how to recreate café-level drinks at home. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast just starting out or a player looking to refine your skills, you will find practical references here.

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In the coffee world, the combination of just two basic elements can give rise to dazzlingly diverse variations, sometimes making it difficult for those who don't often drink coffee to tell the differences. Take the highly visible Americano and Long Black as an example—the two are frequently compared due to their similar appearance.

Among the recognized best-sellers in cafés, the branches formed by milk coffees through industry evolution are even more abundant. Taking Front Street's most beloved "Three Musketeers"—the latte, flat white, and cappuccino—all three use espresso as their base and are mixed with milk, and their preparation steps are broadly similar. Yet on café menus, they always remain independent, listed separately. What exactly sets them apart from one another?

Latte

As a widely known Italian milk coffee, the latte can be called the most famous representative among regular coffee categories, and it is favored by a large number of coffee enthusiasts because of its simple preparation method.

Although there are no detailed records of its origin, what can be confirmed is that the latte came into being long before espresso. At least since the 17th century, the practice of mixing milk into coffee had already appeared in Europe, though the brewing methods at the time were rather primitive—either boiling the entire pot of coffee and filtering the grounds with a cloth bag, or extracting with an old-style moka pot. With the advent of the espresso machine, the steam wand became standard equipment for milk coffee, allowing baristas to easily heat milk. The modern form of the latte was thus gradually established and spread around the world along with the latte art trend.

Cappuccino

As can be inferred from the name, the term cappuccino (Cappuccino) should have come from the Italians. According to materials consulted by Front Street, it originally derives from "Kapuziner," which means "monk" in German. Legend has it that this beverage was born in a Vienna café in the 18th century. At that time, coffee was drunk together with the liquid and grounds. To improve the taste, a Polish person filtered out the coffee grounds with a cloth bag, then poured it into a glass and mixed in honey, spices, and cream. This not only made the coffee more palatable but also gave it a unique reddish-brown color, visually quite similar to the color of the robes worn by the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor—hence the name "Kapuziner."

Afterward it spread to Italy, and with advances in pressurized espresso machine technology, Italians began using espresso as the base, replacing cream with milk whipped into a dense foam, then using a spoon to shape the milk foam on the surface of the coffee into a pointed cap. Over time, it acquired its own Italian name—what we now know as "Cappuccino."

Flat White

Compared with the two "veterans" above, the flat white, born in the latter half of the 20th century, is obviously much younger. In the last century, Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, New Zealand, and other places. Since cappuccino and latte did not suit local taste preferences, people began to improve these milk coffees.

In order to better appreciate the coffee's flavor, they whipped the milk foam thinner and integrated it into the coffee. The surface gradually became flat, until only a thin layer remained, completely level with the rim of the cup—thus today's Flat White was born. "Flat" means "level," while "White" refers to the white milk coffee. Since the 1980s, Flat White could be seen on fixed menus in many parts of Australia, and before long it spread to cafés in Europe and America, then swept the globe.

Having covered the origin stories, let's now discuss their differences in taste and mouthfeel. First of all, whether latte, cappuccino, or flat white, the flavor mainly depends on the coffee beans used. If you want to achieve a taste consistent with cafés, Front Street's classic Italian blend is recommended. This is a recipe combining beans from three origins—Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam—using a dark roast that maximizes the coffee's rich aroma and makes it easy for everyone to extract abundant, dense crema. It is very suitable whether for making a water-diluted Americano or a milk-paired latte, and can be purchased from Front Street's Taobao store or Front Street's Tmall flagship store.

1. Espresso extraction volume: Latte = Cappuccino > Flat White

As two classic milk coffees, the latte and cappuccino usually use a standard espresso as their base, because they do not particularly emphasize the extraction parameters of the espresso—the focus instead lies in the amount and handling of the milk.

The greatest characteristic of the flat white is that you can directly taste the rich aroma carried by the top layer of crema and feel the perfect fusion of hot milk and coffee, so the espresso extraction step cannot be careless at all. For the flat white's base, Front Street uses a double ristretto taken only from the front and middle segments, extracting 30 grams of coffee liquid from 20g of coffee grounds with an extraction time of 22-25 seconds—the resulting milk coffee is fuller in both aroma and mouthfeel.

2. Milk proportion: Latte > Flat White > Cappuccino

Everyone has probably heard that the word "latte" comes from the transliteration of the Italian "Latte," which originally means milk. As the name suggests, in "Caffe Latte," milk is the protagonist. Compared with other milk coffees, the latte has the highest proportion of milk, so its sweetness is the most prominent. For example, Front Street uses a double espresso (about 40g) as the base and adds 240ml of fresh milk when serving a hot latte. At the same time, because the latte's flavor is more compatible, you can also add auxiliary ingredients of different flavors according to personal taste when making it, giving the coffee more layers.

In contrast, the flat white highlights the coffee's flavor by adding milk—the coffee is the protagonist, and the milk plays only a supporting role, so its proportion must not be too large. When Front Street uses a 200ml coffee cup for preparation, after deducting the 27-30g double ristretto, the remaining space is filled with 160ml of warm fresh milk.

For the preparation of the other "veteran," the cappuccino, there is a widely circulated saying that the ratio of coffee, milk, and milk foam is 1:1:1. But the milk foam produced this way is about 2.5cm thick, the first two sips are almost all foam, and the coffee at the bottom is both strong and bitter, so baristas make appropriate adjustments. Front Street also uses a 200ml straight ceramic cup for its cappuccino. To leave room for the milk foam, we add 140-150g of steamed fresh milk on top of a 40g double espresso.

3. Milk foam thickness: Cappuccino > Latte > Flat White

Considering that the cappuccino needs to have the iconic "hamburger" feature, our first action when steaming is to introduce a large amount of air—first, to give the coffee a thick layer of foam, and second, to ensure there is enough time to whip it into a dense texture. To present the rounded shape of milk foam rising above the cup's rim, Front Street's cappuccino is whipped to a thickness of at least 1.5cm. However, because the milk foam in this state has poor fluidity, we do not make overly complex patterns, but simply push a large white heart or circle to finish.

Thanks to the large proportion of milk, the latte is usually served in a wide-mouthed ceramic coffee cup. When we control the foam thickness to a smooth state of 0.5-1cm, it not only facilitates even fusion with the coffee but also, because there is more space, allows for better drawing of various exquisite patterns. (PS: The piccolo, known as a "small latte," also has its milk foam thickness controlled within the range of 0.5-1cm.)

As for the flat white, because the drinker should finish it while the coffee is in its most perfect state, it should be neither too hot nor too thick, yet still dense. If cappuccino and latte pursue the "density" brought by a strong airy feel, then the flat white pursues a silky "smoothness."

What Front Street wants guests to taste in a flat white is creaminess that is silky smooth yet not too "watery." We retain a 0.3cm layer of milk foam to fuse with the espresso and pour latte art, and control the temperature at 50-55 degrees Celsius, making it easier to drink.

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