Is Starbucks Specialty Coffee and How Does Its Flat White Differ from a Cortado?

A flat white is an espresso-based milk drink that originated in Oceania, most likely Melbourne or New Zealand. It uses less milk and thinner microfoam than a latte, giving a more intense coffee flavor. The name varies by chain: some call it a rui bai, Starbucks calls it a fu rui bai, and Costa calls it a chun yi bai, though the drink itself stays largely the same.

Two main schools of preparation exist. The New Zealand method uses a double ristretto base with steamed fresh milk to highlight coffee flavor, while the Australian method leans toward a single espresso with a thin layer of microfoam. Foam thickness and milk ratio are the core differences separating flat white from latte and cappuccino.

It is also a combination of espresso and milk, but Flat White is called 澳瑞白 at Luckin, 馥芮白 at Starbucks, and 醇艺白 at Costa—names vary widely, and each has its own nuanced approach. This milk coffee that originated in Oceania is most recognizable for using less milk, having thinner microfoam, and delivering a more intense flavor. Drawing on Front Street Coffee's experience, this article sorts out the controversy over Flat White's origins, the different schools of thought on how to make it, and its core differences from latte and cappuccino in terms of foam thickness and milk ratio, along with specific extraction and steaming parameters to help you understand how a delicious Flat White is actually made.

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The espresso-based milk coffee made with espresso and milk—Flat White—often gets different Chinese names at different brand stores. For example, Luckin calls it 澳瑞白, Starbucks calls it 馥芮白, and Costa calls it 醇艺白. Today, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will talk about what Flat White actually is.

What Is Flat White?

The birthplace of Flat White is disputed—some say it comes from Melbourne, Australia, while others believe it was invented in New Zealand. Whether in New Zealand or Australia, it is an extremely popular drink ordered in local coffee shops. In addition to the differing claims about its origin, there is no unified standard for making Flat White. Front Street believes the core characteristics of Flat White are: more intense than ordinary milk coffee, less milk, and a thinner layer of microfoam.

Around these characteristics, two different approaches to making it have emerged on the market. The New Zealand method uses a double ristretto as the base, then pours in steamed fresh milk, highlighting a robust coffee flavor; the Australian method leans toward using a single espresso, mixed with a thin layer of microfoam to make a milk coffee. The specific choice depends on the coffee beans used by the store and the flavor direction they want to present. The Flat White served at Front Street stores uses its own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee." The overall style is fresh and the mouthfeel is soft, so the base uses a double espresso.

Differences Between Flat White, Latte, and Cappuccino

Compared with the common latte and cappuccino, Flat White's most obvious difference lies in the ratio of microfoam to milk.

The "Flat" in Flat White means flat. A properly made Flat White must have a surface so thin that it is level with the rim of the cup, and the foam layer is not allowed to bulge. Among the three common hot milk coffees, cappuccino has the thickest foam, usually between 1 and 2 cm; Flat White has the thinnest foam, about 0.3 to 0.5 cm; latte's foam mostly forms a dome of about 0.5 to 0.7 cm, while Flat White's foam must be kept below 0.5 cm, otherwise it is difficult to maintain a "flat" surface.

Every coffee shop handles foam thickness a little differently. Some baristas, in order to let customers experience the upper layer of coffee crema as much as possible, simply do not steam the milk at all and directly pour heated milk into the espresso. Front Street wants customers to drink a Flat White that is dense and smooth, so it retains a 0.3 cm foam layer.

A Flat White that pursues a rich mouthfeel adds a smaller proportion of milk to the espresso, with the specific amount depending on the serving size of the store. Imagine if it were made according to a latte's milk ratio—the overall drink would taste more like coffee-flavored milk. Taking Front Street stores as an example, the ceramic cup for serving Flat White has a capacity of 180 ml. The base uses two ristrettos totaling 30 grams, then 150 grams of hot milk is added, in order to present a richer and fuller coffee flavor.

How to Make a Delicious Flat White?

For the coffee base, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a double ristretto: 20 grams of coffee grounds are extracted into 30 grams of coffee liquid, with the extraction time controlled at 22–24 seconds. However, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) also reminds you that each coffee bean's extraction recipe will have slight differences. This parameter is adjusted by the barista before opening each day according to the Warm Sun Blend used in the store.

Pour the extracted coffee liquid into a pre-warmed cup first, then pour 150 ml of milk into the milk pitcher and steam it. When steaming the milk, the amount of air introduced should be less than for a latte, and the foam layer should be thinner and denser. The temperature is best controlled at 55–60°C, which makes it more comfortable to drink.

Finally, pour the steamed milk into the coffee. Because the microfoam is thin, the surface does not rise above the coffee cup and looks rather flat, which is why it is also called flat white coffee.

This espresso extracted by Front Street using "Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans" has whisky aroma, vanilla, cream, and berry-like acidity. After blending with milk, the Flat White presents flavors of chocolate milk and whisky liqueur chocolate, with a smooth, fragrant, and mellow entry and a very long finish.

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